YEARS ago, while attending the Asian Development Bank鈥檚 Transport Forum, a group of us went on a walking tour. At one point the sidewalk was so narrow pedestrians were in single file, queued up to wait to walk. In the midst of the noise and chaos, someone was burning trash on the sidewalk. The situation was so dismal I started cheering; this is worse than Dhaka!
The irony of walking is that it is so utterly ordinary, dare I say, pedestrian, that we take it for granted. It鈥檚 not something we pause to think about or celebrate. We all walk every day without thinking about it. And too many of those out walking in parks and fields are doing so only upon doctor鈥檚 orders. Yet walking connects us to our surroundings. On foot (or in a wheelchair), we see what is around us and can easily interact with others. The moment a toddler takes her first stumbling steps are an occasion of great joy.
Despite all this, we hear that people in Dhaka are lazy; they do not want to walk. Some people blame rickshaws for people鈥檚 lack of interest in walking. Why expend effort when someone else can do so on your behalf? In fact, many people are walking; they are just invisible to policymakers and planners who seem only to notice and plan for the movement of the automobile.
As for people鈥檚 reluctance to walk, let鈥檚 consider how inviting the walking environment is. Do pedestrians have smooth and level footpaths unobstructed with construction waste, parked vehicles, and shop goods? Is crossing the street easy, safe, and convenient? Do people on foot feel valued for moving around without creating pollution or danger?
In Bangladeshi newspapers, I regularly see comments about the 鈥榟aphazard movement of pedestrians鈥� making it difficult for drivers. Pesky pedestrians often walk in the street (usually because the footpath is blocked or non-existent). They 鈥榣eap out鈥� in front of cars (in other words, attempt to cross the street at the risk of their lives). They 鈥渞efuse鈥� to use foot bridges (reject being penalised by having to go out of their way and climb a couple flights of stairs just to cross the street).
Blaming pedestrians for their own road deaths is outrageous. Of course, victim blaming is something we are all used to; what woman does not know that if she is harassed or raped, it is her fault? Heaven forbid we should blame those with power (men, car drivers) for the damage they cause! When large, heavy, noisy, polluting, dangerous vehicles wreak havoc on our roads, we naturally blame those who are killed.
But these tendencies are not universal. Other cities in the world create safe and attractive walking environments, giving pedestrians priority over cars. People out walking are so important, we even get our own day: August 17 is World Pedestrian Day. You may never have heard of it, but it was started by the World Health Organisation to commemorate a woman killed by a car on that date back in 1897.
World Pedestrian Day reminds us that walking is a universal right. It reminds us that pedestrian deaths mean the loss of a valued life and a shattered family. It reminds us that speed is deadly, and the best way to reduce road crashes is to lower and strictly enforce speed limits. (Well, that and get rid of cars in cities, but that is a little more difficult.)
During the worst of the Covid epidemic, many cities reclaimed street space from motorised vehicles to give people safe places to walk outdoors. Those transformations were much loved and should become permanent. It is more important for people to be physically active and interact outdoors in their community than to facilitate the never-ending demand for road and parking space for vehicles.
Streets in Bangladeshi cities send out a clear message of who has value and whose life does not matter. Young and able-bodied people struggle to move about safely; those with disabilities or reduced mobility often face insurmountable obstacles or horrific danger. Do we really believe that the elderly, small children, pregnant women, and people with disabilities are not important members of society? Or only have value when they are using a motorised vehicle?
People on foot deserve safe, accessible, and attractive walking networks so that we can move about without creating pollution, without being a danger to others, and while improving our health and the conviviality of our communities.
More people out walking in pleasant environments means less diabetes, depression, anxiety, and heart disease. Let鈥檚 stop taking walking for granted and fight for better conditions for moving about on foot.
听
Debra Efroymson is executive director of the Institute of Wellbeing.
