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‘Make walking safer, people will enjoy it’

Ahmedabad does have footpaths, but not too many pedestrians. It is because encroachment on pedestrian spaces discourages walkers.

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Ahmedabad does have footpaths, but not too many pedestrians. It is because encroachment on pedestrian spaces discourages walkers.

"Make walking safer, people will enjoy it," believes Dani Simons, Director of Strategic Communications, New York City Dept. of Transportation (DoT). She believes that concepts like Summer Street may become catalysts in promoting cycling and walking in the city.

Simons was disappointed by the lack of dedicated pedestrian spaces in Ahmedabad. "Economic progress and trade activities are necessary but pedestrian space is a must for any progressive city," she said.

Simons was part of the team working for the permanent capital reconstruction project of Times Square. DoT was instrumental in launching the concept of Summer Street, wherein Park Avenue and connecting streets from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park are closed for motorised vehicles so that people can play, walk, run and ride bicycles.

A lot of awareness programmes are needed for popularising walking and cycling in the city. She said that in the initial phase, people will object to the taking away of space which they need for driving and parking their motorised vehicle. However, they will soon recognise the real value of pedestrian space in the future, said Simons.

She was also impressed by the rich heritage of the city. She felt that narrow lanes of walled city were safer from a pedestrian's point of view. "Though there is no clearly defined walk space it is safer to walk because of less traffic," she said.

Simons was all praises for the BRTS project in the city for having a dedicated path making it faster compared to New York City where the buses have to jostle through mixed traffic. "Here the system of ticketing is very simple. Moreover, the information display and announcement of upcoming stations make commuting easy for even foreigners like me," said Simons.

She also stressed upon the need for safe routes for school children and senior citizens. She said that senior citizens find it difficult to cross roads which are wide due to their slow paced walking. "There must be traffic islands at cross roads on both sides so that they can wait on these elevated islands increasing their safety while crossing roads," Simons said.

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