National Urban Transportation Policy talks about pedestrian rights but on the ground they are dominated by the traffic, congestion relief and parking issues, etc. In such a scenario, it becomes crucial for the pedestrian to actively seek walkability in their cities. This is a platform where people can join the movement to make cities pedestrian friendly.

 

STEP (Steps Toward Empowering Pedestrians) brings pedestrians together to fight for their rights in the form of a sustained, organized campaign. We ask for our city to be walkable, both in terms of infrastructure as well as a culture of respecting pedestrians. The campaign, launched in February 2020, through a National Pedestrian Conference in Pune, will be undertaking different activities involving users as well as other stakeholders to bring about safe walking facilities in Pune.

National Urban Transportation Policy talks about pedestrian rights but on the ground they are dominated by the traffic, congestion relief and parking issues, etc. In such a scenario, it becomes crucial for the pedestrian to actively seek walkability in their cities. This is a platform where people can join the movement to make cities pedestrian friendly.

STEP (Steps Toward Empowering Pedestrians) brings pedestrians together to fight for their rights in the form of a sustained, organized campaign. We ask for our city to be walkable, both in terms of infrastructure as well as a culture of respecting pedestrians. Based out of Pune, we hope to expand to other cities in the future.

 

Our Goals

• Creating a platform for pedestrians to raise their issues
• Making pedestrians aware of their rights
• Creating a strong pressure groups by involving pedestrians
• Raising pedestrians’ issues to the concerned authorities
• Building network and alliance with the stakeholders
• Promoting walking in the city – as a mode of commute

 

Activities

• Awareness and Mobilization Campaigns
• Capacity Building of Government Officials
• Engagement with different Stakeholders
• Research and Advocacy

The issue of pedestrian safety is of grave concern as it is the pedestrian who faces the brunt of erratic and reckless driving. Pedestrians are often treated as unwanted obstacles by motorists, showing no respect for them at all. Even though media outlets and many organisations talk about road safety, the concern of pedestrians hardly makes it to the table of discussion.

The most notable public places in our cities and towns are generally those places where people gather on foot – the streets, parks, and squares. These are democratic places that make our cities and towns livable and vital. Our streets especially have a significant responsibility to be accessible to all, and to be functional, safe, convenient, and attractive places to walk.

However, despite its ubiquitous nature, walking itself is not something people think or talk about very often. Discussions of urban mobility are dominated by traffic reports, congestion relief, parking problems, etc.

While traffic laws define the legal framework within which pedestrians are part of the transportation system; the national standards for transportation (like, National Transportation Policy, City level transportation policy) tend to treat pedestrians as a secondary issue to traffic flow, and focus on safety rather than accessibility.

Therefore a clear conventional wisdom around pedestrians’ rights and best practices for the design of pedestrian systems (sidewalks, street crossings, etc.) has not yet fully emerged in our cities.

Please find more information in the STEP Brochure.