How do you experience the city depends on the class you belong to and how to navigate it. In India, class is defined by ownership of vehicle. So, public transport is for those who ‘have not’.
Let me give you an example of Dhaula Kuan and how it has lessons for city planners who are usually biased in predictable ways.
Dhaula Kuan was one of the most congested stretches of Delhi. Airport being close by meant your making to the flight depended on how you managed this stretch.
Then the roads were widened. The work was efficient and was completed in around a year. While there were jams, they were never too bad. The planners took elaborate care to always eke out 3-4 lanes on each side. Twisting and turning but plenty of width.
During the same time, here is how pedestrians navigated the same:
1. The bus stops were uprooted. They were made to stand in the middle of a drug up road. Without a shade. 6 months after completion, there is still no shade.
2. Only one point in that 1 km stretch had Marshalls to help people cross the road. People just made a dash across 8 lanes in impossible traffic.
3. The foot over bridge that was finally put into place has no functioning escalators, is around 10 lanes wide. You have issues climbing and walking? Don’t get out.
4. The roads below are clean. The metro station is clean. The moment you get into the foot over bridge, it is evident it has never been cleaned.
The money they spend on campaigns promoting public transport will be better spent on improving the usability of all these.
Why are pedestrians so invisible? Why not make city experiences interactive? Why can’t there be an app under Digital India to tell what you want changed? Why don’t people complain about these? Why aren’t these poll issues?
