Sarika Panda Bhatt is the Director – Nagarro and Co-Founder of Raahgiri Foundation Akash Basu is an Associate, Research and Communication at Raahgiri Foundation. Shivani Khurana is Project Associate at Raahgiri Foundation.

The article argues that each road death is preventable but not without action. It emphasizes that the right initiative, planning, and design that takes into account both those in vehicles and those outside can save countless lives on our roads.

Take a snapshot of roads around Gurugram today and ten years ago, and you will see major differences. Roadways have gotten wider, networks of flyovers and underpasses have been built, and there are more roads in the city than ever before, all in the name of ease of movement for vehicles and reduced congestion.

Intuitively, more space on roads should mean more space for each car, which should mean getting from point A to point B should be easier and swifter. Here’s where the concept of induced demand comes in, which is economist-speak for when increasing the supply of something (roads, in this case) makes people demand that thing more. Meaning – more drivers and their cars will begin to occupy roads too. Where do these drivers come from? Have they been hiding underground eagerly awaiting the construction of more and better roads? Well, not exactly. The answer is simple: humans like to move around, and roads are our primary mode of travel. When you expand people’s ability to move around, they do it more. Making driving easier will mean more trips are taken by car than before. Businesses that rely on roads will swoop into cities that have a good network of them. Essentially, the extra capacity will get eroded pretty much every time road expansion is done, according to economists Mathew Turner and Giles Duranton.

With the number of deaths that occur on Gurugram’s roads, coupled with the high levels of vehicular pollution, it’s safe to say that in the pursuit of ‘better’ roads, Gurugram has also created roads that are both unsafe and unsustainable in the longer term. From 2017 to 2021 in last 5 years 3058 crashes happened in Gurugram, 1876 people got killed, out of which 803 were pedestrians and cyclists, constituting 43 % of total deaths.

More focus on moving vehicles rather than people

Gurugram, which has emerged as one of the financial hubs in the country, is a city built for cars. To blame car users or carmakers would be futile. More migration is bound to happen, and more people are going get vehicles, but that does not, and cannot, mean that we don’t care about other road users. The real problem area is how these roads are planned and subsequently designed. Almost all streets in Gurugram are dangerous by design.

There’s this idea that most people in Gurugram move by car, which is why our roads’ design is so car- centric. A study done by the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority in 2018 showed that primary mode of travel in the city is walking (27%). This is followed by 2-wheeler travel (26%), car-users (10%) and cyclists (4%). The remaining 33% comprises of those who use both formal and informal modes of public transport such as buses, taxis, metros, and trains. Car use in itself is not the issue, the city’s current priorities are.

Intersection design

Intersection design in the city encapsulates this problem. Intersections are locations where roads cross or merge into one another, thus putting multiple modes of transport from different directions into potential conflict. When it comes to intersections in Gurugram, safety has yet to be integrated into design. Most, if not all, road intersections in the city are far too wide, giving more space than necessary to vehicles. Intuitively, the wider these are, the higher the speed of vehicles travelling through them. This higher speed means that every accident that takes place has a higher chance of serious injury and fatality. Despite the high number of pedestrians and cyclists that need to use the intersections in the city, very few have any pedestrian facilities set up. Coming back to the concept of induced demand, it works in other ways too, meaning reduced space for cars does not actually lead to more congestion. More often than not, levels remain constant, with a percentage of people opting to use other modes of transport instead. Induced demand also works for pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure. If transport planning incorporates their needs and builds more space for these users, more people will be inclined to use it. If cycle lanes are built, more people will feel safer riding their cycles on the road, without having to share them with cars. Well-built and maintained footpaths will mean more people will feel safer walking from point A to point B instead of having to take low-distance car rides.

The problem essentially boils down to a design and engineering problem, as mentioned above. Design and engineering play a critical role in addressing unsafe roads and creating safer transportation systems. Poorly designed roads and infrastructure can, do and have contributed to accidents, serious injuries, and fatalities. On the other hand, well-designed roads and infrastructure can help to prevent accidents and improve safety for all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. The idea in and of itself is very simple, it is the implementation that often becomes an issue. One key aspect of design and engineering that can improve road safety is the incorporation of features such as pedestrian crossings, bike lanes, and traffic calming measures. These elements can help to separate different modes of transportation and create a more orderly flow of traffic, reducing the risk of collisions. Additionally, designing roads and infrastructure to be visually appealing and aesthetically pleasing can also help to create a more pleasant and enjoyable environment for all road users, encouraging people to use alternative modes of transportation such as walking or biking.

Engineering solutions can also play a role in improving road safety. For example, using materials that are more durable and resistant to weather and wear can help to reduce the need for maintenance and repair, which can in turn reduce the risk of accidents. Similarly, incorporating smart technologies such as traffic management systems and connected vehicle systems can help to improve traffic flow and reduce the risk of accidents by providing real-time information to road users and helping to prevent bottlenecks and other hazards. Incorporating greenery or green belts There have been some positive developments in Gurugram recently that indicate the city is moving in the right direction. Take for example, the redesign of Anath Road (also known as Sanath Road or ‘raah’) that is being completely redeveloped to reflect a more inclusive and safer street environment, for all road users in the area. The project is being undertaken by the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority, collaborating and working closely with Raahgiri Foundation. Some details of the project can be seen below:

Sanath Raah

Located in Gurugram, Sector 18, Anath Road connects Old Delhi Road to Atlas Chowk at NH8. The 2.5km stretch has a 30m right-of-way and a 10m carriageway width. However, the road has a number of challenges, including discontinuous pavements, constant traffic congestion, poor drainage that causes waterlogging during monsoons, haphazard utilities, encroachments, and parking issues. Despite these challenges, over 20,000 pedestrians and 3,000 cyclists use the street on a typical workday, along with private vehicles, taxis, autos, and trucks. The street is also home to a large mature tree canopy with the potential for placemaking, as well as a range of offices, some residences, local shops, food outlets, and Sirhaul Village, which is characterized by mixed land uses. The goal of the project is to create a cohesive streetscape as a pilot stretch for all Gurugram streets that is pedestrian-friendly, promotes road safety, is accessible to all, and incorporates universal design. Some specific objectives include:

• Creating a continuous planted streetscape corridor that provides biodiversity, thermal comfort, and planting benefits.
• Making the street more pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly.
• Providing universal accessibility and barrier-free access for all, including people with disabilities, reduced mobility, senior citizens, and children.
• Reusing materials and topsoil from the site and surrounding sites.
• Implementing natural drainage and stormwater management techniques, such as grading, bio-swales, and rainwater recharge pits.
• Enhancing the sense of place through design interventions.
• Adopting a nature-based and nature-centric approach to ecological development, including protecting existing trees, planting native species, reducing the heat island effect, and using high-albedo materials.

Sanath Road, is being developed as a model road with facilities such as footpaths, cycle tracks, and bus stands for road users. In addition, work is in progress to add a new stormwater drain and sewer line. The model road will also have bus stands, pickup and drop-off zones, and seating spaces along the shared pathway, which will be shaded by the existing trees that are being conserved. The goal of this project is to create a cohesive, safe, and accessible streetscape that can serve as a model for other streets in Gurugram.

Building ‘Safe and Inclusive’ streets

The problems on our roads are as clear as the solutions to fixing them. Most roads, including highways, will almost always have foot and cycle traffic on them. Nearly 19,000 pedestrians were killed due to road crashes in 2021 in India, according to a recent ADSI report. Countless more have been left seriousl  injured and disabled. Our current transport planning and street design are more than adequate if we aim to appease car users, but are beyond lackluster for nearly every other road user. The above example of Sanath Road shows the recognition of a need for change and the action required to change it. It also acts as a model street in Gurugram and other cities around India; it represents a street that should be modelled after when looking into redesigning others that require intervention. These road deaths are not ‘inevitable’. With the right initiative, planning, and design, that takes into account both those in vehicles and those outside, there is the opportunity to save countless lives on our roads. Each road death is preventable, but not without action.