Roads in Delhi are all set to become disabled-friendly if all goes as planned, with the Delhi government preparing a detailed report. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/delhi-roads-set-to-become-disabledfriendly/article7856990.ece As the first step, the Chief Secretary has directed the three municipal Commissioners to identify routes in areas under their jurisdiction where fresh installations are needed.
The civic bodies have been asked to focus on penalising violators in the existing disabled friendly parking lots and put up fresh signages. “Halting of vehicles for a few seconds at T-points is likely to be made mandatory for motorists. We are also looking into strictly adhering to box-type parking lots at several locations. A couple of roads will also be made one-way,” said a senior government official. The first session of brainstorming for the project took place on Wednesday, when Chief Secretary K.K. Sharma convened a high-level meeting of the Urban Development Department, civic bodies, Public Works Department, New Delhi Municipal Council, Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Muktesh Chander and a battery of experts, including eminent architect and urban planner K.T. Ravindran. In the meeting, it was also decided that focus will primarily be on roads that are not under the PWD. “The PWD has 60-feet wide roads and making changes on such roads is relatively easy. The real challenge is going to be roads that are narrower. These fall under other agencies. Footpaths will have to be built on these roads, as many do not even have them. Here on, all pathways shall be disabled-friendly,” said another official, adding that the municipal commissioners and traffic police will hold a meeting soon to discuss the modalities. Welcoming the move, Sminu Jindal, founder of Svayam, a non-government organisation that promotes dignity for people with reduced mobility, said: “The government is finally focusing on the true essence of inclusive growth. Such facilities are not only required for the differently-abled, but also for senior citizens, children, pregnant women and those injured. Take the survey done by the Delhi Traffic Police for instance. According to it, 45 per cent pedestrian deaths occur due to lack of continuity of footpaths.” She also added that the first act of the authorities should be to make pathways pedestrian-friendly. “There should be easy kerb-cuts. Bikers should be stopped and penalised for riding on pavements. Previously too pathways were made with proper slopes. However, bolsters had to be put up in the end to keep motorists out. Hence, enforcement is more important than all the planning,” she added. Public Welfare Department Minister Satyendra Jain had recently announced a plan to reclaim roads under the Department. According to the PWD’s plan, 10 prominent Delhi stretches are now a part of a pilot project which, at a cost of around Rs.5,000 crore, seeks to ensure that pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users get preference, in that order, over car users who comprise a little over one per cent of the total road users in the Capital. -- Avinash Shahi Doctoral student at Centre for Law and Governance JNU Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
