Vulnerable Sections of Society in Urban Areas
FC-01x Future Cities (1st Run) - Exercise 1 : "Making the Invisible - Visible"
Uploaded on 2014-12-07 by DRNTRAO
[1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/1417953669334841.jpg i) This photograph was taken on one of the roads in New Delhi, India. ii) Visible Information: Different modes of transport including passenger cars, motor cycles, trucks, pedestrians as well as animals at a six-lane road with high-mast lamp posts at a signalized intersection. A popular resort ‘The Retreat’ on the left side and billboards on the right side can also be seen. iii) Invisible Information: Need to integrate movement of ‘vulnerable road users’ like pedestrians and animals in to urban traffic and lack of elements contributing to road safety. iv) Knowledge: This photograph shows that in an effort to provide ‘high speed’ mobility to car owners and other mechanized vehicles, the rights of ‘vulnerable road users’ like pedestrians, bicyclists and poor animals are completely neglected. These sections of people are also part and parcel of the society. The animals also offer support in many ways (milk and other products, as a means of transport for freight and so on) in most underdeveloped countries. The planners must design underpasses for pedestrians and animals whose lives will be on a threat every time they are forced to come on to urban road networks. Secondly, the road is devoid of proper lane markings, road markings. It is allowing motorcyclists to enter the traffic at will. This is a serious road safety concern. Pedestrians and animals are crossing at the same surface level on this ‘high speed’ road. This is completely unsafe. There must be interventions encompassing engineering, education and enforcement to bring in higher levels of safety. The engineering measures must address all parameters and ensure that requisite road infrastructure contributing to safety must be properly designed. Awareness must be created through campaigns advocating civic sense to enhance the levels of road safety. The law enforcement authorities must make sure that erring users are penalized. The United Nations had declared the present decade as ‘the decade of action for road safety’. Therefore, it is imperative that planners and decision makers must take steps to integrate vulnerable sections of the society in creating an accident free society.