Accessible Road Crossings for All

Creating an accessible/ barrier free environment starts with the belief that everyone in this world have something to contribute towards the growth of our country. Accessible environment can open a gate to enter the person with disability to include themselves in the formation of better society. This gives them new opportunities to study, to work, to earn, to enjoy, to play, to watch cinema, to enjoy Tourism & to live with dignity & grace. To achieve this, persons with disabilities need to move outside to reach the destination. External Environment including Public transport, Pathways, road-crossings etc. can play important key role in that process. If our public transport, pathways, Road-crossings etc. are not accessible for all then it can discourage the whole concept of inclusion. Accessible Crossings are very urgently required to ensure the hustle free, safe & enjoyable pedestrian cross from one side of the road to the other. An ideal model of the safe pedestrian road crossing is in a process of being developed all over the world. Advanced technologies & researches are now available to be used for the purpose. Traffic calmer, Traffic islands, pedestrian lights, audio announcements systems, Pelicans, Table top, curb cuts, over head pedestrian bridges, subways, signage, zebra crossings, tactile are the key elements to ensure the safe & enjoyable crossing of the road. As per the day to day observations presently Delhi’s existing road crossings are not user friendly for disabled & elderly persons. Most of them do not qualify for the safe & accessible one, because at the time of planning & designing of these roads, the designing is generally based on the vehicular movement and no. of vehicles on roads. Various studies have shown that the zebra crossings are designed for the pedestrian to cross the road are not accessible for elderly & disabled people because of difference in levels of the road & the footpath. The problem if look on a broader platform is due to planning of system in non-comprehensive manner. Most of the road designs are done in part as individuals not as part of Infrastructure system. Pedestrian movement on roads is still a part of design which is not taken up by the authorities as the main criteria while designing. At number of places on the roads traffic crossings are the most unsafe place for the pedestrians. Delhi , the capital of India is subdivided under two main municipal authorities among which New Delhi Municipal council (NDMC) area is situated at the central part of Delhi & having the area of 42.74 square Kilometres. This area includes the seat of Central Government, Rashtrapati Bhawan, main govt. Offices, Residential & Commercial zones. The situation here is also not much different from rest of the Country.