No footpath. No street lighting. No safe crossing. And then we ask: Why are pedestrians dying on our roads?
Across India, walking is not merely a mode of transport. For millions, it is a daily necessity. People walk to schools, workplaces, markets, hospitals, public transport stops, religious places and neighbourhoods. Children walk. Senior citizens walk. Women walk. Workers walk. Persons with disabilities walk. Every motorist becomes a pedestrian at some point.
Yet, despite the obvious importance of walking, pedestrians remain among the most vulnerable road users. A safe and dignified walking environment requires three simple fundamentals: space to walk, visibility to walk and a safe place to cross.
Footpaths, street lighting and pedestrian crossings are therefore not decorative additions to an urban landscape. They are the basic architecture of human mobility. But the story of Srinagar Smart City presents a somewhat different and more complex challenge.
Over the past few years, Srinagar has witnessed significant efforts to improve its urban landscape, streetscapes, public spaces and pedestrian infrastructure. Beautifully designed and developed footpaths have emerged in several parts of the city, reflecting an important shift towards walkability and people-centric urban mobility.
The underlying idea is commendable: the pedestrian must be given priority.
But what happens when the very footpath created for pedestrians is subsequently occupied by commercial activities?
What happens when a pedestrian is forced to leave a beautifully developed footpath and walk on the carriageway because the designated pedestrian space has been converted into a commercial extension?
What happens when a Smart City investment designed to improve walkability becomes inaccessible to the very people for whom it was created? This is where Srinagar needs to pause, reflect and rethink. The issue is not simply about removing an encroachment. It is about reclaiming the philosophy of a Smart City.
The First Rightful Owner of a Footpath Is the Pedestrian. A footpath has one fundamental purpose: to provide safe and continuous movement for pedestrians.
It is not an informal marketplace.
It is not an extension of a shop.
It is not additional display space.
It is not a parking bay.
It is not a storage area.
And it certainly cannot become a permanent commercial platform at the cost of pedestrian safety. The pedestrian is the first rightful user of the footpath. This principle must become the foundation of Srinagar’s urban mobility thinking. When a footpath is occupied, the pedestrian does not disappear. The pedestrian is displaced. And where does the displaced pedestrian go?
That simple transition—from footpath to carriageway—can transform a safe journey into a dangerous one. A pedestrian walking on a designated footpath is separated, at least conceptually, from moving traffic. Once that pedestrian is pushed onto the carriageway, the equation changes completely. The pedestrian becomes exposed to buses, trucks, cars, motorcycles, auto-rickshaws and other moving vehicles. Therefore, footpath encroachment is not merely an aesthetic or municipal issue. It is a road-safety issue.
Srinagar Smart City Must Be More Than Beautiful Infrastructure. Srinagar has immense natural, cultural and architectural beauty. The city does not need to imitate every other urban centre to become smart. It needs to become functional, inclusive, accessible and safe while preserving its own identity.
The Smart City concept should ultimately be judged not by the number of projects completed, paved surfaces created or decorative elements installed, but by a much simpler question: Can an ordinary citizen move through the city safely, comfortably and with dignity?
If the answer is yes, the city is becoming smarter. If the answer is no, technology and beautification alone cannot make it truly smart. A beautifully paved footpath that cannot be used by pedestrians is not a successful pedestrian project.
A modern road without safe crossings is incomplete. A commercial street where pedestrians are forced into traffic is not truly people-centric. And a smart mobility system that ignores the most basic human movement—walking—has missed an essential part of the Smart City vision.
Walkability Must Remain at the Centre. For Srinagar, walkability should not be treated as a secondary component of urban planning. It should be a central pillar.
The city’s historic character itself provides a powerful argument for this. Many parts of Srinagar have evolved around compact neighbourhoods, markets, lanes, public spaces and pedestrian movement. The relationship between people and place has traditionally been intimate.
Modern urban development should strengthen this character rather than eliminate it. A walkable Srinagar can deliver multiple benefits simultaneously:
Safer movement for pedestrians;
Better access to public transport;
Reduced dependence on private vehicles;
Improved accessibility for elderly citizens;
Safer school journeys;
Greater mobility for women and children;
I mproved public health;
More vibrant public spaces;
Better tourism experiences;
Cleaner streets;
Stronger local commerce; and
A more humane urban environment.
In other words, walkability is not anti-commerce. It is pro-community. The objective should not be to remove legitimate livelihood opportunities. The objective should be to ensure that commercial activity and pedestrian safety can coexist through proper planning and regulation.
Livelihood Is Important—But So Is Public Safety. This is perhaps the most sensitive part of the discussion. Whenever authorities attempt to clear footpaths, concerns about livelihood naturally arise.
Many small traders, vendors and shopkeepers depend on roadside commercial activity. For some families, a small business is the primary source of income. Therefore, the conversation cannot simply be reduced to:
“Remove everyone from the footpath.” That approach may be administratively convenient but socially incomplete. At the same time, livelihood cannot become an unlimited justification for occupying infrastructure intended for pedestrians. We cannot claim that pedestrian safety must be compromised because commercial space is limited.
We cannot justify putting children, elderly citizens and ordinary pedestrians into moving traffic because a footpath has become commercially attractive. The solution lies somewhere between enforcement and empathy.
The system needs to identify where commercial activities can legitimately operate, where vending zones can be created, where loading and unloading can occur, and where pedestrian movement must remain absolutely protected.
The principle should be simple: Livelihoods must be protected through planning—not protected at the cost of pedestrian lives. The Need for a Different Enforcement Philosophy. Traditional enforcement often follows a familiar cycle.
Encroachment develops. Complaints increase. Authorities conduct a drive. Temporary clearance takes place. Photographs are published. A few days or weeks later, the same spaces are occupied again. The cycle repeats. This is not sustainable.
Srinagar needs a more intelligent enforcement mechanism. Instead of treating footpath encroachment as an occasional drive, authorities should establish permanent pedestrian corridors with clearly defined rules.
Every footpath should have an identifiable status: Pedestrian Priority Zone. Once designated, the space should be protected through regular monitoring.
Where technology is available, surveillance can support enforcement. Citizen reporting mechanisms can identify recurring violations. Municipal teams can maintain digital records of vulnerable locations. Repeat violations can attract progressively stronger action under applicable law.
The objective should be consistency. A rule that is enforced today but ignored tomorrow eventually loses credibility. The 1.8-Metre Question. One of the most important principles in pedestrian infrastructure is continuity. A pedestrian should not have to repeatedly stop, turn, step onto the road or negotiate around obstacles simply to travel a few hundred metres.
The usable pedestrian path must remain reasonably clear and accessible. This becomes especially important for: persons using wheelchairs, elderly citizens, parents with children, visually impaired persons and people carrying goods or luggage.
A footpath blocked by merchandise may appear to be a minor inconvenience to a healthy adult.
For a person with a disability, it can become an absolute barrier. For a child, it can become a safety hazard. For an elderly person, it can become a serious risk. Therefore, accessibility must become part of the definition of a successful footpath.
Street Lighting: The Missing Link. Footpaths alone are not enough. A pedestrian corridor must also be visible and adequately illuminated. Poor lighting creates vulnerability after sunset, particularly around markets, transport hubs, intersections and isolated stretches.
A Smart City cannot expect pedestrians to use infrastructure that becomes uncomfortable or unsafe after dark. Street lighting should therefore be planned as part of the pedestrian network rather than as an independent beautification component.
The question should not merely be: “Is there a light pole?” The question should be: “Can a pedestrian clearly see the path, obstacles, crossing point and approaching traffic?” That is the standard that matters.
Safe Crossings Must Connect the Footpaths. Another common failure in urban mobility is the disconnected footpath. A pedestrian may receive an excellent footpath on one side of the road but have no safe means to reach the other side. This creates a fundamental planning contradiction.
A pedestrian network is only as strong as its weakest link. If a footpath ends abruptly at a busy junction, the pedestrian is effectively pushed into conflict with traffic. Therefore, Srinagar needs a systematic network of zebra crossings, pedestrian signals, raised crossings where appropriate, refuge spaces, traffic calming measures and accessible crossing facilities.
Crossings should be located according to actual pedestrian movement—not merely where road engineers find convenient space. People will cross where they need to cross. Urban planning must understand this behaviour and provide safe facilities accordingly.
Commercial Activity Can Be Designed Better. Srinagar’s commercial life is part of its identity. Markets, street vendors, small businesses and traditional trading spaces contribute to the city’s social and economic character. The answer is therefore not to sterilise the streets. The answer is to organise them.
Dedicated vending zones, timed loading and unloading areas, regulated display limits, designated parking arrangements and clearly marked pedestrian corridors can help create a better balance. A shopkeeper should know exactly where commercial activity can extend.
A vendor should know exactly where vending is permitted. A transporter should know exactly where loading and unloading is allowed. And a pedestrian should know that the footpath belongs to walking. This clarity reduces conflict.
The Pedestrian Must Become a Stakeholder in City Planning. Too often, urban planning is discussed between departments, contractors, engineers, transport authorities and enforcement agencies.
But the pedestrian—the ultimate user—is rarely represented adequately. Srinagar should consider institutionalising pedestrian audits before and after major urban infrastructure projects.
A pedestrian audit should ask:
Is the footpath continuous?
Is it obstruction-free?
Is it accessible?
Is it adequately illuminated?
Are crossings available?
Are intersections safe?
Are vendors accommodated appropriately?
Are parking violations affecting pedestrian space?
Can children and elderly citizens use the corridor safely?
Can persons with disabilities navigate it independently?
These are practical questions. They can transform the way the city evaluates mobility projects. Smart City Should Mean Smart Enforcement. Technology offers Srinagar an opportunity to move beyond traditional enforcement. A city-wide pedestrian protection system could potentially combine:
CCTV monitoring + citizen reporting + GIS mapping + enforcement records + periodic pedestrian audits. Repeated encroachment hotspots could be mapped. High-risk pedestrian corridors could receive priority attention.
Citizen complaints could be categorised and tracked. Authorities could identify whether a problem is temporary, recurring or permanent. Such a system would allow decision-makers to move from reactive enforcement to evidence-based urban management.
That is what being smart should mean.
Do Not Blame the Pedestrian. There is another important behavioural issue. When pedestrians walk on roads because footpaths are blocked, they are sometimes blamed for obstructing traffic. This is fundamentally unfair.
If the designated pedestrian infrastructure is unavailable, the pedestrian has limited choices. We should therefore ask: Who displaced the pedestrian? Instead of blaming people for walking on the road, we must examine why they were forced there. Road safety begins with understanding human behaviour and designing infrastructure around real-world movement.
Srinagar Needs a Pedestrian-First Charter. The city could consider developing a simple Srinagar Pedestrian Charter. Its central message could be: Every pedestrian deserves a continuous, accessible, obstruction-free and safe walking route. Such a charter could establish clear responsibilities for relevant authorities and provide citizens with a simple mechanism to report violations.
It could also create a public understanding that occupying a footpath is not a harmless act. The footpath is public infrastructure. It is built from public resources. It exists for public mobility. Its protection is therefore a collective responsibility.
Releasing the Beauty of Srinagar Smart City. There is a deeper dimension to this debate. Srinagar has invested considerable effort in improving its urban appearance. But beauty is not merely about paving stones, lighting fixtures, landscaping or architectural elements. The real beauty of a city is visible when people can use it freely, safely and with dignity.
A clean and unobstructed footpath creates an entirely different urban experience.
It allows citizens to walk without fear.
It allows visitors to appreciate the city.
It allows shopkeepers to operate in an organised environment.
It allows public spaces to breathe.
It makes streets more inviting.
It strengthens tourism.
It improves civic pride.
In this sense, reclaiming footpaths is not an anti-commercial campaign.
It is a pro-Srinagar campaign.
The City Belongs to Everyone. A road cannot belong exclusively to motorists. A footpath cannot belong exclusively to businesses. A public space cannot belong exclusively to one interest group. The city belongs to everyone. The challenge of urban governance is to allocate space fairly.
Vehicles need roads. Pedestrians need footpaths. Cyclists need safe cycling infrastructure. Public transport needs designated space. Vendors need regulated vending areas. Businesses need legitimate commercial space. Emergency services need unobstructed access. When every activity competes for the same piece of public land, conflict is inevitable. The solution is not more conflict. It is better planning.
A New Mobility Social Contract. Srinagar now needs a new social contract around mobility. Citizens must respect public infrastructure. Businesses must respect pedestrian space. Drivers must respect vulnerable road users.
Authorities must protect the infrastructure they create. Enforcement agencies must act fairly and consistently. Urban planners must listen to actual users. And policymakers must recognise that mobility is not simply about moving vehicles. Mobility is about moving people.
That distinction is critical. A city can have smooth traffic flow and still fail its citizens if people cannot walk safely. A road can be technically well-engineered and still be socially unsafe if pedestrians have no place to cross.
A city can have modern infrastructure and still be inaccessible to people with disabilities. Smart mobility therefore begins with a simple question:
How does this street work for a human being? From Encroachment Drives to Encroachment Management. Srinagar should move from periodic anti-encroachment drives towards a comprehensive Encroachment Management Policy.
Such a policy could distinguish between:
1. temporary vending;
2. permanent commercial structures;
3. merchandise displays;
4. parking encroachment;
5. construction material;
6. loading and unloading;
7. unauthorised extensions; and
8. obstructions affecting accessibility.
Each category can have an appropriate regulatory response. This is more sustainable than treating every violation identically. At the same time, enforcement must remain firm where pedestrian safety is directly threatened.
There should be zero tolerance for obstruction of critical pedestrian crossings, school approaches, hospital access routes, emergency corridors and high-risk road sections.
The Economic Argument for Walkability. There is also a misconception that pedestrian-friendly streets hurt businesses. In reality, walkable commercial environments can support local commerce because pedestrians are potential customers.
A person walking comfortably along a market street can observe shops, access businesses, and spend time in the area. But when pedestrians are forced into traffic, the street becomes stressful and less attractive. The goal should therefore be to create pedestrian-friendly commerce, not pedestrian-hostile commerce.
A properly designed market can have both: a thriving business ecosystem and a protected pedestrian corridor. That is the balance Srinagar should pursue. Children Should Be Our Urban Planning Test. One simple test can reveal whether a street is genuinely safe: Would you allow a child to walk there alone?
If the answer is no, the infrastructure deserves another look. A city designed around the safety of children will naturally become safer for everyone. The same applies to elderly citizens and persons with disabilities. If the most vulnerable users can navigate a street comfortably, the city has achieved something meaningful.
A Call for Administrative Rethinking. The time has come for Srinagar to look beyond the traditional boundaries of municipal administration, traffic management and urban beautification. Pedestrian safety requires coordination among Srinagar Smart City authorities, municipal institutions, traffic police, transport authorities, planning agencies, enforcement teams, market associations, traders, civil society and citizens.
The solution cannot belong to one department. It must become a shared urban responsibility. Every new footpath should be protected. Every major road improvement should include pedestrian connectivity. Every commercial development should consider pedestrian capacity.
Every major junction should be audited for safe crossing. Every encroachment complaint affecting pedestrian safety should be tracked. And every successful intervention should be measured by outcomes—not merely by the number of drives conducted.
The Real Measure of a Smart City. Perhaps Srinagar should redefine what it means to be a Smart City. Not simply: How many roads were upgraded? But: How many people can walk safely? Not simply: How beautiful is the streetscape? But: How usable is the public space?
Not simply: How many encroachment drives were conducted? But: How sustainably was pedestrian space protected? Not simply: How efficiently can vehicles move? But: How safely can every citizen move? This is the real test.
Conclusion: Give the Footpath Back to the Footwalker. Srinagar does not lack beauty. It does not lack history. It does not lack public spirit. It does not lack talent. What it needs is a stronger alignment between planning, enforcement, livelihood and public safety.
The beautifully developed footpaths of Srinagar Smart City should not become another contested space. They should become symbols of a new urban culture—one where pedestrians are respected, businesses are regulated fairly, public infrastructure is protected, and mobility is designed around people.
We must understand that asking a pedestrian to surrender a footpath for commercial activity is not a small compromise. It is a transfer of public safety risk. When a pedestrian leaves the footpath and enters the carriageway, the consequences can be severe.
Therefore, the choice before Srinagar is not between livelihood and pedestrian safety. The real choice is between unplanned competition for public space and intelligent urban planning. We can protect livelihoods without sacrificing pedestrians. We can support commerce without surrendering footpaths.
We can enforce regulations without ignoring human realities. We can create a Smart City that is both economically vibrant and socially responsible. But it requires courage to rethink the system.
It requires coordination. It requires consistent enforcement.
And above all, it requires recognising one simple truth: The Footpath Was Built for the Footwalker.
Let us give it back to them. Because walking safely is not a privilege. It is not a luxury. It is not a favour from the administration. It is an essential element of a safe, inclusive and dignified city.
And if Srinagar truly wishes to reveal the full beauty of its Smart City transformation, perhaps the first step is the simplest one: Clear the footpath. Light the street. Secure the crossing. Let Srinagar walk.
(The author is a renowned social reformer & Mobility Expert with over two decades of experience. For feedback, email: [email protected])
