Pedestrian rights in focus as city footpaths remain inaccessible

Most of the city’s footpaths remain inaccessible as they are either illegally occupied, damaged or obstructed by unauthorised parking of vehicles.

The denial of access to the footpaths amounts to a violation of the fundamental rights under the Right to Life and the Right to Freedom of Movement guaranteed by the Constitution, the Supreme Court recently held.

The Division Bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Atul S. Chandurkar recently held that the right to walk on demarcated footpaths was a primary entitlement and should be prioritised over movement by motor vehicles.

Two wheelers parked on the footpath at S A Road on June 28.
| Photo Credit:
THULASI KAKKAT

The court said that wherever there is a road, there is a duty to provide well-maintained footpaths for pedestrians. This duty lies with the urban development authorities, municipal corporations, municipalities and panchayats, who must endeavour to demarcate, construct, maintain, and safeguard footpaths and other necessary pedestrian infrastructure.

Missing concrete slab on footpath at Vyttila on June 28.
| Photo Credit:
THULASI KAKKAT

Recently, the Kerala High Court ruled against the proposed construction of 20 kiosks in the Queen’s Walkway in Kochi, citing the pedestrians’ right of unobstructed access to the walkway.

P.C. Ajithkumar, general secretary of Ernakulam District Residents Associations’ Apex Council, noted that the city footpaths were not elderly-friendly, and even though there is tactile paving for the visually challenged, they either run into a cable post or the tiles have come loose or shifted to one side. Unauthorised parking on footpaths is also an issue, he said.

State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities P.T. Baburaj said that the footpaths in the city should follow internationally accepted universal design principles to ensure that the pathways remain accessible to everyone, regardless of their range of ability.

The Kochi Corporation has initiated measures to make the city more walkable. An official said that the Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development had undertaken the Walkable Kochi project to improve pedestrian infrastructure through a comprehensive study.

The initiative aims to enhance safety, comfort and accessibility for pedestrians, he said. The project surveyed 53 divisions in Kochi and suggested measures to improve walkability, including strengthening public transport, developing pedestrian-friendly corridors such as Panampilly Nagar Walkway, Queen’s Walkway and Marine Drive Walkway, integrating heritage trails into the city’s cultural fabric, and supporting citizen-led initiatives.