Detrimental progression

One. That’s the number of dedicated pedestrian crossings on Gurgaon’s 16-lane Golf Course Road, which stretches over 9 kilometres, barring a few arduous excursions that some metro stations offer. Passing along this road, it’s hard not to notice the irony: India, a country with no notable success in Olympic track and field events—unintentionally trains its people in dashing, jumping, and ducking. Helpers serving the residents of these 100-crore flats risk their lives daily, sprinting across speeding vehicles and vaulting over barriers partitioning the road, sometimes even performing these stunts with bicycles. In 2023, India faced a grim reality with 4.8 lakh road accidents and 1.72 lakh fatalities, the highest globally, while unofficial estimates reveal an even more heartbreaking and overwhelming toll. While much of the onus is placed on the disregard for the law, the deeper issue, the relentless proliferation of larger, more dangerous vehicles dominating our cities, remains unaddressed. As we continue to operate under the philosophy that adding one more lane will solve our mobility needs, we need to reconsider the repercussions of designing a country of 1.5 billion voices around cars.

Delhi, for instance, struggles with an astonishing 473 vehicles per 1,000 people, plunging the city into a near-perpetual state of gridlock. Severe congestion forces commuters into reckless driving, squeezing into every available gap, contributing to the loss of over three lives with each passing sunset. This mounting crisis is worsened by the relentless addition of vehicles, with Delhi registering a record of over 1,800 new vehicles daily, while road expansion, constrained by spaces getting saturated, remains stuck at a mere 1 per cent growth. The effects are unmistakable: the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, once hailed as a symbol of progress, now buckles under the relentless weight of traffic, morphing into a factory of exhaust pollution that contributes to over 35 per cent of road-related fatalities in Gurgaon, where one in three victims is a pedestrian.

While the road ahead seems at a standstill, cities around the world have shown that the trajectory we are on is a two way street. Our cities can become more liveable and safe if we shift from a car-centric approach to one focused on shared and active mobility—emphasising walking, cycling, and public transport. The Netherlands is a prime example of how a country riddled with cars, pedalled its way back to redeem its streets. Today, it has more bicycles than people, but this was not always the case. Despite its historical association with bicycles, the Netherlands became increasingly car-dependent in the 1950s. As cars took over the streets, traffic fatalities surged, with over 400 children killed in road accidents in 1971. With the future of their children at stake, Dutch citizens took to the streets, demanding safer, more pedestrian and bike-friendly spaces—places where their children could flourish. Some even organised dinners on roads as symbolic acts of reclaiming public spaces paving the way for an impressive future which now consists of over 35,000 km of dedicated bike lanes, where families now ride together, embracing freedom and connection in every pedal.

India faces an escalating crisis as its urban population is projected to grow by over 65 per cent by 2050, yet our cities are already overwhelmed by gridlocked traffic and suffocated by pollution. In this chaotic environment, children bear an even heavier toll—some losing their lives to the vehicles that crowd our streets and the pollution they spew, while others are confined to the safety of four walls, with mobile screens becoming their only window to the world. It’s time to rethink our priorities and move away from a car-centric approach toward one that prioritises people. Public transport, walking, and cycling must be at the forefront of urban planning to create a seamless, safe, and multimodal system that can efficiently transport larger numbers of people while occupying less space, ultimately freeing up more room for the community. This shift will not only alleviate traffic congestion and reduce pollution but also create healthier, more vibrant cities where people—especially children—can thrive.

As smog blankets the cities this winter, the dangers for pedestrians and cyclists intensify, serving as a stark reminder of the urgent need for change. Time and again, India has demonstrated incredible resilience. From navigating the tumultuous question of ‘will India survive’ to ‘will India become a superpower’, this nation has always risen to meet its challenges. Now, the time has come for another tryst with destiny, to redeem our pledge to build cities that prioritise humanity, sustainability, and collective well-being.

The writer, a policy analyst at OMI Foundation, is an expert in complex social systems, and focuses on sustainable solutions to combat climate change and human mobility systems. Views expressed are personal