In January 2024, an alarming news article shook me to the core, describing the tragic death of a 16-year-old schoolboy in Surat after being hit by a bus. According to the article, prior to this incident, a 23-year-old worker was struck by a state transport bus while walking down the road. With this in mind, I made my first visit to Surat for our ongoing Urban Mobility project (Role of Markets in the Indian Road Transport System).

As news reports continued to paint a grim picture of fatal accidents involving public buses, my focus shifted towards a pressing concern: evaluating the pedestrian safety infrastructure in Surat. Trip rate statistics revealed that 40% of the city’s overall traffic consisted of pedestrians. Given Surat’s high population density, I embarked on a mission to assess the city’s pedestrian pathways and related infrastructure.

To my surprise, despite the significant pedestrian movement, Surat appeared to lack the necessary infrastructure to ensure pedestrian safety. Armed with my past experiences working with safety officers and academic knowledge in urban planning, it became increasingly evident that the reported accidents were, in large part, a direct consequence of the city planner’s negligence towards pedestrians.

Addressing the urgency of reducing such accidents requires city planners and policymakers to recognise the pivotal role of pedestrian infrastructure. While Surat Smart City Development Limited (SSCDL) has integrated pedestrian walkways into the Area Based Development (ABD) plan as part of the smart city mission, it is crucial to note that the ABD area constitutes only 3% of the city’s total area.

Unlike other Tier 2 cities aiming to transition towards active mobility, Surat consistently records approximately 40% of its total trips as non-motorized. The failure to provide adequate infrastructure may not only endanger pedestrians but also lead to the market adapting to the deficient pedestrian system. Consequently, this could result in the emergence of low-cost mobility solutions like electric scooters, potentially disrupting the delicate balance of the urban transport ecosystem. This trend might mirror the city’s public transport history, where disrupted bus services paved the way for autorickshaws to dominate the market. Presently, autorickshaws serve 7 to 8 lakh commuters, while buses struggle with a ridership of about 2.4 lakh.

During my time in Surat, I experienced an accident firsthand. While travelling in an autorickshaw, a two-wheeler rider accidentally collided with us while overtaking. While such incidents are not uncommon in any city, the gravity of the situation struck me when I realised both vehicles were encroaching on the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) corridor. The core concept of BRTS is flawed, as the success of the system depends on the corridor specifically designated for buses. 

Recalling the insights of Dr. Shivand Swamy from CEPT, who portrayed Surat as one of the well performing BRTS systems in the country, particularly in terms of interconnectivity with other services, prompted me to ponder an immediate question:

Why do vehicles other than BRT buses enter the BRTS corridor in a city?

My secondary research to find answers to these questions revealed that almost every Indian city with a BRTS system fails to restrict the entry of other vehicles into the BRTS corridor, despite imposing penalties. And the observed reason for these is that there are continuous openings in the BRTS corridor due to crossroads, as well as the fact that they are located in the centre of the pathway. This causes corridors to open and close at regular intervals, allowing lighter vehicles such as two-wheelers and autorickshaws to enter and exit the BRTS corridors without being caught. Limiting the number of BRTS corridor openings and rerouting mixed traffic pathways to give priority to the BRTS would be one way to solve this problem.

Surat’s struggle with pedestrian safety and the dynamics of its BRTS system serve as a microcosm of the challenges faced by many rapidly urbanising cities in India. It is a call to action for city planners, policymakers, and citizens alike to prioritise pedestrian infrastructure and critically evaluate the efficacy of existing transportation models. Only through a holistic and inclusive approach can cities ensure the safety of their residents and the sustainable development of their urban landscapes.


Blog written by Nikhil AliResearch Associate at Centre for Public Policy Research.

Views expressed by the author are personal and need not reflect or represent the views of the Centre for Public Policy Research.

Nikhil Ali
Nikhil Ali
Nikhil Ali is an Associate, Research at the Centre for Public Policy Research. He completed his graduation in Civil Engineering from Sree Narayana College of Engineering and is a seasoned Civil Engineer with working experience at Tata Realty and Infrastructure Ltd. With a passion for urban planning, he acquired his master's degree in Urban Planning from Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Chennai. His expertise lies in Urban Mobility, land use planning/analysis, and water-sensitive planning.

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