印度最高法院在6月宣布，在指定人行道上安全行走是基本人权，应当优于机动车的特权[1]。这一裁定源于一名5岁男孩在上学途中被卡车压死的案件[1]。尽管该判决确立了行人的法律地位，印度城市长期以来的规划失误却使这一权利难以有效保障。
印度是一个步行大国，每天约4500万人步行上班，仅540万人使用私家车通勤[1]。根据2019年调查，印度城市出行中63%是通过步行完成的[1]。然而，这一出行方式的普遍性与其获得的城市投资严重不成比例。行人死亡占路面死亡事故的30%-40%[1]，在德里和孟买两座大都市中更是超过半数[1]。世界银行研究估计，交通事故每年给印度造成的经济损失相当于国内生产总值的3%-5%[1]。
导致这一困境的根本原因是城市基础设施的失职。印度各地的人行道普遍存在破损、阻塞或无法通行的情况[1]。一项针对印度6个城市的研究显示，其可步行性评分中位数仅为47分（满分100分）[1]。要改变这一现状，需要城市规划系统性地转向优先保障行人安全，而非继续倾斜于机动车。
India's Supreme Court declared in June that safe walking on designated pavements constitutes a fundamental right, with Justice P.S. Narasimha stating that "the basic right to walk on a designated pavement should prevail over the privilege of motorized traffic."[1] This landmark ruling came in response to a case triggered by the death of a five-year-old boy who was struck by a truck while walking to school.[1]
Despite this judicial affirmation, India's cities have systematically neglected pedestrian infrastructure and safety. Approximately 45 million people walk to work daily, far exceeding the 5.4 million who commute by private vehicle, yet pavements across urban areas remain broken, obstructed, or inaccessible.[1] A 2019 survey revealed that walking accounts for 63 percent of urban trips in India, underscoring the centrality of pedestrians to city life.[1] However, pedestrians bear a disproportionate burden of traffic fatalities, comprising 30 to 40 percent of all road deaths according to survey data, with official figures placing the figure at approximately 20 percent.[1] In major cities like Delhi and Mumbai, pedestrians account for more than half of all road fatalities.[1]
The infrastructure crisis reflects decades of urban planning that has prioritized motorized transport over pedestrian safety. A 2011 study by the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities found that walkability scores across six Indian cities had a median rating of just 47 out of 100.[1] The World Bank has estimated that traffic accidents cost India between 3 and 5 percent of GDP annually, highlighting the broader economic toll of inadequate road safety measures.[1]