Urban Programme Activities in Guwahati - Urban Development

• Pathik

Project Pathik aims to study the walkability situation of Guwahati and raise awareness about the issues faced by pedestrians on the city roads. The project would assess various aspects of walkability on seven roads of Guwahati city in the light of Indian Road Congress (IRC) and National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) guidelines, and will engage with major stakeholders to analyse the issues related to walkability in the city. The project would also engage local media personnel and sensitise them about walkability so that they cover issues related to walkability in their reporting and media research writing.

The project activities included:

Observation Walks : The observation walks were undertaken for physical assessment of the roads selected for survey. As a number of manned and unmanned pedestrian crossings were observed during the visit, a study on the crossings was conducted separately. Photographic documentation of the stretches was undertaken for detailed study of the issues.

Structured Observation Survey of Stretches and Crossings : Formats were developed for structured observation survey based mainly on the parameters of the Global Walkability Index (GWI). The scoring system used was a modified form of the assessment score given in GWI.

Pedestrian Interviews : These interviews were designed to understand the ease of walkability from a pedestrian’s point of view and to understand the obstructions and difficulties faced by pedestrians.

Department Visits : Line departments which are directly involved with pedestrian safety, roads and mobility were visited to gather more information and also to apprise them of the activities of the project.

Stakeholder Meeting : A discussion on the walkability situation of the city was organised on May 16 at Guwahati. Mr. Rizwan Uz Zaman, State Team Leader and Technical Expert with the Assam Climate Change Cell, Government of Assam; Dr. Abhinandan Saikia, Assistant Professor, TISS Guwahati; members of SUMNet India; and representatives from North East Network, FASCE India, NEDSS Guwahati and IIT Guwahati participated in the discussion. Members from SUMNet India presented ideas for street designs using the MRD road as an example. A set of recommendations for improving pedestrian safety in the city was also an outcome of the discussion.

Media Interaction : A media interaction on walkability was organised on May 31 at Guwahati Press Club, with a view to raising awareness of the use of walkability as a tool to understand and improve the pedestrian friendliness of the city. The study was shared with print and television media personnel of Assam.

The project has helped raise awareness about pedestrian issues among the major stakeholders of the city including line departments, NGOs, academicians and students. A fact sheet on pedestrian issues has also been developed