Pune streets fall woefully short on pedestrian infrastructure, managing only a score of 54 out of 100 points, says a new survey prepared by Parisar, an NGO working for the sustainable development of the Maharashtra city.

The report notes that footpaths of Pune, where available, are unwalkable and crossings difficult. According to the report, “It scored poorly on availability of pedestrian infrastructure (footpaths, crossings and modal conflicts), less than 60/100.

“Judging by the behaviour of many pedestrians, the footpaths in the city are generally not walking-friendly. Thus, people often prefer to walk directly on the street or on the cycle track (if there is one),” it says.

The score was counted on nine aspects of walkability - walking path modal, availability of walking paths, availability of crossings, grade crossing safety, motorist behaviour, amenities, disability infrastructure, obstructions, and security from crime.  

With this low score, the report titled ‘Nowhere to Walk’ says, “Streets are unpleasant to walk on and barely accessible for able-bodied persons, let alone those with disabilities.”

On the disability front, Pune streets scored less than 40/100.

Koregaon Park, an upper class residential area and popular tourist destination in Pune, lacked of footpaths plus maintenance and cleanliness, the report says. It adds that it was even a little worse than some middle class areas of the city.

In 2009, the report found out 320 pedestrians have been involved in serious accidents, 160 of them have been fatal.

The survey is based on interviewing 309 pedestrians and covering around 28.65 km in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

The Pune Urban Agglomeration (which includes the city of Pimpri-Chinchwad) is the eighth largest in India with an estimated population of over 5 million.

The survey has urged the municipal corporation to invest heavily in making streets vibrant and attractive which can be used by non-motorised commuters.

Read the report.