# India is a nation of walkers – but its cities forgot them

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/india-is-a-nation-of-walkers-but-its-cities-forgot-them/
- Published: 2026-08-06T22:39:46+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-09T02:15:06+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC World (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3e4enkrqro?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Asia, World

## Key points

- Supreme Court declares safe walking on footpaths a fundamental right
- 45 million Indians walk to work daily, yet pavements are neglected
- Pedestrians suffer disproportionately in road deaths and injuries

## Summary

India's Supreme Court has ruled that the right to walk safely on footpaths is a fundamental right, following a case brought after a five-year-old boy was killed by a truck while walking to school. The ruling highlights how deeply India's cities have neglected pedestrians despite walking being the dominant mode of urban transport, with the judgment arriving after decades of worsening conditions rather than as a novel intervention.

Around 45 million Indians walk to work daily, far outnumbering the 5.4 million who commute by private car, and a 2019 survey found 63% of all journeys in selected cities were made on foot. Yet pavements are routinely broken, blocked by vehicles, hawkers or construction, or simply absent, with a walkability study giving cities a median score of just 47 out of 100. Pedestrians account for roughly a fifth of official road deaths, though independent estimates put the true figure at 30-40%, and in Delhi and Mumbai they make up more than half of all road fatalities, with crashes costing India an estimated 3-5% of GDP annually.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.