When everyone is worried about poor speed of vehicles in the capital due to traffic jams, hardly any attention is given by authorities concerned to facilities for pedestrians to ensure their normal walking speed on the city streets.
Experts said the pace of walk is not standard in the city as policy makers and planners of agencies concerned do not pay any heed to proper footpath facilities.
The designs of foot over-bridges, tunnels or signals in the city are not pedestrian-friendly, said transport expert M Shamsul Hoque.
Though there are no specific data on the walking speed in the city, they said it is apparent that it is far below the standard as existing footpaths are also grabbed by hawkers, roadside shops, builders, etc.
It is generally claimed that 3.0 kilometres (km) to 4.5 km per hour (kph) is the average human walking speed depending on age, weight and height.
Though two city corporations of the capital are responsible to construct or renovate footpaths, other government agencies are supposed to take into consideration sustainability of footpaths while constructing roads and flyovers in the city.
They include Roads and Highways Department (RHD), Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and Public Works Department (PWD).
Though Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) is supposed to ensure incorporation of pedestrian facilities in the transport-related projects, it hardly can focus on this area. An official of the DTCA said they are drawing up a plan on making the city's Satmasjid Road area pedestrian-friendly.
Under the supervision of DTCA, the city's 20-year transport plan named strategic transport plan (STP) was designed stating that pedestrians are the first priority.
M Shamsul Hoque alleged that due to not giving due attention to pedestrians' facilities or comfort in walking during formulating projects, government agencies do not think twice before removing foot over-bridges, leaving no alternative options for pedestrians during construction.
It is more evident in the case of construction of the Moghbazar-Mauchak-Malibagh flyover and Mayor Mohammad Hanif flyovers as the authorities removed the foot over-bridges at the Moghbazar crossing and Saidabad without keeping alternative options.
It is also found that any no option is left for pedestrians to cross the Rampura-Banasree Road after construction of the U-loop beside the Bangladesh Television Bhaban.
Though DTCA and Dhaka Mass Transit Company (DMTC) claimed to have consider pedestrians' facilities while designing the mass rapid transit (MRT) and bus rapid transit (BRT) plans it is also observed that footpaths at some points have been removed for the construction purpose leaving no options for pedestrians.
In front of BIRDEM Hospital, pedestrians and patients are found facing a difficult situation. The underpass at Karwan Bazar was blocked recently. However, the DMTC ensured arrangements at some points for people to cross the road but those are not sufficient.
DMTC Managing Director MAN Siddique told the FE that MRT stations were designed keeping footpath facilities in view.
"We have designed footpaths in a way that people can reach a station walking comfortably a distance of 400 to 500 metres," he said.
"Nowadays, it is hard to walk on the footpaths. We have to walk sometimes on footpaths, some times on streets. We do not find any zebra crossing. Even foot over-bridges are not convenient to cross roads with children and elderly people," said pedestrian Arafat Begum.
"How can we walk when footpath is used as the main centre for earnings by a section of people" asked another pedestrian at Baitul Mukarram area.
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