Roads for Multi Modal Commute
Old Delhi-Gurgaon road is a part of the daily commute of thousands of people, including office goers and factory workers. Crowded with factory workers on their way to Udyog Vihar, driving through the road can be nerve-wracking. The walkways have been lined with encroachment, forcing pedestrians to share the road with cars, rickshaws and trucks, making them prone to accidents.
As part of the 'Human Centered Design design-kit course' by IDEO, we sought out to find solutions to make the road safer for pedestrians while ensuring a smooth flow of traffic.
The Problem
The road is shared by a wide variety of people from pedestrians and street vendors to rickshaw-pullers and commuters. One particular segment between Kapashera border bus terminal and Udyog Vihar crossing is flooded with factory workers during rush hours in the morning and evening. Encroachments over the walkway forces them to walk on the road along cars, rickshaws and trucks. This overuse of the narrow road by a multitude of users results in prolonged congestion during rush hours and a safety hazard for the pedestrians and commuters alike.
As vehicles negotiate past them and pedestrians rush to reach their workplace in time to avoid getting penalized with wage cuts. These factory workers are immersed in the danger so frequently that most of them have become desensitized to the safety hazards they deal with on a daily basis.
As vehicles negotiate past them and pedestrians rush to reach their workplace in time to avoid getting penalized with wage cuts. These factory workers are immersed in the danger so frequently that most of them have become desensitized to the safety hazards they deal with on a daily basis.
Primary Research
Timelapse of the morning commute on the road
The primary research was split into three phases
- Distance observation
- Field interviews
- Context immersion
Distance Observation
We recorded a time-lapse of the morning rush hours between 0730 to 1030 hours - to study the patterns of traffic flow and pedestrian movement from a foot over bridge. This enabled us to get a birds eye view of the problem and also observe the solutions the people had created for themselves.
Field Interviews
For field interviews, we identified the various stakeholders and prepared questionnaires targeting the problems of each group of stakeholders. The interviews started with a general overview of the problem at hand and people's frustrations with them, before diving in deeper to unearth the ways in which the people contributed to the problems and interim solutions.
Context Immersion
To get a better understanding of what a pedestrian goes through on their daily commute, my project partner shared the commute with one of the workers from the neighboring village of Kapashera. That helped us understand what the ideal solution for a pedestrian would be.
Insights & Learnings
The research process enabled us to gain some really interesting insights
- The commuters were following the the line left during the road laying as a visual guide to share the road, the pedestrians walking to the left and vehicles on the right.
- The factory workers have been immersed in the danger so frequently in their commute, that most of them have become desensitised to the safety hazards.
- Mostly coming from under-developed, infrastructure-deprived settlements, they have always walked on roads, unaware of the benefits of dedicated walkways.
- The FOB that was created to solve the problem isn't used by many on grounds of inconvenience and bad placement.
- People prefer walking near the median of the road because of no encroachment and cleanliness.
Working towards the solution
We started by creating a list of focused problem statements that we endeavor to solve for.
Next we started exploring different layouts for the road to accommodate all the stakeholders and delivering the maximum value.
Solution 1
We explored the option of reducing the medium to a small footstep and having alternating traffic lights in order to maximize the places from which the road can be crossed. This bundled with a huge walkway had the potential of having the road to be shared on a timed basis between the pedestrians and the vehicular commuters.
Solution 1
Solution 2
Shift-turning the road every hundred meters is explored to reduce traffic speed, combined with diagonal raised pedestrian crossings. The residual width is designated as mixed space for parking and hawkers. The width of the walkway is 3 metres and 6 metres on either side, respective to the observed pedestrian movement.
Solution 2
Solution 3
A third alternative is providing dedicated lanes and space to autorickshaw union establishments to shift their pickup point closer to Kapashera border to reduce the large volume of pedestrian traffic while making commute faster.
Currently, most factory workers are unable to afford auto-ferries because they are charged ₹10 for any distance- long or short. A monthly fare collection system could ensure consistent users to auto-plyers and reduced fares for factory workers.
Currently, most factory workers are unable to afford auto-ferries because they are charged ₹10 for any distance- long or short. A monthly fare collection system could ensure consistent users to auto-plyers and reduced fares for factory workers.
This is an ongoing project and you can contribute to it by contacting me or my partner
Thank You for your Time
