LAHORE: The bustling streets of Lahore, known for their vibrant culture and historical charm, have become a nightmare for pedestrians as the city grapples with a lack of footpaths and rampant encroachments.

The district administration had developed model roads, including Main Boulevard, Gulberg, M.M. Alam Road, Noor Jehan Road, Kasuri Road, LOS to Samanabad Road, Mall Road (from PMG Chowk to Mian Mir Bridge), Jail Road (from Qartaba Chowk to Siddique Trade Centre), Maulana Shaukat Ali Road and Peco Road, Allah Hoo Chowk to Shaukat Khanum Chowk, Canal Road (from Thokar Niaz Beg to Shahkam Chowk), Multan Road (from Chauburji Chowk to Thokar Niaz Beg), Ferozepur Road (up to Chungi Amar Sidhu) and Allama Iqbal Road. But most of these model roads don`t have footpaths.

The town planners have designed the footpaths on the Canal Road on the banks of the canal and also installed billboards on it. The pedestrians have to first cross the road, which is next to impossible, to reach the footpath to walk on it. The story of Mall Road is no different as it has footpaths that mostly remain obstructed due to security barriers and parking of motorcycles on it. Other major roads across the city either lack pedestrian pathways or they are obstructed by illegal parking, advertisement billboards and utility installations, leaving walkers vulnerable to accidents and injuries.

Despite being one of the largest and most populous cities of the country, Lahore`s infrastructure continues to neglect the needs of pedestrians. The residents have reported that walking on busy roads has become a perilous task, with no dedicated space for foot traffic.

The absence of footpaths forces pedestrians to share roads with fast-moving vehicles, leading to frequent accidents and near-misses. They say that the footpaths are often unusable due to encroachments even on roads where footpaths exist.

Traders routinely occupy these spaces for parking vehicles, setting up stalls ordisplaying advertisement billboards.

Additionally, utility installations such as electric poles, PTCL wire boxes, and other infrastructure further restrict pedestrian movement. These obstacles force people to walk on the roads, increasing their exposure to traffic hazards. `I risk my life every day just walking to work,` says Ahmed Ali, a resident of Gulberg.

`The footpaths, wherever they exist, are either blocked by parked cars or cluttered with billboards and utility boxes.

It`s like the city has forgotten that people walk too,` he laments at the situation.

Despite the growing public outcry, no concrete measures have been taken by relevant authorities, including the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), district administration, metropolitan corporation and local government.

Residents accuse these departments ofnegligence and a lack of coordination in addressing the issue. Urban planning experts argue that the problem is a result of poor governance and a lack of enforcement.

`Lahore`s infrastructure planning is heavily car-centric, with little to no consideration for pedestrians,` says Dr Hina Sheikh, an urban development specialist.

`The encroachments are a symptom of weak enforcement of laws and a lack of accountability. Public departments need to prioritise pedestrian safety and reclaim these spaces for the people,` she suggests.

Speaking to Dawn, Lahore Conservation Society member Dr Ajaz Anwar says the world always promote that people should walk or ride bicycles to do their routine work and develop infrastructure for them; however, the governments in Pakistan are involved in removing footpaths in the name of development. He says the Mall Road is alsofacing the same fate as one cannot walk on it from the Canal Road to Governor House and both sides have public houses, which have encroached upon footpaths by erecting security barriers. While pointing out another hurdle, he says, zebra crossings have been completely erased from most of the roads and no one can cross the road without putting their life at risk.

Dr Anwar says the shortage of public transport has forced the people to have their own vehicles to commute in the city.

The citizens and activists demand immediate action to address the issue and urge the government to conduct a city-wide survey to identify roads without footpaths, remove encroachments,and ensure that utility installations do not obstruct pedestrian pathways.

Moreover, they call for stricter enforcement of laws to prevent traders and businesses from misusing public spaces.

`This is not just an inconvenience, it`s a matter of public safety,` says Ayesha Malik, a member of a local advocacy group.

`Every day, people are injured or killed on the road because they have no safe space to walk. The government must act now before more lives are lost,` she suggests.

Deputy Commissioner Syed Musa Raza says as Lahore continued to grow, there was a need for developing pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. He confirmed that due to increasing population, the footpaths were removed by the previous administrations to give way to the increasing vehicular traffic in the city.

He says with the population of the city, commercial and construction activities have immensely increased during the last two decades and there should be a stop to it.

Giving an example of London, Mr Raza says construction and commercial activities should be completely banned in Lahore and its mode should be turned towards conservation. He says the departments concerned are continuously asked to stop giving permission for industrial and construction activities in the city. `It`s on the government radar to develop footpaths on each new road of the city and the LDA would not allow roads without footpaths.