By Maxwell Pereira
Views on the need for roadside railings in the city vary widely. Revenue-rich NDMC feels there is no need for any railing on roadsides, especially in Lutyen's Delhi. Traffic Police, on the contrary, feel firmly that railings provided on medians as well as on the edge of footpaths are a necessity; since 'pedestrian guard railings' confine pedestrian movement to the footpath.
At the same time, the current railings leave much to be desired. Injuries to people crossing/jumping over such railings are a daily occurrence. In their current form, they suffer from lack of imagination-both in terms of aesthetics and design, functional location, installation and maintenance, and in terms of integration with the surrounding environment.
Railings are often seen bent and damaged, with repair work rarely undertaken; adding to their hazardous nature. Advertisements that are put up un-aesthetically, highly damaging to the city streetscape as a whole.
There are a wide variety of designs for roadside railings in the city, depending perhaps on whims and fancies of the officer-in-the-chair in the PWD, NDMC, MCD or the Cantonment Board - and at times also influenced by the Traffic Police and IRC promptings.
While some designs are indeed aesthetically appealing. Some others used are decidedly horrendous or hazardous, because of the sharpness of its edges or the rail tips. Also, the policy of allowing ads and the revenue potential involved works against the safety aspect, since practically no expenditure needs to be incurred by the civic authorities in ad-sponsored installations.
Colour too presents a controversy. While green is considered environmentally soothing, it tends to merge with the background. As part of the standard yellow-and-black kerbstone - colours universally used for street furniture, yellow does promote the vibrancy of street ambience, while tending to be 'loud' against a sober background at times or 'jarring' when hampered with damage or maintenance problems. Black and charcoal grey are also universally accepted colours to enhance the ornate or antique look, especially where railings are tall and designs provide for curves and carvings. But such plans can prove heavy on the exchequer.
A sub-committee involved in the on-going 'Beautification of Delhi' project has concluded that there is need for 'pedestrian guard railings' on highly congested stretches of road or streets where provision of guard rails on both sides of carriageway helps channelize pedestrians to the pre-determined crossing locations.
Near schools, 'guard rails' are essentially required to prevent children form running straight onto the road. These must be extended up to a pedestrian crossing or the school crossing patrol. At bus stops, railway stations, cinema theatres, sports stadia, etc. with high pedestrian activity, 'guard rails' with suitable access would greatly help in guiding people to safely access and cross to their respective activity areas.
The design for the roadside railing should be neat and not cluttered with indiscriminate ad panel space. Railings should be simple in appearance, not elaborate and to the extent possible, immune to vandalism; while the height should be sufficient so as to deter people from climbing over.
The top of the railing should be curved and smooth to prevent the intending adventurer from getting a foothold to jump over. The visibility to pedestrians of approaching vehicles and the visibility to drivers of approaching vehicles should be adequate.
© copyright : Maxwell Pereira
Courtesy Mid Day, dated November 28, 2002
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