Andhra Pradesh Notifies Pedestrian Safety and Universal Accessibility Policy

Key facts

• The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approved an integrated Pedestrian Safety & Universal Accessibility Policy, shifting from vehicle-centric to people-centric road design.
• The policy applies across the state covering urban, rural, peri-urban areas, and satellite towns, including new projects and retrofitting existing infrastructure.
• It institutionalizes comprehensive road-safety audits with quantifiable safety scores, prioritizing 15-20 high-fatality blackspots using two to three years of accident data.
• The policy mandates continuous footpaths with a minimum two-metre clear walking zone, slip-resistant surfaces, and universal accessibility features like tactile indicators and wheelchair-friendly ramps.
• It adopts a zero-tolerance approach to pedestrian deaths and footpath encroachments, with collaboration among local bodies, police, and revenue authorities.
• The framework integrates circular economy principles by mandating use of processed construction and demolition waste for non-structural pedestrian components.
• A district-level mobile application or portal is envisaged for citizens to report wrong-side driving and footpath encroachments, along with community monitoring by RWAs and NGOs.
• Implementation will be supported by GIS mapping, geo-tagged photos, drone surveys, and digital inventories tracked through dashboards and real-time monitoring via CCTV and drones.