Road safety must be in place for all, with rules framed keeping the safety of most vulnerable users like pedestrians and cyclists in mind. This means wider, more stringent policing, and jettisoning the ‘We are like this only’ reasoning that romanticises ‘India’s chaos’ and makes our unsafe outdoors seem the most natural thing in the world. Rules are important, as is infrastructure. Civic authorities must ensure user-friendly, encroachment-free pavements for pedestrians – and crack down on two-wheelers hijacking footpaths. Special provisions for kanwariyas will be particularly important for highway travel. Road users must also adhere to norms such as the number of riders on each class of vehicle. Rules matter. But compliance matters more.
As for the annual pilgrimage by devotees of Shiva, it should become a seasonal spot check for safety of Indian roads and pavements. And of traffic police’s ability to ensure compliance.