How safe is it to simply walk on the streets of Shillong? If you are walking from Police Bazaar to your workplace… from school to home… from a market to a taxi stand… or even just crossing a busy road — do you actually feel that the road has been designed with pedestrians in mind?
Shillong roads are not pedestrian-friendly. No matter which stretch you are taking, you have to always look over your shoulder for a speeding bike, a car trying to overtake, a taxi stopping suddenly, or a vehicle parked right where you are supposed to walk. In short, pedestrians don’t really have a safe place on Shillong roads.
In June this year, the Supreme Court of India made a significant observation.
The court declared that the right to walk is a fundamental right.
And it went a step further. The fundamental right to walk includes the right to have demarcated and well-maintained footpaths.
The court made it clear that pedestrian movement cannot simply be treated as secondary to vehicles.
In fact, it said the right to walk on a demarcated footpath is primary and has priority over movement by motorised vehicles.
And if a road exists, the authorities have a corresponding duty to provide and maintain proper pedestrian infrastructure.
Now, bring that conversation to Shillong. Because if there is one thing we can all agree on, it is that Shillong was not designed for the number of vehicles we see on its roads today.
The city has grown. The population has grown, and with it, the number of private and public vehicles has grown. But the space remains the same.
Sometimes there is simply no footpath. Sometimes there is a footpath, but it is too narrow or broken. Sometimes it is occupied by shops, construction material or other obstructions. And sometimes the footpath has become a parking space. With no proper footpaths, pedestrians are often pushed onto the busy roads, increasing the chances of accident.
The Supreme Court has recognised this problem — that when there is no proper footpath, pedestrians are forced onto the carriageway, putting them directly in the path of moving vehicles.
So when we talk about traffic safety, maybe we should stop looking at traffic only from the driver’s perspective.
Pedestrians are often seen precariously crossing between moving vehicles because there is no safe crossing nearby. And two-wheelers suddenly appearing from the wrong side. These may look like small violations. But on a crowded Shillong road, a small violation can have a very big consequence.
We have seen enough mishaps in Shillong to know that this is not just a theoretical concern. There have been accidents involving two-wheelers, pedestrians and other road users.
There are also cases that stay in public memory because they happen at places where people routinely walk.
The Rilbong–Civil Hospital stretch, for instance, has seen serious traffic concerns and accidents over the years.
People should not have to risk their lives simply because they are walking. Traffic rules and road safety guidelines are often violated, putting lives at risk.
However, road safety cannot depend entirely on enforcement. It has to become a culture.
A driver has to understand that a zebra crossing means something.
A biker has to understand that speeding through a crowded area is not just a personal choice. A vehicle owner has to understand that parking on a footpath is not harmless. And pedestrians too have responsibilities — using designated crossings wherever available, avoiding sudden movement onto roads and remaining alert.
This week itself, Shillong has had multiple reminders of how closely traffic management is linked to public safety. There were traffic restrictions for major events and the Vice President’s visit, with authorities issuing advisories asking people to plan journeys and cooperate with traffic police.
There was also disruption around Mawryngkneng recently, where a large traffic jam left commuters stranded for hours, leading the district administration to take action against organisers for alleged violations of permission and provisions under the Motor Vehicles Act. And just a few days ago, restrictions were announced around Paltan Bazar because of road construction.
These are reminders that how we manage road space directly affects how people move through the city.
But perhaps the biggest challenge is something we see every single day, and that is parking.
Shillong’s parking problem is no longer just about inconvenience.
It is becoming a pedestrian-safety issue. When a vehicle occupies part of the road, traffic moves closer to the pedestrian. When a vehicle occupies a footpath, the pedestrian moves closer to traffic.
So maybe we need to change the way we think about parking. A parking space is not just a convenience for a vehicle owner. It is a decision about who gets to use public space. If one vehicle occupies a footpath, a pedestrian pays the price. If vehicles are parked on both sides of a narrow road, everyone pays the price. And if emergency vehicles get stuck because roads are narrowed by irresponsible parking, the consequences can be much bigger.
Shillong has already taken initiatives aimed at improving traffic flow and parking discipline. But perhaps the Supreme Court’s latest judgment gives us another lens through which to look at the problem.
Putting the right to walk in very clear constitutional terms, the Supreme Court has specifically stressed that pedestrian infrastructure must be accessible and usable by persons with disabilities, too.
And yes, we need enforcement. But we also need something much simpler.
We need people to respect the rules because traffic rules are not suggestions.
So perhaps this week, instead of asking only:
“Why is Shillong traffic so bad?” we should ask something slightly different.
“Who is Shillong’s road actually designed for?”
The city needs to provide enough space for pedestrians and suitable infrastructure so that an ordinary citizen can simply walk from one point to another without having to compete with a moving vehicle for space.
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