​​​​​​​Shrinking Space for Morning Walkers
Lifestyle disorders like hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are on the rise. Doctors suggest lifestyle changes such as controlling food intake, quitting smoking and drinking, and regular morning walks for 30-45 minutes to managediabetes and other diseases. A regular morning walk has multiple benefits for physical and mental well-being, includingimproved cardiovascular health, stress reduction, enhanced energy levels, weight management, better sleep, and enhanced cognitive function.
As the number of people with lifestyle disorders rises, more safe spaces for morning walkers are required. Interestingly, we do not have enough space for morning walkers due to cities' uncontrolled, rapid, unregulated, and unplanned expansion. There is no space to create walking trails, parks, and specified footpaths for morning walkers. People are walking on roads that are not safe. Uneven, narrow, hilly roads are another challenge that is not conduciveto morning walks. Morning traffic of school buses and other transport makes walking on the roads unsafe. We do not have specific data on morning walker accidents; however, their safety is a serious public health concern that needs attention. In 2022, India saw 4,50,000 reported road accidents resulting in over 1,50,000 deaths. According to a report from IIT, Delhi, pedestrians and cyclists constitute a substantial proportion of road fatalities.
Although there is a serious space crunch, the government and city authorities must think of developing a solution by creating trails and parks. They can identify unused or underused government land, vacant plots, old grounds, and closed industrial units, and convert them into parks, trails, or walking tracks. The government should make it mandatory for every new housing project, commercial centre, or township to have walking trails or green walking areas as part of building approvals. People have moved to the gym for a morning walk and exercise, but these gyms are often affordable only to the middle class and the rich. For an ordinary person, it is still a distant dream. In many societies and residential complexes, footpaths are full of bikes and cars due to the increasing number of family-owned vehicles, making it difficult for people to walk and exercise.Even in a few places, residents are denied access to a rooftop where they can walk or exercise. It creates a serious challenge for the elderly population living alone. Those who do not have space, resources, facilities, family members, or drivers do not visit a far-away park for a walk or exercise.
It is difficult to find open land in the cities. Many are already captured or encroached on by builders and unauthorized occupations. Besides, the government has given maintenance of a few parks to a third party on a public-private partnership model. These parks do not allow common people to come, walk, or exercise. Either they prohibit public spaces or charge a fee. This is the right time for people to come forward and create spaces for morning walkers in their localities, societies, building complexes, and open rooftops in the morning hours. They must identify schools, colleges, and institutions in their locality that have playgrounds and initiate a dialogue with them to open their doors for morning walkers during early hours. School bus drivers must be sensitized about speed limits and be careful about morning walkers while driving.
There is a need to mobilize, educate, and demand the ‘right to morning walk’ essential for the health and well-being of the population. Although no law or constitutional right ensures it, the idea that individuals have a basic right to access and enjoy spaces for morning walks is tied to the broader right to public spaces and freedom of movement. It is possible through smart city planning, community action, government policy changes, and creating a demand to protect and prioritize spaces for health and walking.
The author is a Professor at Xavier Institute of Social Service, Ranch. The views expressed are personal.Email: pandeyanant@hotmail.com