Chandigarh, July 2 -- Even as the Supreme Court (SC) recently recognised the right to walk on a demarcated, well-maintained footpath as a fundamental right, pedestrians continue to be among the most-vulnerable road users in Chandigarh. According to data collected from the UT police, the city saw 35 pedestrian deaths in 2025, the highest since 2016, when 38 fatalities were recorded. This was a sharp rise from the 27 fatalities in 2024 (see box). The worrying trend has continued this year as well, with 14 pedestrians already losing their lives till June 30. Senior superintendent of police (SSP, traffic) Sumer Pratap Singh said traffic police are conducting awareness programmes in markets and schools to drive home the point about pedestrian safety. "We are working to make motorists aware of the right of way of pedestrians on zebra crossings. On the other hand, pedestrians too should avoid jaywalking and use only designated areas to cross the roads," he said. The SSP further said that on the enforcement end, traffic police issue challans against vehicles parked on footpaths and cycle tracks. Encroachments on pedestrian pathways, such as by vendors, are removed by the municipal corporation's enforcement wing, he added. Singh added that engineering interventions also work in tandem with awareness. "Traffic police prepare a report on every fatality and share it with the UT engineering wing. Interventions such as pelican lights - pedestrian-operated traffic light systems which allow them to stop vehicular traffic by pressing a push-button to cross safely- make a huge difference," he said. Professor Umesh Sharma of Punjab Engineering College, a transport expert, said Chandigarh's pedestrian infrastructure, including footpaths and zebra crossings, is largely designed according to Indian Road Congress standards and fares better than other metropolitan cities. "It's the road-user behaviour that needs to change. Pedestrians need to be more mindful while motorists need to give passage to pedestrians," said Sharma, adding that fatality data needs to be studied in detail to see if the accidents took place in the middle of the road, or at the edges so that suitable infrastructure can be developed....