Better civic markets, less hawkers on footpaths can improve walkability
Ask any Mumbaikar what the major impediments to walking comfortably in the city are, and the top two answers will likely be the non-existence of adequate footpaths and the encroachment of existing footpaths by hawkers. About 46.9% of daily trips made in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) are on foot. Additionally, a further 60% of people who use public transport in the city choose walking for their last-mile journey, and 73% of school trips in the city also involve walking.
Considering these statistics, one might be forgiven for thinking that civic bodies must be falling over each other to augment the walkability of the city. After all, wouldn’t politicians want tangible & visible improvements in the mode of transport that the vast majority of their voters depend on? Sadly, it seems not.
Mumbai’s population growth far outpaces the provision of essential facilities. For instance, Crawford Market, built in 1869, served a population of just 6.44 lakh—36 times f ewer t han today’s metropolitan population. Remarkably, the small R South Ward (Kandivali) now houses more residents – estimated 7.1 lakh in 2019 as per BMC – than the entire old city did during the market’s establishment. Where are the 36 additional Crawford Markets to accommodate this growth? Transparency issues hinder access to statistical data on municipal markets. However, observation suggests there aren’t many markets as large and grand as Crawford Market.
To address future growth, cities typically devise development plans that allocate space for essential facilities such as schools, hospitals, parks, and playgrounds, alongside zoning regulations for commercial, residential, and industrial areas. However, we have fallen short in providing adequate space to meet the rising demand for affordable goods. While middle to high-income countries often rely on brick-and-mortar stores for such items, expecting the same in a low-income country like ours would burden people with costlier essential goods, which many simply can’t afford. This is why hawkers exist: to bridge this price gap.
Within the city, high footfall areas like railway stations naturally attract hawkers, but the absence of adequate designated hawking spaces leads to haphazard encroachment onto footpaths and roads. Despite an existing Bombay High Court Order prohibiting hawking within a 150-meter radius of stations, enforcement by municipalities has proven challenging due to the lucrative nature of the business. This has led to the festering of a nexus between hawkers and the very officials tasked with keeping them at bay. Simply evicting hawkers won’t solve this structural issue in the long term; where there is demand, there will be individuals ready to fulfill it. It’s imperative that we devise a sensible plan to manage hawking activity while ensuring it does not impede pedestrian movement. This is where civic bodies should intervene by creating sufficient hawking spaces to regulate the number of hawkers on our streets.
What would this entail? Currently, across various civic bodies and government agencies, thousands of crores are being spent to create infrastructure to facilitate vehicle movement. Perhaps some of these funds could be allocated to the creation of well-designed markets around our station precincts to accommodate some of the hawkers, with the end goal of decongesting footpaths and improving walkability. Market construction isn’t lacking; it’s the quality that’s the issue. Shockingly, about 44% of Mumbai’s 103 markets lie unused or repurposed, as per a 2022 CAG report. For a market to thrive, it must be accessible and highly visible. Hiding a market in a neighborhood corner with tiny entrances won’t suffice. Markets should be well-connected to rail stations, attract baseline foot traffic, offer ample space to avoid feeling cramped, and be large enough to meet hawking demand in the area. These are critical factors overlooked in current market designs.
Mumbai possesses extensive experience in redevelopment projects, and civic bodies should capitalise on this expertise. Policy changes can ensure transparent leasing of hawking spaces, whereby ‘haftas’ currently paid by hawkers are collected by the civic body as licensing fees to maintain the market, rather than being misappropriated by individual officials. Housing hawkers inside markets aids regulation and ensures product safety too. The chaat market at Juhu beach serves as an excellent example of this practice.
Redeveloping station precincts could not only accommodate existing tenants but also generate additional leasable space to offset construction costs. Let’s clarify: The aim shouldn’t be to relocate every street hawker. They are of significant value in the services they provide. Their presence enhances night-time safety, contributing to Mumbai feeling safer for women compared to parts of Delhi. Also, not all hawkers can fit into indoor markets. For instance, a sandwich stall thrives outside a commercial complex during office breaks compared to a spot in an indoor market. Indian law acknowledges this and has provisions for street hawking without obstructing pedestrian flow. However, the enforcement of these existing laws, like Indian Roads Congress guidelines and the Street Vending Act of 2014, remains lax. This needs to change.
Pedestrian safety must be a top priority in this year’s elections, given the sheer number of people impacted by this issue.