India, June 22 -- In a move that's part surprise and part long overdue, the Chandigarh Road Safety Committee has approved countdown timers at 45 major junctions across the city - all with heavy foot and vehicular traffic. On paper, it's a small tweak. But for anyone who's ever sprinted across a roundabout or played traffic roulette near Sector 26's grain market, it signals something rare: that pedestrians may finally be entering the urban planning conversation. Chandigarh - the city that walks in straight lines - has never quite figured out how to walk with its people. Le Corbusier's 1950s utopia was designed to be pedestrian-friendly: verdant green belts, quiet pathways, and the now-iconic V1 to V8 road hierarchy. It was meant to be a city where walking wasn't just possible - it was pleasurable. But somewhere between the dream and the diesel, Chandigarh became a car's city. Most of us have either bolted between Sector 17 and 22, praying traffic halts, or tiptoed across intersections hoping drivers acknowledge zebra crossings as more than street art. The green belts remain, but often feel like disconnected veins - overgrown, underlit and poorly linked to commercial areas. That's why something as modest as signal timers feels strangely revolutionary. It's as if someone finally looked up from the dashboard and noticed humans crossing roads - not just machines changing gears. A small shift in infrastructure, yes. But a giant step in empathy. Chandigarh's intersections are less about orderly movement and more like unscripted street theatre. A schoolkid hovers at the curb, unsure. An auntie crosses diagonally with groceries and grit. A cyclist threads through the chaos, defying signals with monk-like calm. All while drivers barrel through, honking as if to declare: I was here first. Countdown timers, if implemented thoughtfully, might just bring some method to this madness. At 45 high-footfall junctions, both pedestrians and drivers will finally share a rhythm - when to stop, when to wait, when to walk. Less guesswork. Fewer sprints. A touch of digital dignity. Cities from Tokyo to Amsterdam have long used pedestrian timers not just for efficiency but to signal respect - that walkers deserve predictability, not peril. Even in sprawling urban centres like New York, countdown signals have reduced crashes and encouraged safer crossings. Of course, timers won't fix a decades-deep car-first culture. Signal discipline remains a sport we all play when convenient. Too short, and the elderly are stranded mid-crossing; too long, and the drivers stage a honk-fest. But timing isn't just logistics - it's empathy. Done right, it equalises the street. Signal timers may be Act One. But a truly walkable Chandigarh will need much more: continuous footpaths, wider pavements, clearly marked crossings, and most of all, a mindset shift - that footpaths aren't for parking, and roads aren't just for racing. Why should a wheelchair user need help navigating Sector 35's roundabout? Why must joggers on Jan Marg dodge bikes and bollards? Why are green belts so hard to access from busy plazas? We've invested in high-rises, highways, and multiplexes. Surely we can afford some grace for the pedestrian - the schoolkid, the vendor, the elderly couple out on a morning stroll. This isn't nostalgia for an older, gentler Chandigarh. It's a call for a more livable, lovable one - where walking isn't just tolerated, but encouraged. Where slow strolls, Sunday markets, and teenagers texting while crossing (carefully!) are all part of the city's rhythm. There's promise in these signals. Chandigarh may still be a city of symmetry and sectors, but with every pedestrian timer tick-tocking into place, perhaps it's finally learning to find its heartbeat in the footstep - not just the exhaust pipe....