MUMBAI, Nov. 21 -- In a first-of-its-kind move, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has floated a Rs.100-crore tender on Thursday for 16.55 kilometres of footpaths across the city, placing pedestrian infrastructure at the forefront. The project, covering 14 roads, will involve either constructing new footpaths or upgrading them, and adhering to walkability standards laid down by the Indian Roads Congress (IRC), signalling a major policy shift toward pedestrian-first planning in Mumbai. The BMC's walkability project is a city-wide initiative to improve pedestrian infrastructure, focusing on creating safer, more accessible, and inclusive footpaths across Mumbai. This involves a budget of Rs.100 crore for the 2025-26 fiscal year to implement the "Universal Footpath Policy," which mandates features like continuous footpaths, lower kerb heights, and dedicated accessible routes. (SEE BOX) The project also aims to address obstacles such as encroachments from hawkers and parked vehicles, while also fostering public-private partnerships for specific projects like the pedestrian plazas at Kalaghoda in Colaba and Regal Cinema. Additional municipal commissioner (projects) Abhijit Bangar described the initiative as the beginning of a new phase in the city's road development. "We are publishing the tender for a walkability project and making it live. We had a fund of Rs.100 crore for which few works have been selected. The condition of footpaths isn't good and for pedestrian movement there is no optimum development," he said. He added that the civic body intends to make an "intentional effort" to systematically improve pedestrian pavements by ensuring that new footpaths are built to standard, while existing ones are upgraded through retrofitting. The selected works span footpaths across the island city and both the eastern and western suburbs. Under the Indian Road Congress (IRC's) walkability norms, footpaths must maintain a height of six inches and be reinforced with bollards at junctions to prevent vehicles from encroaching on pedestrian spaces. Tactile tiles are mandated to enhance accessibility, particularly for visually impaired walkers. The standards also require society gates to be tapered to road level to eliminate steep or obstructive gradients. "Many times society constructs a slope where walkability is sacrificed. This is how it is modified," Bangar explained. The tender covers upgrades on 14 key roads and arrives at a time when concerns over Mumbai's walkability have intensified. With the city rapidly expanding its transport and civic infrastructure, pedestrian safety and convenience have become critical issues. Walkability, defined by the condition, width, accessibility and maintenance of footpaths, plays a pivotal role not only in mobility but also in public health and traffic decongestion....