Streets of Struggle: Understanding Captive Pedestrians

This study explores the challenges faced by captive pedestrians—individuals who rely on walking as their only affordable travel option—in navigating urban streets. Using route data from pedestrians in New Delhi, India, we classified respondents into captive or choice pedestrians based on public transport affordability, household vehicle ownership, and accessibility. Captive pedestrians comprised 68% of the sample. We analyzed both reported walking routes and corresponding alternative routes to identify patterns in route selection and travel distances. This study confirmed that distance is the most important variable that affects the route choice of captive pedestrians. Our findings revealed that even though captive pedestrians predominantly opted for the shortest routes, they still tended to travel longer distances compared with their choice counterparts, with female captives walking farther than males. This study highlights the importance of ensuring safe, risk-free walking environments that better accommodate the transport needs of this pedestrian group.