Commercial areas, along with being nodes for economic activities, also act as public spaces supporting various social and recreational activities. The multi-faceted nature of commercial streets demands safe, secure, and comfortable spaces in commercial areas that can be conducive to the social aspect of this land use. Commercial areas are also nodes for carbon emissions, with transport-related emissions in commercial areas providing a significant contribution to the emission profile. This work provides a study and assessment of the pedestrian environment of a commercial area, taking Putlighar market in Amritsar as a case study. The work analyzes the pedestrian facilities and vehicular emission profile of the case area. Then, a hypothetical scenario-based assessment is adopted to study the impact of pedestrianization and modal restriction on the emission profile. The results highlight that complete pedestrianization provides the best solution for emission reduction; however, even partial pedestrianization can yield emission reduction by 54%. Modal restriction, on the other hand, contributes to an 86% emission reduction if applied for the entire day and a 46% reduction when applied on peak hour traffic. A public preference survey was undertaken to understand public opinion on the proposed scenarios, wherein complete pedestrianization was the most preferred scenario with 39% public preference, followed by full day modal restriction (30%), peak hour modal restriction (16%), and peak hour pedestrianization (15%). The pedestrian audit of the area highlighted that improvement of walking infrastructure, provision of basic amenities, and application of encroachment control regulation were required on site to enhance the walkability of the area and support pedestrianization.

Keywords: Carbon emissions, walkability, pedestrianization, modal restriction, travel behavior

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1. Niti Aayog, International Energy Agency. Transitioning India’s road transport sector: Realising climate and air quality benefits. 2023. Available from: https://iea.blob.core.windows. net/assets/06ad8de6-52c6-4be3-96fc-2bdc3510617d/TransitioningIndiasRoadTransportSector.pdf.
2. Bivina GR, Parida M. Modelling perceived pedestrian level of service of sidewalks: A structural equation approach. Transport. 2019;34(3):339–50. https://doi.org/10.3846/transport.2019.9819.
3. Datey A, Darji V, Patel T, Mahadevia D. Walking and cycling in Indian cities: A struggle for reclaiming road edges. 2012.
4. Pucher J, Buehler R. Cycling towards a more sustainable transport future. Transp Rev. 2017;37(6):689–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2017.1340234.
5. Narayanan S. Pedestrian safety in Chennai. J Road Saf. 2020;31(3):15–32. https://doi.org/10.33492/JRS-D-20-00249.
6. Li J, Lo K, Zhang P, Guo M. Consumer travel behaviors and transport carbon emissions: A comparative study of commercial centers in Shenyang, China. Energies. 2016;9(10):765. https://doi.org/10.3390/en9100765.
7. India GHG Program. India-specific road transport emission factors. 2015. Available from: https://shaktifoundation.in/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/WRI-2015-India-Specific-Road-Transport-Emission-Factors.pdf.
8. Annunziata A, Garau C. A literature review on walkability and its theoretical framework: Emerging perspectives for research developments. In: Lecture Notes in Computer Science. 2020. p. 422–37. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58820-5_32.
9. Indian Road Congress. IRC:103 - Guidelines for pedestrian facilities (Draft report). [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.nitiforstates.gov.in/public-assets/Policy/policy_ files/GNANAO000329.pdf.
10. Villani C, Talamini G. Pedestrianised streets in the global neoliberal city: A battleground between hegemonic strategies of commodification and informal tactics of commoning. Cities. 2021;108:102983. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2020.102983.
11. Maizlish N, Woodcock J, Co S, Ostro B, Fanai A, Fairley D. Health cobenefits and transportation-related reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in the San Francisco Bay Area. Am J Public Health. 2013;103(4):703–9. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2012.300939.
12. Punjab Urban Development Authority. Amritsar master plan report (2010–2031). 2011. Available from: https://www.adaamritsar.gov.in/sites/default/files/2020-11/AMT_rpt_2011.pdf.
13. Makhija V. Strategies for improving walkability: A case of Walled City, Amritsar. 2021. Available from: https://www.academia.edu/50786888/Strategies_for_Improving_Walkability_A_Case_

Commercial areas, along with being nodes for economic activities, also act as public spaces supporting various social and recreational activities. The multi-faceted nature of commercial streets demands safe, secure, and comfortable spaces in commercial areas that can be conducive to the social aspect of this land use. Commercial areas are also nodes for carbon emissions, with transport-related emissions in commercial areas providing a significant contribution to the emission profile. This work provides a study and assessment of the pedestrian environment of a commercial area, taking Putlighar market in Amritsar as a case study. The work analyzes the pedestrian facilities and vehicular emission profile of the case area. Then, a hypothetical scenario-based assessment is adopted to study the impact of pedestrianization and modal restriction on the emission profile. The results highlight that complete pedestrianization provides the best solution for emission reduction; however, even partial pedestrianization can yield emission reduction by 54%. Modal restriction, on the other hand, contributes to an 86% emission reduction if applied for the entire day and a 46% reduction when applied on peak hour traffic. A public preference survey was undertaken to understand public opinion on the proposed scenarios, wherein complete pedestrianization was the most preferred scenario with 39% public preference, followed by full day modal restriction (30%), peak hour modal restriction (16%), and peak hour pedestrianization (15%). The pedestrian audit of the area highlighted that improvement of walking infrastructure, provision of basic amenities, and application of encroachment control regulation were required on site to enhance the walkability of the area and support pedestrianization.

Keywords: Carbon emissions, walkability, pedestrianization, modal restriction, travel behavior

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.

1. Niti Aayog, International Energy Agency. Transitioning India’s road transport sector: Realising climate and air quality benefits. 2023. Available from: https://iea.blob.core.windows. net/assets/06ad8de6-52c6-4be3-96fc-2bdc3510617d/TransitioningIndiasRoadTransportSector.pdf.
2. Bivina GR, Parida M. Modelling perceived pedestrian level of service of sidewalks: A structural equation approach. Transport. 2019;34(3):339–50. https://doi.org/10.3846/transport.2019.9819.
3. Datey A, Darji V, Patel T, Mahadevia D. Walking and cycling in Indian cities: A struggle for reclaiming road edges. 2012.
4. Pucher J, Buehler R. Cycling towards a more sustainable transport future. Transp Rev. 2017;37(6):689–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2017.1340234.
5. Narayanan S. Pedestrian safety in Chennai. J Road Saf. 2020;31(3):15–32. https://doi.org/10.33492/JRS-D-20-00249.
6. Li J, Lo K, Zhang P, Guo M. Consumer travel behaviors and transport carbon emissions: A comparative study of commercial centers in Shenyang, China. Energies. 2016;9(10):765. https://doi.org/10.3390/en9100765.
7. India GHG Program. India-specific road transport emission factors. 2015. Available from: https://shaktifoundation.in/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/WRI-2015-India-Specific-Road-Transport-Emission-Factors.pdf.
8. Annunziata A, Garau C. A literature review on walkability and its theoretical framework: Emerging perspectives for research developments. In: Lecture Notes in Computer Science. 2020. p. 422–37. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58820-5_32.
9. Indian Road Congress. IRC:103 - Guidelines for pedestrian facilities (Draft report). [cited 2025 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.nitiforstates.gov.in/public-assets/Policy/policy_ files/GNANAO000329.pdf.
10. Villani C, Talamini G. Pedestrianised streets in the global neoliberal city: A battleground between hegemonic strategies of commodification and informal tactics of commoning. Cities. 2021;108:102983. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2020.102983.
11. Maizlish N, Woodcock J, Co S, Ostro B, Fanai A, Fairley D. Health cobenefits and transportation-related reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in the San Francisco Bay Area. Am J Public Health. 2013;103(4):703–9. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2012.300939.
12. Punjab Urban Development Authority. Amritsar master plan report (2010–2031). 2011. Available from: https://www.adaamritsar.gov.in/sites/default/files/2020-11/AMT_rpt_2011.pdf.
13. Makhija V. Strategies for improving walkability: A case of Walled City, Amritsar. 2021. Available from: https://www.academia.edu/50786888/Strategies_for_Improving_Walkability_A_Case_