TECHNICAL FIELD
The present subject matter relates to a subway and, more particularly, to an improved and
efficient design of a subway designed for pedestrians and/or cyclists.
BACKGROUND
Underpasses are constructed when it is necessary for pedestrians to cross a railway line or a
dual carriageway such as an interstate highway. A subway appear at the exits from
underground rapid transit systems.
The subways when constructed to enable people to cross an ordinary city street are referred to
as "pedestrian subway". It is a well acknowledged fact that building a passage underneath
road is many times more resource intensive and expensive than constructing a passage above
the road. For instance, the estimated cost for an elevated metro rail is around Rs 200 crore per
km, while for an underground line, the cost is estimated as anywhere between Rs 500 crore
and Rs 600 crore per km and thus, setting a huge cost difference between the two design
a! ternati ves.
Due to high cost of constructing a passageway below the earth surface, such a construction
has only been reserved and employed for heavily funded projects. Thus, benefits of such a
construction have not been realized and utilized to its full extent.
Further, the limitation in constructing and optimally utilizing the subways as aforementioned
act as a major hurdle in enforcing pedestrian safety, particularly, in a developing country like
India. The pedestrians are most prone to road and train accidents, and statistics show that an
estimated 4,280 pedestrians died in road crashes in 2010 and 69,000 pedestrians were injured
in 2011 in road related incidents.
In terms of the cost involved, a foot-over bridge is considered to be the most suitable
alternative to building an underground tunnel. However, an overpass or an over bridge is
required to use elevators or long ramps in order to make them favorable for wheelchair users
and/or mobility handicaps. The said requirement of elevators or ramps to a considerable
height above the ground adds up to enormous amounts in constructing the foot-over bridge.
Also, there is a general tendency amongst the users to avoid the effort required in climbing up
the bridge and hence, it's use.
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Therefore in view of foregoing, there is an exigency of a cost effective and easy-to-build
underpass passageway that is commercially viable; provides an easy access to pedestrians,
cyclists and handicaps etc.; and also helps overcome the aforementioned deficiencies
associated with state-of-the-art designs.
SUMMARY
It is a primary object of the present subject matter to construct a subway designed for
pedestrians and/or cyclists and other users.
It is another object of the present subject matter to provide a cost-effective and easy-to-build
pedestrian subway.
It is yet another object of the present subject matter to provide an underpass passage that is
convenient to use and easily accessible to wheelchair users and/or mobility handicaps.
The present subject matter described herein relates to a pedestrian subway designed for
enabling pedestrians to cross from one side of a road or multi-road intersection carrying
vehicular traffic to another side of the road or multi-road intersection, without interrupting the
vehicular traffic flow. The pedestrian subway is provided with a tunnel beneath the road or
multi-road intersection, the tunnel having a first opening on one side and a second opening on
another side of the road or multi-road intersection. The roof of the tunnel at each tunnel
opening is maintained at a level higher than the level of the side-of-the-road; and a portion of
the tunnel is maintained under the ground by providing slope on side-of-the-road.
In one embodiment of the present subject matter, the side-of-the-road is a footpath.
In another embodiment of the present subject matter, the portion of the tunnel under the
ground is a passageway for the pedestrians.
In one embodiment of the present subject matter, there is described a method for enabling
pedestrians to cross from one side of a road or multi-road intersection carrying vehicular
traffic to another side of the road or multi-road intersection, without interrupting the vehicular
traffic flow. A tunnel is constructed beneath the road or multi-road intersection; and the
tunnel is provided with a first opening on one side and a second opening on another side of
the road or multi-road intersection. The roof of the tunnel at each opening is maintained at a
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level higher than the level of the side-of-the-road; and a portion of the tunnel is maintained
under the ground by providing slope on side-of-the-road.
In another embodiment of the present subject matter, the side-of-the-road is a footpath.
In another embodiment of the present subject matter, the portion of the tunnel under the
ground is a passageway for the pedestrians.
These and other advantages and features of the present subject matter will also become
readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the
embodiments, having reference to the attached figures, the disclosure not being limited to any
particular embodiments disclosed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The foregoing and further objects, features and advantages of the present subject matter will
become apparent from the following description of example embodiments with reference to
the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals are used to represent like elements and
wherein:
Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of an underpass passage or a pedestrian subway designed
in accordance with an aspect of the present subject matter.
Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a slanted footpath (3) designed in accordance with an
aspect of the present subject matter.
Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of a road (1) designed in accordance with an aspect of the
present subject matter.
Fig. 4 is a schematic representation of tunnel ( 4) designed in accordance with an aspect of the
present subject matter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The following presents a detailed description of various embodiments of the present subject
matter with reference to the accompanying drawings.
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The embodiments of the present subject matter are described in detail with reference to the
accompanying drawings. However, the present subject matter is not limited to these
embodiments, which are only provided to explain more clearly the present subject matter to
the ordinarily skilled in the art of the present disclosure. In the accompanying drawings, like
reference numerals are used to indicate like components.
Referring Figs. 1 to 4, the pedestrian subway designed in accordance with an aspect of the
present subject matter is well illustrated. Fig. 1 represents a two-lane road (1) carrying
vehicular traffic and divided by a divider (2); however, the design as proposed in the present
subject matter is applicable and feasible with multi-lane roads as well. The sides of the road
(1) have a raised path i.e., a pavement or a footpath (3) as known in state-of-the-art.
The present subject matter proposes to construct a tunnel (4) beneath the ground as
represented in Figs. 1 to 4. The tunnel ( 4) is build by providing a slope on the footpath (3)
i.e., a slanted footpath on both sides of the road (1) as also represented in Fig. 2, thereby
making a passageway for the pedestrians, including cyclists and/or mobility handicaps to
walk through. The slant angle of the footpath (3) is not set to any particular value, and is
subjected to change and can be altered as per the requirements of the design. The slant as
provided in the footpath (3) also helps in avoiding water logging.
The tunnel ( 4) opens on both sides of the road (1 ), with one opening on one side of the road
(1) formed by the slanted footpath (3), as also shown in Fig. 4, and a similar opening on
another side of the road (1 ).
According to an aspect of the present subject matter, the road (1) is partially elevated to a
predetermined height and upto a predetermined distance, as can be seen in Fig. 3. The road
(1) is further excavated partially to a predetermined depth. The dimensions of the elevation
and depth provided to the road (1) can be maintained and catered as per the needs and
requirements of the design.
It is also in accordance to an aspect of the present subject matter that the slant as provided in
the footpath (3), and the partial elevation and depth in the road (1) are not necessarily equal,
and are adjusted as per the requirements of the design.
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According to an aspect of the present subject matter as shown in Fig. 2, the roof of the tunnel
( 4) is designed at a level higher than the level of the side-of-the-road i.e., a footpath (3) at
each tunnel opening.
Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments and
ranges used in specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a
limiting sense. Various modifications in the embodiments as disclosed, as well as alternate
embodiments of the invention, will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon
reference to the description of the invention. It is therefore, contemplated that such
modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention
as defined.

I Claim:
I. A pedestrian subway designed for enabling pedestrians to cross from one side of a
road (1) or multi-road intersection carrying vehicular traffic to another side of said
road (1) or multi-road intersection, without interrupting said vehicular traffic flow,
comprising a tunnel (4) beneath said road (1) or multi-road intersection, said tunnel
( 4) having a first opening on said one side and a second opening on said another side
of said road (1) or multi-road intersection; with the roof of said tunnel (4) at a level
higher than the level of the side-of-the-road at each tunnel opening; and a portion of
said tunnel ( 4) is maintained under the ground by providing slope on side-of-the-road.
2. The pedestrian subway as claimed in claim I, wherein side-of-the-road is a footpath
(3).
3. The pedestrian subway as claimed in claim I, wherein said portion of said tunnel ( 4)
is a passageway for the pedestrians.
4. A method for enabling pedestrians to cross from one side of a road (1) or multi-road
intersection carrying vehicular traffic to another side of said road (1) or multi-road
intersection, without interrupting said vehicular traffic flow, comprising the steps:
constructing a tunnel (4) beneath said road (1) or multi-road intersection;
providing a first opening into said tunnel ( 4) on said one side and a second opening on
said another side of said road (1) or multi-road intersection;
maintaining the roof of said tunnel ( 4) at each opening at a level higher than the level
of the side-of-the-road; and
maintaining a portion of said tunnel ( 4) under the ground by providing slope on sideof-
the-road.
5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein side-of-the-road is a footpath (3).
6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said portion of said tunnel ( 4) IS a
passageway for the pedestrians.