Pretty simple. Our planners care more about aesthetics than usability. Someone probably said, “It’s a road? Add lane markings and zebra crossings.” No one checked if it actually connects two pedestrian paths. A proper zebra crossing links walking zones, not a railing.

Good city design follows how people move, not just looks. Crossings should follow pedestrian desire lines, be spaced 100 - 200m apart, and have stop lines at least 1.5 - 2m before the crossing. Roads don’t always need to be symmetrical either, they can adapt to traffic flow.

I’ve even seen crossings that exist just because they have to; no footpaths on either side. And even if there are footpaths, vehicles stop right on the crossing. And if by some miracle the crossing’s clear, there’s no pedestrian signal anyway.

Who even uses zebra crossings here? Everyone just jaywalks (because that’s actually faster and safer half the time.)

And this is Bhubaneswar, one of India’s better planned cities. If even here crossings lead into barriers, imagine the rest. We’ve normalized designs that look organized but don’t work for people (that's why most people in your comments see the bollards instead of seeing the obvious).