CHENNAI: In an attempt to promote non-motorised transport (NMT) in commercial hub T Nagar, the city’s test site for the Smart City Mission, the Greater Chennai Corporation has declared 23 roads in the locality as ‘pedestrian-friendly’ roads.
The proposed pedestrian zones, with the already commissioned 1.4-km-long plaza in its heart (Thyagaraya Road), was designed in such a manner as to encourage more people to give up motor transport.
According to the initial design approved by top authorities in the civic body, entry for vehicles will be restricted to one side of the road in some of the 23 Interior Roads (IRRs).
“Apart from pedestrian platforms and dedicated lane earmarked for cyclists, fitness equipment will be installed on the other side of the roads,” said a senior official who was present at the meeting convened on Friday to discuss various proposals under the Urban Development Ministry’s Smart City Mission.
A Central fund of Rs 380 crore reached the civic body recently, out of which Rs 23 crore will be put into these 23 pedestrian-friendly streets under the Area Development Programme.
The shopkeepers from the locality had raised objections to the pedestrian plaza when trial runs were conducted.
The civic body, apart from the pedestrian plaza, had proposed to construct two multi-level car parking (MLCP) facilities to decongest the streets. “Not many would prefer using these MLCPs and by restricting vehicular movement and parking space on roadsides, our routine business would take a beating,” said G Ramesh, a jewellery shop owner in T Nagar.
Taking this into consideration, the Corporation has tweaked the design of the pedestrian-friendly streets. “We have earmarked a small lane even along the side where vehicles will ply so that light motor vehicles can be parked and motorists can shop at these small commercial establishments,” said another Corporation official.
The idea was to encourage more T Nagar residents to take up NMT, particularly for shorter commuting distances, by providing as many facilities as possible in a safe manner, the official added.
Responding to this, V Jeyaraman from T Nagar Residents Welfare Association said, “Though it is a welcome move, the space earmarked exclusively for pedestrians and cyclists should remain so forever and under no circumstances it should be open for hawkers.”