CHENNAI: In the next couple of years, Chennai Corporation’s bus route roads (BRR) is likely to have wide footpaths, cycle tracks, bus rapid transit and other street elements.
After Chennai Corporation has adopted the Non-Motorised Transport Policy, efforts are on to implement it on corporation’s 470 bus route roads in the next two years.
Delivering a presidential address during a event organized by Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chennai Corporation Commissioner Vikram Kapur said that this will create wide, continuous, and accessible footpaths besides promote walking and cycling in the city.
“We could see this in the next couple of years,” said Kapur while talking on a seminar on ‘Inclusive Urban Prosperity’.
Interestingly, this comes as Chennai Corporation is creating street design guidelines, known as the “Chennai Street Design Manual” (CSDM). This will include design templates for streets of various widths and a multi-dimensional classification system (including factors such as land use, street character, access to public transport, etc.) to ensure that street design templates are appropriately applied.
The CSDM will include minimum standards and design guidelines for footpaths, cycle tracks, bus rapid transit and other street elements.
During his speech, Kapur also highlighted various schemes of the government like Amma Unavagams which has been a huge success.
He also said that that the parking management plan will be in place shortly. “We are roping in private players who will provide smart solutions,” he said.
During the seminar, he also suggested redevelopment of slums through land pooling. There is a need to think of insitu development rather so that the livelihood of slum dwellers is not lost, he said.
He also said that Union government has yet to come out with a clear policy on smart cities. “Right now it is in the planning stage. The Centre and the state government are discussing it,” he said.
Founder and president of New York based Global Observatory Linking Research and action (GORA), Gora Mboup stressed on the need for mixed neighbourhoods rather than classifying the city into different areas means for rich, middle class and poor. “This could result in sustainable inclusive and prosperous cities,” he said.
He said if the city is divided on classes, it will lose its inclusiveness. He also highlighted that how people in many global cities are reclaiming the city spaces which have been taken over by motorized transport.
Talking about the contribution of urban poor, Ajith Kaliyath, environment specialist of National Institute of Urban Affairs, New Delhi, said that 14 percent of city’s weath is generated by urban poor, who are the main contributors of local enterprises.
Chief planner of Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) S Chitra highlighted the need to give priority to NMT as the share of public transport has come down drastically. People using buses have dwindled from 39 per cent in 1991 to 29 per cent now, she said.
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre senior scientist (Technical Coordination Wing) J.Daniel Chellappa said that spin off technologies of BARC could be useful in enhancing livelihood and skill sets of urban poor too. He also stressed on the need for private sector participation as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility schemes. “BARC also has proven technologies for managing municipal solid and liquid wastes which can enable realizing our dream of clean Chennai,” he added.