The Hindu : Front Page : New grid of transport corridors recommended

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Sunday, Sep 14, 2008
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New grid of transport corridors recommended

A. Srivathsan

Increase in Floor Space Index along them also suggested

EVOLVING SOLUTIONS: (From right) Transport Secretary D. Sarangi; IIT-M Director, M.S. Ananth; Senior Urban Transportation Specialist of World Bank, Samuel Zimmerman; and CMDA Member-Secretary Vikram Kapur, at an international conference on transportation in Chennai on Saturday. — Photo: N. Sridharan

CHENNAI: A new grid of transport corridors and increase in Floor Space Index (FSI) to about 2.5 along the corridors, especially around Koyambedu and the airport, are some of the proposals recommended by Wilbur Smith, the consultant appointed by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) for a comprehensive transportation study of Chennai.

Vinobha S. Singh, Director, Wilbur Smith, presented a part of the study and its recommendations at an international conference on ‘Best practices to relieve congestion on mixed-traffic urban streets in developing countries,’ at IIT-Madras on Saturday.

Mr. Singh said the proposals would prioritise mass transport and integrate land use with transportation plan. Wilbur Smith was also considering a bicycle network in pockets of Chennai and looking at ways to increase the use of the public transport system. Since the master plan had already been notified, these ideas could become part of it when it is reviewed.

The study showed that the share of buses in daily commutation had come down from 42 per cent in 1993 to 25 in 2008. In contrast, the percentage of people using two-wheelers and cars had steadily increased. The percentage of people walking remained steady over the years at 30 per cent. The study also showed that the average distance covered by car to work and for other activities was 11.25 km a day. This attested to the growing suburban sprawl and reduced public transport options in the new growth areas of Chennai.

Samuel Zimmerman, senior urban transportation specialist, World Bank, emphasised the need for strategic transport planning and discouraged approaching it in project terms.

To a question on the city’s choice between metro rail and bus rapid transit system, he said the decision had to be place-specific and general debates might not help.

Addressing the inaugural session, D. Sarangi, Secretary, Transport Department, said that the Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s fleet size was 3,200 as against 4,500 buses required. Steps were being taken to strengthen the fleet. The transport corporation was receiving good response for the variety of bus services offered.

Vikram Kapur, Member Secretary, CMDA, listed the projects that would take care of transportation issues of the city and estimated that this would cost Rs.322 billion. Though the Wilbur Smith study came after the publication of the master plan, it would help validate and evaluate the master plan proposals.

The conference was organised by the Transportation Engineering Division of the Department of Civil Engineering, IIT-Madras, and supported by the Fulbright programme of United States-India Educational Foundation and Public-Private infrastructure advisory facility of the World Bank.

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