To facilitate pedestrian and cyclist-friendly roads, the Comprehensive Transportation Study (CTS), commissioned by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, has recommended creation of motorcycle lanes, bicycle boulevards (streets where bicycles are given priority) and well-connected walking networks.
The study conducted by Wilbur Smith Associates has said facilities were inadequate for non-motorised mode of transport, which makes for nearly 34 per cent of trips made in Chennai.
A survey among bicycle riders showed that 76 per cent of them travelled to work while 16 per cent travelled for educational purposes with about 60 per cent travelling daily. From safety point of view, about 64 per cent of those interviewed said separate cycle tracks were needed. The cycle tracks that existed on Anna Salai, Periyar Salai and Sardar Patel Road have since been removed to facilitate carriageway widening.
The CTS has called for pedestrian integration to ensure convenient and secure access for pedestrians. Lack of pedestrian facilities at transit stations and corridors was resulting in hazardous situations not only for pedestrians, but also for vehicles. Hence, priority should be given to pedestrians in transit systems such as Metro Rail and MRTS, it said.
Surveys showed that the number of pedestrians crossing the road was found to be heavy in the Central business district with the numbers ranging from 4,200 to 1,20,000. Outside the city, it was 3,800 to 41,100 in the 12-hour period in which the survey was conducted.
The study has suggested 24 pedestrian subways at the Aminjikarai market junction, near SIET College, Raja Annamalai Mandram, the toll gate near Royapuram, the Luz junction, near Egmore station, the Mint junction and the Usman Road-Doraiswamy Road junction.
