‘Bus network, public transport in city’s periphery needs to improve’

Experts favour sustainable public transport

Urban designers and residents have urged the city planners to focus on improving compact development in peri urban areas so that land was better utilised and development is sustainable.

In a webinar organised by Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG) on “Understanding Chennai’s Masterplan from a transport perspective”, urban designers and residents said they wanted a good road network and transportation plan that prioritises public transport in the Third Master Plan for the Chennai Metropolitan Area. 

There is also demand for improving open spaces and public spaces both within Greater Chennai Corporation and outside. The discussion centred on reasonable parking policy, improving the bus services and increasing the share of public transport.

Questions were raised on the public participation and the role of elected representatives in the drafting and implementation of the plan. “The spatial plan of the periphery has to be integrated with the mobility plan. Transportation has to be more sustainable and public oriented to integrate with the larger plan. Chennai city is set to expand with more economic growth, particularly the peri urban areas which have low density and sprawl. That is where most of the housing is happening. So the bus network and public transport in the periphery needs to be developed,” said A. Srivathsan, urban designer, Professor CEPT University.

Over the years, Chennai has had its share of master plans, but the reality of these statutory documents have been debatable.

The CMDA published Chennai’s Second Master Plan in 2008 aiming to create an inclusive, economically vibrant, and sustainable city by 2026. Now, the third master plan with a focus on the expansion of Chennai Metropolitan Area and improving infrastructure supply for the city was expected to be launched by 2026.

The participants at the webinar discussed the way Chennai had approached preparation of master plans over the years. Since land use and transport go hand in hand, the participants discussed the evolution and transformation of master planning and mobility in Chennai.

Aswathy Dilip, ITDP South Asia Director, said the urban planners should focus on integrating landuse and transport. “Three key pillars of sustainable urban mobility vision are: transit near everyone, to go everywhere, on time; healthy streets, healthy lives for all and congestion free streets and pollution free cities,” said Ms. Dilip.

“While Chennai has different modes of transit such as city buses, suburban rail, MRTS, and metro; the physical, financial, and information integration between the different modes is missing. Chennai’s bus fleet has remained stagnant in the last decade, even though its population grew by 30%. The city needs 6,600 buses well integrated with other modes of transit. As the city expands, we must aim to create a network of healthy streets,” said Ms. Dilip.