Vaishali. G comes to Elliot’s Beach to take a walk, every day, for the past five years. But never before has she been able to wander freely across the road without fearing a speeding car or a motorcycle.
On Sunday morning, however, thanks to the efforts of the Corporation of Chennai and Chennai City Traffic Police, the Elliots Beach promenade was transformed to a traffic-free zone for three hours from 6 a.m.
“I go for morning walks, daily. But, today when I stepped out, it was different. I came for a walk, but I also took a cycle ride and played a quick game of badminton,” she said.
The Car-free Sundays, which kicked off this Sunday, is part of the Namma Chennai Namakke , an initiative from Institute of Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and Chennai City Connect Foundation and presented by The Hindu.
On Sunday morning, the entire stretch of the Elliot’s Beach promenade was cordoned off, with people parking their vehicles on lanes adjacent to the beach. They then walked to the beach and were able to rent a bike, play badminton and do other things.
“I brought my mother and children along and everyone enjoyed the morning, with the children being able to play without the worry or passing vehicles,” said B. Rajesh, who had come from Ayanavaram.
For those who did not bring their cycles along, free ones were available and many discovered the joy of cycling, after a long time. “I used to cycle to school, but after many years I was able to do so again, today. I did some yoga too,” said G. Arushi of Adyar.
Organisers said over 4,000 people attended the event.
“After the overnight rains, we were sceptical about people showing up for the event. The rain did not cease even at 6 a.m., and we thought the beach will remain empty. Luckily, a lot of people showed up and everyone seemed to have fun,” said M. Aswathy Dilip, senior associate, ITDP.
The rain, however, did limit the number of activities that were to take place on the day. “We were supposed to have many more activities for children, but because of the rains, we did not have as many children coming in, as we expected,” she said.
One thing that the organisers insisted was restriction on food, resulting in nil litter. “We did not sell any food there and asked people to bring their own water bottles. In addition, the Corporation provided red and blue bins for segregating garbage, and we were surprised to see no litter on the roads even at the end of the event,” Ms. Dilip said.
Speaking at the event, Corporation Commissioner Vikram Kapur said they would consider expanding the event based on requests from citizens. “If people from different parts of the city request a car-free time in the week, we will organise it,” he said. Mayor Saidai S. Duraisamy also took part.
