The Chennai Corporation is set to develop ‘traffic calming’ design features along 20 key stretches in the city. Residents have reported difficulty in crossing roads in several areas, pointing to a rise in accidents owing to the absence of ‘traffic calming’ measures. Vehicles moving at breakneck speed along several stretches continue to hinder pedestrian movement.
Residents have demanded that the civic body conduct a study of all such stretches to facilitate safe pedestrian movement without affecting vehicular traffic.
The civic body has decided to start work on incorporating such design features along G.N. Chetty Road and Venkatnarayana Road under the Smart City project. In addition to the two roads, at least 20 others will get pedestrian crossing facilities at all junctions, street furniture, wide footpaths, and restrictions to bring vehicle speed to under 30 km per hour.
Currently, the Chennai Corporation maintains 471 bus routes and 33,000 streets across the 15 zones of the city. Residents from neighbourhoods along most of the bus route roads and a few streets have reported a rise in the number of road traffic accidents, caused by the absence of ‘traffic calming’ features. For example, pedestrians have been finding it difficult to cross Valluvar Kottam High Road, Nungambakkam High Road, Tank Bund Road, Nelson Manickam Road and Haddows Road.
Additional parking
G.N. Chetty Road will also get additional parking space for 490 cars. Venkatnarayana Road will get additional parking space for 210 cars, with a carriageway of 15m width. “According to a study, 970 pedestrians were spotted during rush hour on 2.1 km of G.N. Chetty Road, with 3,842 cars crossing the stretch. Similarly, 400 pedestrians were recorded at rush hour on 1.3 km of Venkatnarayana Road with 3,804 cars crossing the stretch,” said an official.
