Who does our city belong to? Is it the pedestrians’ - people on errands, senior citizens taking their evening walks, children walking to school ? The lack of safe and continuous pavements in our city says a loud NO. Is it the bicyclists’ - the school children, the daily workers, the recreational cyclists who all traverse this city on two wheels? The lack of cycle paths say a resounding NO. Is it for the buses - that take at least 40 people to work, to school and back home? The lack of a bus lane for its smooth and congestion free travel says an emphatic NO. Is it for the cars - the app rides, the taxis, the SUVs and sedans? The flyovers, the ever-widened roads, the lack of intersections, the foot over bridges that force pedestrians to climb up and down many steps just to cross the road echo YES.
With over 40 flyovers, Chennai’s moniker as the City of Flyovers seems justified - but to what end?1 It is the fifth most congested city in India, taking 30 minutes for a car to travel 10 kilometres. To put this in perspective, a runner at the beginners level should take about 1 hour 7 minutes to cover the same distance.2 There is also the ever prevalent myth of the flyover - that it decreases congestion - however the other side of this coin is that along with the number of flyovers, the number of cars in Chennai are also rising steadily. In 2016, The Hindu pointed out that Chennai spent around Rs 1144 crores on 9 new flyovers to add a paltry 12.4 km of road capacity over the next ten years - and during this same time 60 lakh new vehicles joined Chennai’s traffic.3 Little wonder that even with all these flyovers, we’re still stuck in traffic on Chennai roads.
Who Really Uses Our Roads?
This situation is even more unfair when you consider that 26.5% of Chennai's residents walk or cycle to work and 23.8% use shared transport such as bus, rail or metro, while only 44.2% use a car.4 When over 50% of our population use sustainable transport options, the next step for Chennai is to expand safe and continuous footpaths and create dedicated cycle lanes. This is an important step when we consider the fact that Tamil Nadu tops the country in terms of pedestrian deaths.5
Pedestrians: The Forgotten Majority
The issue of poor pedestrian infrastructure has been highlighted in the media for far too long, yet the situation continues to deteriorate in our cities. Take the Pondy Bazaar pedestrian plaza for example – it’s a great idea but does not even extend to 1 kilometre. When we see the pedestrian infrastructure at a city level, its overall impact is minimal. We’ve seen enough pilot projects, it’s time to actually build safe footpaths across the city. The situation is so critical that the Supreme Court has taken notice and said that safe footpaths are a constitutional right.6
In 2023, our state reported the highest number of road accidents in India and the second-highest number of fatalities.7 These numbers highlight the urgent need to improve road safety and bring down crashes and deaths. Interestingly, Tamil Nadu was actually the first state in the country to draft a Road Safety Policy back in 2007. This was an important first step. Now, updating it into a comprehensive and structured Road Safety Action Plan (RSAP) would help translate that intent into lasting impact. Speeding continues to be one of the major causes of crashes in the State,8 and unfortunately, it’s often pedestrians and cyclists who suffer the most. That’s why prioritising speed management is the most immediate and effective way for us to reduce road crashes and save lives.
If we’re serious about safer streets, bold steps like this are the only way forward. The more we recognise the rights of pedestrians and bicyclists, the more equitable our city becomes. One such initiative to promote pedestrian-friendly infrastructure is the Greater Chennai Corporation’s ₹200 crore project to lay 200km of new footpaths. However, these initiatives should not be limited to specific areas and continuous footpaths are essential to promote a truly walking-friendly city.
The Neglected Bicyclist
When it comes to bicycle infrastructure, the circumstances are just as challenging as for pedestrians. According to Chennai’s Comprehensive Mobility Plan 2019,9 there is a huge drop in the bicycle modal share from 6.0% to 2.9% (2008-2018), while two-wheelers climbed from 25% to 29.6% (2008-2018). At the same time, there has been a sharp increase in the modal share of private automobiles. This shift means more pollution, more crashes, and more traffic jams for all of us.
Several factors have contributed to the decline in bicycle usage over the years, including inadequate bicycle infrastructure, poor road safety, and severe weather conditions. In a study conducted by CAG on the experiences of livelihood cyclists, we found that bad road conditions, overtaking, speeding, and unruly behaviours of motorists are the common issues faced by cyclists on the road.10 On top of that, there are neither dedicated cycling lanes nor safe parking for cycles.
Fixing this could actually benefit everyone. For example, cycling serves as an excellent alternative mode of commute, particularly for short distances, suitable for both children and adults. Yet, it is increasingly rare to see children cycling on our streets and roads, as fewer are cycling to school due to safety concerns. Safer cycling means cleaner air, better health, and a future where our kids can ride to school again and feel a part of the city they grow up in.
Buses: Progress and Gaps
Although the situation may seem dire at first glance, it’s not all as bleak as it appears. Over the past few years, several positive steps have been taken by the government to improve public transport systems, particularly buses, which remain the backbone of Chennai’s mobility network. Among these measures, one of the most notable initiatives has been the Tamil Nadu government’s “free bus travel for women” scheme. A welcome policy that actually makes buses more accessible. Of course, not everyone was happy. While many welcomed the move, others argued that it was unfair for only women to benefit from free travel and expressed concerns about the financial strain it might place on the transport system.
To better understand the real impact of this scheme, we at CAG (Citizen consumer and civic Action Group) conducted a study across six cities in Tamil Nadu.11 What we found was eye opening. Women, by and large, welcomed the scheme and expressed how significantly it improved their daily lives. On average, each woman saved around ₹800 every month, a meaningful sum, especially given their household incomes. Interestingly, most of the women shared that the savings were used for household necessities, food, and education. When women save, the whole family feels the difference. Children gain access to better nutrition and improved education, families experience less financial strain, and over time, these changes contribute to healthier citizens and stronger economic opportunities. It looks like just free bus rides, but it’s actually a game-changer that benefits thousands of families.
Turning our focus to Chennai’s Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), there have been promising developments but also a few pressing concerns. Currently, MTC operates around 3,233 buses across the city.12 Recently, 625 new low-floor electric buses were added, raising the fleet to 3,858. A positive step, yes — but still far from enough. By the government’s own standards, Chennai should ideally have 60 buses per lakh population. To meet this benchmark, MTC plans to expand its fleet to 7,000 buses by 2032.13 But if the city grows and the buses don’t, we’ll be right back where we started — stranded in stagnant traffic jams. Adding to this challenge is the concerning reality that MTC’s ridership has declined sharply over the years. Increasing the number of buses is a strong start, and pairing that with better connectivity and commuter-friendly features will help more people choose buses over private vehicles, thus reducing congestion and pollution. This is where first and last-mile connectivity becomes critical. People need safe and efficient ways to reach bus stops, whether through continuous, obstruction-free footpaths or dedicated cycle lanes. At the same time, the infrastructure around bus travel needs an upgrade. Bus stops should be designed to be safer and more comfortable, and commuters need real-time, accurate information about routes, timings, and live locations. The most important factor is a dedicated bus lane - so that bus users are not stuck in traffic and delayed by congestion - public transport users need to be rewarded and prioritised over people traveling alone in giant SUVs.
The way we design our roads tells us who we value. We cannot afford to not factor in air pollution and its effect on health when we design urban transport infrastructure. A car-centric city traps us in pollution, congestion, and stress, as well as creating heat islands. A city that invests in walking, cycling, and public transport, on the other hand, delivers cleaner air, healthier bodies, reduced inequality, and a fairer share of urban space.
The day Chennai chooses people over cars is the day each one of us can finally say: “This is MY city.” This is the day that our road safety and sustainable mobility team at CAG is working towards.
1 B Anbuselvan. “Chennai to Scale New Heights With 9 New Flyovers Worth Rs 2,000 Crores.” The New Indian Express, April 18, 2022. https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2022/Apr/18/chennai-to-scale-new-heights-with-9-new-flyovers-worth-rs-2000-crores-2443246.html.
2 Alex Roven, “The Average 10k Time by Age and From Beginner to Professional,” WISDOM RUNNING, August 25, 2023, https://wisdomrunning.com/average-10k-time/#:~:text=It%20takes%20from%201h%2008min%20to%201h%2020min,of%20finishers%20of%20a%20typical%20average-size%20running%20event.
3 Ajai Sreevatsan, “The Case Against Flyovers,” The Hindu, May 23, 2016, https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/the-case-against-flyovers/article6473629.ece.
4 Rohini Krishnamurthy, “How India Moves: Chennai’s Plans to Tackle Urban Mobility & Air Pollution Challenges,” Down to Earth, June 6, 2025,
5 “Road Accidents: Tamil Nadu Tops in Pedestrian Deaths.” The New Indian Express, November 4, 2023. https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2023/Nov/04/road-accidents-tamil-nadutops-in-pedestrian-deaths-2629911.html.
6 “SC Calls Proper Footpaths a Constitutional Right, Asks States, UTs to Frame Pedestrian-friendly Guidelines.” The Economic Times, May 14, 2025. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/sc-calls-proper-footpaths-a-constitutional-right-asks-states-uts-to-frame-pedestrian-friendly-guidelines/articleshow/121169537.cms?from=mdr.
7 “Road Accidents In India 2022.” Ministry Of Road Transport And Highways. https://morth.nic.in/sites/default/files/RA_2022_30_Oct.pdf
8 “Road Accident Analysis In Tamilnadu During The Year 2023.” Tamilnadu State Transport Authority.
https://tnsta.gov.in/pdfpage/pdfpage_en_4LPhMMh_2024_05_29.pdf
9 “Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Chennai Metropolitan Area 2019.” CMDA.
https://www.cmdachennai.gov.in/pdfs/ComprehensiveMobilityPlan-CMA.pdf
10 “Pedal for Progress,” 2024. Citizen consumer and civic Action Group. https://www.cag.org.in/sites/default/files/database/Livelihood%20Cyclist%20Study.docx.pdf.
11 “Fair Fares: Towards Gender-Inclusive Public Transport.” Citizen consumer and civic Action Group. https://www.cag.org.in/database/fair-fares-towards-gender-inclusive-public-transport.
12 G Jagannath, “Chennai: MTC’s 1st batch of e-buses to roll out on June 30.” DT Next, June 28, 2025.
https://www.dtnext.in/news/chennai/chennai-mtcs-1st-batch-of-e-buses-to-roll-out-on-june-30-838459
13 Radhakrishnan, Shobana. “Road to Clean Air: How MTC Buses Can Tackle Chennai’s Pollution Problems.” Citizen Matters, January 29, 2025. https://citizenmatters.in/mtc-buses-chennai-traffic-pollution-problems-no2-greenpeace-study/#:~:text=Graphic:%20Bhanu%20Sridharan.,residents%20adequately%2C%E2%80%9D%20he%20adds.
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