Chennai might pride itself on being the first city in the country with a non-motorised traffic policy, says Sumana, CAG, but has this policy actually made our pedestrians any safer?
Sumana, CAG explains that to keep pedestrians safe, we need a fundamental shift in attitude towards them. For as long as riders/drivers continue viewing pedestrians as second class citizens, their safety remains at risk. This needs policy makers to hear pedestrian voices and include them actively in road design meetings.
Sumana, CAG, commenting on how share autos support first and last mile connectivity, says that the government needs to have conversations with both drivers and commuters to understand needs from both sides. She adds that the first priority, however, should be to legalise them by giving them the right permits.
Sumana, CAG, talking about the plight of pedestrians in Chennai, comments that we have a Non-Motorised Transport policy, but that it exists only on paper. She adds that while areas like Pondy Bazaar are good examples of pedestrian friendly spaces, these are too few and far between. The government is still mostly focussed on prioritising private motorised vehicles by building flyovers and widening roads. This is not sustainable.
Chennai needs more buses. And in an effort to expand its old and ailing fleet, the MTC has announced the addition of 1000 privately run buses to its fleet. While Sumana, CAG agrees this could provide much needed respite to our public transportation sector, it is unlikely that the private sector will be willing to ply on the not so lucrative routes. Nor will they honour the special fare provisions offered to women, students, people with disabilities etc.
The recently notified Tamil Nadu Apartment Ownership Act 2022 permits re-development of buildings more than 30 years old with the assent of just two thirds of the apartment owners. Commenting on this Saroja, CAG, explains that the move could place vulnerable groups at risk, who might be unable to move out of the property for various reasons; and that decisions as important as this should consider every resident's unique needs and ability to comply.
In this article that describes the menace of bike racing on Chennai's roads, Sumana, CAG, explains that with young people having a poor grasp of the risks of speeding, our driving tests need to be more robust, and awareness programmes need to be more extensive.
As residents of small and medium sized apartments come to terms with the increases in electricity tariff for their common areas, Bharath Ram, CAG explains that this could have been a hike that was done in stages.
The Chennai Climate Action Plan proposes to achieve 100% renewable energy in the city, by 2030. Consumer friendly tariffs are key to achieving the switch to solar, to make this target achievable. Vishnu, CAG, asks if the GCC has a plan to incentivise the switch, as without it, the target is vague and not actionable.
Afroz, CAG explains why those extensive networks comprising the city's waste workers are absolutely key to any recycle-reuse efforts. As this article explains, it's their work that saves about 2000 tonnes of used clothes from ending up in landfills.