In 2022, it felt like the entire city of Chennai was dug up to redo the stormwater drains. In 2024, parts of the city are again being dug up. This time for the next phase of Chennai Metro. Motorists were and are understandably annoyed by the resulting slow down in traffic and the diversions.
Timely communication of blocked or diverted routes is crucial. While this is needed for all road users, even motorists, pedestrians are particularly looking for ways to shorten their journeys. Ensuring that information is disseminated well in advance, allows pedestrians to plan their journeys and use their time efficiently.
Bipedalism (standing upright on two feet) is considered the crucial marker of human evolution. Walking, whether on a pilgrimage or as a mode of protest (think Dandi or Selma), is invested with significance, with an aura, a purpose. The effort, the impetus behind walking, the motivation that propels these walks are recognised as something special.
In the global context, nations are striving to protect pedestrians and treat their needs with the highest priority. In India, cities have mostly been planned to accommodate the needs of vehicular traffic and have often ignored the needs of pedestrians. This has only resulted in causing a steady increase in pedestrian fatalities over the years. The Road Accident Report by the Union Transport Ministry states that the number of pedestrians killed on the road from 2014 to 2018 has increased by 84 per cent.
Go to any road or street in any of the rush hour Indian metropolises, there is an ubiquitous scene playing on these roads—encroached footpaths forcing pedestrians to walk on the streets. When pedestrians are forced to walk on the streets that are filled with motorists with poor road discipline and lack of awareness that pedestrians have the right of way, it’s a dangerous combination. But what have been the costs of this precarious situation that has been playing out on our roads every single day?
It's been 5 years since Chennai became the first Indian city to adopt a non motorised transport (NMT) Policy. Are pedestrians safer now? Is the infrastructure better for them and are motorists more considerate? CAG evaluated several locations across the city and spoke to road users to answer these questions.
