sustainable transport

In March 2023, #MTC announced that private players would be brought in to handle bus operations & that MTC would be buying 500 buses this year. While the extra buses will certainly make a difference to a struggling fleet, this move also needs a nuanced debate as to how the specifics of this partnership will be laid out and how it is likely to impact the public. Follow this series for more information on this. 

#Chennai #Accessibility #PrivateTransport #PublicTransport #SustainableMobility 

India has seen sundry changes in its 75 years of independence. The country and her many states have experienced economic growth at an unprecedented rate, as small towns turned into large, vibrant, and bustling cities. Tamil Nadu is no exception to this pattern, being the country's most industrialized and urbanized large state, boasting many accolades to its name. But most Indian states, Tamil Nadu included, have not been proactive with the handling of their road infrastructure. The urban population surge has therefore led to many resorting to private transport, due to inadequate public transportation and non-motorized transport facilities. In 2021, TOI reported that the private vehicle count doubled from the previous decade; this seemingly innocuous statistic becomes grave when we note that 18.9% of road fatalities are of pedestrians in India. This is 85% more than in 2020 (MoRTH). Pedestrians simply are not safe in our country. And given that 1/3 of total work trips are by foot (2011 Census) and 60% of children walk to school (NSO), the rise of private transport forebodes a grim future in terms of pollution, safety, sustainability, equity, and justice.

Salem

Venue: AMR hotel         Date: 2nd March 2023

Thus, to create a platform to discuss ways to mitigate this serious concern,  CAG, in collaboration with the Social Consumer Rights Movement (Salem), conducted a media workshop at Salem. The workshop was attended by various media personnel including local journalists, senior reporters from visual media and print, and journalism students. The workshop aimed to discuss the role of the media in promoting sustainable road infrastructure development, given its need in all recent urban development projects. The pivotal role that the media could play in encouraging and endorsing sustainable development was discussed. Various senior journalists, academics, and vocal supporters of sustainable development were given a platform to discuss how the journalists of today could be changemakers in advancing this salient issue.Divya Arvind from CAG talked about the recent pedestrian study conducted in Salem, a perception survey of pedestrians and a road audit of some arterial roads. The survey showed that more than 77% of people in Salem regularly walk yet the pedestrian infrastructure such as footpaths and streetlights is in poor condition. As these are often neglected issues, she asked the media to highlight such mobility issues. Prior to this, a media analysis was conducted and the findings were presented to the journalists. The analysis covered articles from major Tamil and English media. The analysis found that the concept of sustainable mobility is often not highlighted in many transport-related articles. In addition, the majority of the mobility-related articles only focus on motorists and very few articles are not written from the perspective of marginalized road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. She called for a more nuanced coverage of mobility that includes perspectives of all road users.

Picture 1 (In Salem): Divya Arvind from CAG spoke about the importance of pedestrians and the ways to improve pedestrian infrastructure in our cities. 

G. Ananthakrishnan, a senior journalist formerly with the Hindu and a long time observer of urbanization, stunned the audience with data that “according to the World Bank, around 40% of rural households reported at least one death after a road accident compared to 12% of urban households”. He stressed the need for adequate planning for sustainable mobility not just in urban areas, but also in rural areas and generally deprived areas of the state. He spoke of how journalists could approach stories on road crashes and transport, by bringing a sustainable mobility lens. He shared various potential sources of information, such as government reports, that could be used by the media to bolster their reporting.

Picture 2 (In Salem): G. Ananthakrishnan spoke about the significance of sustainable mobility in a growing city like Salem.

Dr. S. Nandhakumar, the HOD of journalism and mass communications at Periyar University, was another esteemed speaker who added valuable insights into the discussions.  He spoke of the importance of data collection, and how it can be used to enhance a piece of writing that created greater impact in readers’ minds. To promote greater introspection, he asked the media to not only write more hard-hitting stories but also create awareness among the public on the ramifications of not planning for sustainable mobility.  

B Thangaraj Rase Rajan, Bicycle Mayor of Salem, spoke of his personal experience of riding long distances on his bicycle. He encouraged young children, adults, and the general public alike to follow his examples and put their cycles to better use. He also used the platform to share key issues that cyclists face today, namely,  the lack of consideration of motorists and the non-availability of cycling infrastructure. He stated that very often motorists were not accommodating of bicyclists, often cornering them into small spaces or forcing them to stop to let the motorist pass.  This led to his second point, which was that the government must make efforts to build infrastructure thoughtful of the needs of cyclists.  Given the obvious benefits that a higher bicycle-riding population would have on the environment, these recommendations must be taken seriously. Furthermore, he suggested the media create separate columns in their respective newspapers, covering and providing awareness of the livelihood of cyclists, in order for the general public to become more understanding of their needs. 

Tirunelveli

Venue: Press Club         Date: 4th March 2023

CAG, in collaboration with the Tirunelveli District Consumer Awareness Movement, conducted a media workshop at Tirunelveli. The workshop was attended by various media personnel including local journalists, senior reporters from the visual and print media. The workshop aimed to discuss the role of the media in promoting sustainable road infrastructure development, given its need in all recent urban development projects. 

Divya Arvind from CAG talked about the recent pedestrian study conducted in Tirunelveli where a perception survey of pedestrians and a road audit of some arterial roads was conducted. The outcomes from the survey showed that more than 75% of people in Tirunelveli regularly walk, yet the pedestrian infrastructure such as footpaths and streetlights is in poor condition. As these are often neglected issues, she asked the media to highlight such mobility issues.  Prior to this, a media analysis was conducted and the outcomes were presented to the journalists. The analysis covered major Tamil and English articles from both online and newspaper prints. The analysis found that the concept of sustainable mobility is often not highlighted in many transport-related articles. In addition, the majority of the mobility-related articles only focus on motorists and very few articles are not written from the perspective of marginalized road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. This situation needs to be improved by including the concept of sustainable mobility in all transport related articles and include perspectives of all road users.

Pechi Muttu, Tirunelveli traffic police inspector, joined the event and spoke about road safety in Tirunelveli. He spoke about the various methods used by the traffic police to control traffic and reduce road accidents. He also requested motorists to respect the pedestrians on the road by sharing the roads with them by not encroaching onto footpaths. In addition, Mupidathi, senior reporter from Nellai Dinamalar highlighted the pivotal role that the media could play in encouraging and endorsing sustainable development. The event concluded with a Q&A session and discussion on the prevailing transport issues in Tirunelveli and ways to incorporate the concept of sustainability at various levels.  

Picture 3 (In Tirunelveli): Divya Arvind from CAG spoke about the poor conditions of pedestrian infrastructure and ways to improve pedestrian safety.

Our roads have been planned and built to cater to motorists, particularly private vehicles. Space and consideration for low carbon modes of commute (walking, cycling, and public transport) is not a priority. This is in spite of the fact that these are sustainable modes of transport - causing minimal pollution, taking little space, being affordable and accessible by all. 

Public debate, including in the media, on transportation problems in our cities inevitably focuses on increasing road width, building flyovers, etc to ease traffic congestion. Global research and experience has shown that these are temporary measures that in the long run only serve to increase the volume of motorised traffic. In a country like India, where 60% of trips are by walk, it makes sense to prioritise walk/cycle/public transport. For this to happen, the tenor of public conversation needs to change. With this in mind, CAG organised  a workshop for  media personnel on February 16, 2023.

The workshop provided an open forum for media professionals to discuss and share ideas about sustainable mobility. Previously, CAG’s Sustainable Mobility team members conducted a research analysis of newspaper articles that covered sustainable mobility, over a one-year period. The findings of the newspaper article analysis were compiled into a report, which was then presented at the workshop. G.Ananthakrishnan, Senior Journalist, Felix John, the Bicycle Mayor of Chennai, and R Devapriyan, a Senior Anchor from News 18, were invited to share their expertise. 

The workshop and the day's presenters were introduced by Ms Sumana, Senior Researcher, CAG. Divya and Mohan,  members of the Sustainable Transport and Mobility team, CAG presented the article analysis. The analysis covered major Tamil and English articles from both online and newspaper prints. The analysis found that the concept of sustainable mobility is often not highlighted in many transport-related articles.  The majority of the transport-related articles only give basic information about schemes and don’t provide any analysis or learning from case studies. It was also observed that most of the transport-related articles were published in English newspapers, with Tamil newspapers bringing in only a much smaller level of coverage. In addition, online articles tend to give more analysis and details than newspaper print. The report also  highlighted that only 1 in 10 news articles are written about livelihood cyclists, the rest of the articles were solely about sport cycling. 

Mr. G. Ananthakrishnan, a senior journalist, formerly with The Hindu, spoke on the different transport service providers in Chennai and the need to see the big picture. He said, “We are not seeing mobility in terms of social and environmental issues. Perspectives such as quality, safety, accessibility for the physically challenged and improvements in the ticketing systems are crucial to bring in users. In addition, we need to see mobility as a service rather than looking at it as a profit-making mechanism. Only when we start reporting from a different angle will we be able to create awareness on the prevailing transport issues." 

Mr. Felix John, Bicycle Mayor of Chennai (BYCS) highlighted the importance of reporting pedestrian and cyclist issues on various media platforms. He spoke on ways to achieve equitable mobility which prioritize marginalized user groups (such as pedestrians and cyclists). “Our policies only emphasize bikes and cars, not cyclists and pedestrians. But we need to change that, the road is for all user groups”, said Felix John. He also added that improving the quality and quantity of public transportation is one of the most effective ways to reduce emissions and congestion. Individual transportation is the true competitor of collective transportation; so it is critical to provide high-quality, frequent public transport services. 

Mr. R Devapriyan, Senior Anchor from News18, spoke about ways to put forth civic issues in different media platforms. He spoke about the difficulties in reporting and tactics for better outreach with the public. “We approach news as a story and look to showcasing issues that connect with the viewer,” he noted. He said the impact on the public can be considered when the outreach is done properly.

A discussion followed with the speakers and the participants highlighting issues faced. The event finished with felicitation of the speakers.

Figure 1: Felix John shares his experience of being a cyclist and the various issues he faces on a daily basis, riding in Chennai. 

Figure 2: Mr. R Devapriyan, Senior Anchor from News18 addressing ways to improve media reach among the public.

Figure 3: Mr. G. Ananthakrishnan senior journalist speaking about different ways to look at mobility in Chennai.

This year's #UnionBudget's focus under energy transition is on incentivising domestic #EV battery production & scrapping of old polluting vehicles. These are great except that we are still woefully dependent on #electricity from #fossilfuels. As a consequence, any EV also runs on fossil fuels. These "green growth" moves therefore might not be so green after all. Promoting #SustainableTransport (public transport, walking, cycling) would go a long way in reducing our use of fossil fuels and effecting a true #EnergyTransition. 

நிலையான போக்குவரத்து பற்றிய வலுவான பொது விவாதத்தை உருவாக்குதல்

பத்திரிக்கை வெளியீடு 

உடனடி வெளியீட்டுக்காக

சென்னை, பிப்ரவரி 16, 2023

நமது அன்றாட செயல்பாடுகளை செயல்படுத்துவதற்கு போக்குவரத்து வசதிகள் மிகவும் அவசியம் மற்றும் வலுவான பொருளாதாரத்தை ஆதரிக்கவும் உதவுகிறது. ஆனால் நாம் போக்குவரத்தை சரியான கண்ணோட்டத்தில் பார்க்கிறோமா? பிப்ரவரி 16, 2023 அன்று சிட்டிசன் கன்ஸ்யூமர் அண்ட் சிவிக் ஆக்சன் குரூப்  ஏற்பாடு செய்யப்பட்ட ஊடகங்களுக்கான கருத்தரங்கில், நிலையான போக்குவரத்தின் முக்கியத்துவத்தைப் பற்றி விவாதிக்க நிபுணர்களும் பத்திரிகையாளர்களும் ஒன்றுகூடினர்.

கடந்த பத்தாண்டுகளில் நமது நகரங்கள் அடைந்த வளர்ச்சியால் சாலைகளில் வாகனங்களின் எண்ணிக்கை அதிகரித்துள்ளது. இந்த காலகட்டத்தில் மோட்டார் பொருத்தப்பட்ட தனியார் வாகனங்களின் பயன்பாடு அதிகரித்து, பொதுப் போக்குவரத்து மற்றும் சைக்கிள் ஓட்டுதல் ஆகியவற்றின் பயன்பாடு குறைந்துள்ளதாக தரவுகள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன. மோட்டார் பொருத்தப்பட்ட தனியார் வாகனங்களின் பெருக்கம், அதிக வாகன மாசுபாட்டிற்கும், நெரிசலுக்கும் வழி வகுக்கின்றது மற்றும் காலநிலை மாற்றத்திற்கும் பங்களிக்கிறது. சுற்றுச்சூழலுக்கு கேடு விளைவிக்காமல் சமமான போக்குவரத்தை அடைவதற்கான ஒரே வழி நிலையான போக்குவரத்தை ஏற்றுக்கொள்வதுதான். சமீபத்திய ஆண்டுகளில், நிலையான போக்குவரத்து என்ற கருத்து அனைவரது கவனத்தையும் ஈர்த்துள்ளது மற்றும் இது ஐ.நா.வின் நிலையான வளர்ச்சி இலக்குகளின் ஒரு பகுதியாகும்.

இந்த கருத்தரங்கில் நிலையான போக்குவரத்தை மேம்படுத்துவதில் ஊடகவியலாளர்களின் பங்கு மற்றும் பல்வேறு கோணங்களில் நிலையான போக்குவரத்தை எவ்வாறு அணுகுவது என்பது குறித்து விவாதிக்கப்பட்டது. வரும் காலங்களில் நிலையான போக்குவரத்து என்பது முக்கிய காரணியாக கருதப்பட்டு அனைத்து நகர்ப்புற வளர்ச்சி திட்டங்களிலும் முதன்மையான முன்னுரிமையாக இருக்கும். ஊடக பரப்புரை மூலம் நமது குடிமக்களுக்கு நிலையான போக்குவரத்து பற்றிய விழிப்புணர்வை நாம் ஒன்றிணைந்து செயல்பட வேண்டிய நேரம் இது.

ஜி அனந்தகிருஷ்ணன், மூத்த பத்திரிகையாளர், சென்னையில் உள்ள பல்வேறு போக்குவரத்து சேவை வழங்குநர்கள் மற்றும் அவற்றின் தாக்கத்தை குறித்து பேசினார். “சமூக மற்றும் சுற்றுச்சூழல் பிரச்சினைகளின் அடிப்படையில் நாங்கள் போக்குவரத்தை பார்க்கவில்லை. தரம், பாதுகாப்பு, உடல் ஊனமுற்றோருக்கான அணுகல் மற்றும் டிக்கெட் அமைப்புகளில் மேம்பாடுகள் போன்ற கண்ணோட்டங்கள் பயனர்களைக் கொண்டுவருவதற்கு முக்கியமானவை. கூடுதலாக, போக்குவரத்தை லாபம் ஈட்டும் வழிமுறையாகப் பார்க்காமல் ஒரு சேவையாகப் பார்க்க வேண்டும். வித்தியாசமான கோணத்தில் அறிக்கையிடத் தொடங்கினால்தான், போக்குவரத்து பிரச்சனைகள் குறித்து விழிப்புணர்வை ஏற்படுத்த முடியும்" என்று கூறினார்.

சென்னையின் சைக்கிள் மேயர் பெலிக்ஸ் ஜான் (BYCS) பல்வேறு ஊடக தளங்களில் பாதசாரிகள் மற்றும் சைக்கிள் ஓட்டுபவர்களின் பிரச்சினைகளைப் புகாரளிப்பதன் முக்கியத்துவத்தை எடுத்துரைத்தார். சமமான போக்குவரத்தை அடைவதற்கான வழிகள் மற்றும் போக்குவரத்தில் ஒதுக்கப்பட்ட பயனர் குழுக்களுக்கு முன்னுரிமை அளிப்பது குறித்து அவர் பேசினார்.

நியூஸ் 18 இன் மூத்த தொகுப்பாளர் ஆர் தேவபிரியன், பல்வேறு ஊடக தளங்களில் மாநகராட்சி பிரச்சினைகளை முன்வைப்பதற்கான வழிகளைப் பற்றி பேசினார். புகாரளிப்பதில் உள்ள சிரமங்கள் மற்றும் பொதுமக்களுடன் சிறப்பாகச் செல்வதற்கான தந்திரோபாயங்கள் குறித்து அவர் பேசினார். "நாங்கள் செய்திகளை ஒரு கதையாக அணுகுகிறோம் மற்றும் பார்வையாளருடன் இணைக்கும் சிக்கல்களை காட்சிப்படுத்துகிறோம்," என்று அவர் குறிப்பிட்டார். முறையாகப் பணிபுரியும் போது பொதுமக்களுக்கு ஏற்படும் பாதிப்புகள் கணிசமாக இருக்கும் என்றார்.

ஊடக நிருபர்கள் எதிர்கொள்ளும் சவால்கள் மற்றும் பயனுள்ள அறிக்கையிடலுக்கான நிலையான போக்குவரத்தை உள்ளடக்குவதற்கான வழிகள் பற்றிய கலந்துரையாடலுடன் கருத்தரங்கு முடிவடைந்தது.

மேலும் தகவலுக்கு, தொடர்பு கொள்ளவும்: சுமனா – 9445395089 | sumana.narayanan@cag.org.in 

சிஏஜி பற்றி

Citizen consumer & civic Action Group (CAG) என்பது 37 வருடங்கள் பழமையான ஒரு இலாப நோக்கற்ற மற்றும் அரசியல் சார் பற்ற அமைப்பாகும், இது குடிமக்கள் உரிமைகள் மற்றும் நல்லாட்சிக்காக செயல்படுகிறது. அதன் முயற்சிகள் மாநில அளவிலும் தேசிய அளவிலும் கூட தாக்கங்களை ஏற்படுத்தியிருந்தாலும், சென்னையின் நுகர்வோர் மற்றும் குடிமக்களின் நலன்களைப் பாதுகாப்பதற்காக இது முதன்மையாக செயல்பட்டது. 

Building a robust public discussion on sustainable mobility

Press Release

For immediate release 

Chennai, Feb 16, 2023

Mobility is essential to achieve our everyday activities and helps support a stronger economy. But are we looking at transport from the right perspective? Experts and journalists gathered to discuss the significance of sustainable mobility, at a media workshop organised by Citizen consumer and civic Action Group on the 16th of February, 2023. 

The unprecedented growth of our cities over the past decade has increased the number of vehicles on road. Data shows that there has been an increase in the usage of motorised private vehicles at the same time, there has been a decrease in the usage of public transport and cycling. The increase in motorized private vehicles has led to high vehicular pollution, congestion and has contributed to climate change. The only way to achieve equitable mobility without damaging the environment is by adopting sustainable transportation. In recent years, the concept of sustainable mobility has taken centre stage and it is part of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN. 

This workshop discussed the role of journalists in promoting sustainable transport and how to look at sustainable transport from different angles. Sustainable mobility is going to be the new trend and be the top priority in all urban development projects. It’s time that we work together and create awareness of the concept of sustainable mobility for our citizens through the power of media.

G Ananthakrishnan, a senior journalist, formerly with The Hindu, spoke on the different transport service providers in Chennai and the need to see the big picture. He said “We are not seeing mobility in terms of social and environmental issues. Perspectives such as quality, safety, accessibility for the physically challenged and improvements in the ticketing systems are crucial to bring in users. In addition, we need to see mobility as a service rather than looking at it as a profit-making mechanism. Only when we start reporting from a different angle will we be able to create awareness on the prevailing transport issues."

Felix John, Bicycle Mayor of Chennai (BYCS) highlighted the importance of reporting  pedestrian and cyclist issues on various media platforms. He spoke on ways to achieve equitable mobility and prioritise marginalised user groups (such as pedestrians and cyclists). “Our policies only emphasize bikes and cars, not cyclists and pedestrians. But we need to change that, the road is for all user groups”, said Felix John. 

R Devapriyan, Senior Anchor from News18, spoke about ways to put forth civic issues in different media platforms. He spoke about the difficulties in reporting and tactics for better outreach with the public. “We approach news as a story and look to showcasing issues that connect with the viewer,” he noted.  He said the impact on the public can be considerable when the outreach is done properly. 

The workshop ended with a discussion on the challenges faced by the reporters and ways to include sustainable transport for effective reporting.

For further information, contact: Sumana – 9445395089 | sumana.narayanan@cag.org.in 

About CAG

Citizen consumer & civic Action Group (CAG) is a thirty seven year old nonprofit and non-political organisation working on citizen rights and good governance. It has worked primarily to protect the interests of consumers and citizens of Chennai even as its efforts have had state level and even national level impacts.

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