sustainable transport

A common mobility card is one card you can pay into, which you can then use to travel on buses, trains, metros, or even share autos. It eliminates the need to carry cash for tickets and speeds up the ticketing and transfer processes. The advantages of a common mobility card include its ability to forecast transportation needs and better understand consumer behaviour. Several countries around the world have their own versions of it. In India, the National Common Mobility Card is an effort at this.

Rising sea levels and increased saltwater intrusion will impact our transport infrastructure by damaging our bridges, railway lines, and roadways. Climate-proofing our infrastructure by using heat resistant and corrosion-resistant materials, building raised bridge decks, elevating transit stations, putting in place nature-based protection like mangroves and wetlands, to name a few, is crucial.

Since 1880, #climatechange has caused the average global temperature to climb by 1.1 degrees Celsius (source: NASA). This means the number of really hot days and heat waves has increased with a variety of severe implications. To adapt public transport to climate change, walks to transit stations and waits at transit stations must be minimised. This involves re-structuring last mile connectivity options and designing transit stations to endure high temperatures, using heat-resistant materials, and adequate ventilation.

Chennai has seen an increase in the frequency of heavy rains and floods as a result of #climatechange. Flooding hampers daily activity, destroys transit infrastructure like rail stations and bus stops, and creates interruptions in service, leaving users stranded. We need to make our public transit provisions climate change ready and resilient by building early warning systems, response, and disaster management systems, as well as climate-responsive transit stations.

India's transportation sector contributes about 10% of total national GHG emissions, and road transportation contributes about 87% of the total emissions. By cutting back on our trips using private vehicles, we can bring down emissions. Changing the way we travel and transitioning to #sustainablemobility is crucial to mitigating #climatechange. Let's walk and cycle for smaller trips around neighbourhoods and use public transport wherever possible.

The Smart Urban Roads project is only focused on the demands of motorists, with no aspects of road design to make cyclists safer. There was no mention of any infrastructural development for non-motorised transport users in any of their meetings. When will we begin to consider the requirements of nonmotorized transport users? Let us speak out against these unjust practises.

Imagine yourself or an old person crossing Anna Salai in sweltering heat with no safe place to stand in the middle of the road. Without a functional pedestrian median island, pedestrians are forced to wait in the middle of the road, putting their lives at risk. With the help of the pedestrian refuge island, we can protect pedestrians even at the widest crossing in Chennai.

Chennai's Smart Urban Road Project intends to build several foot-over bridges and pedestrian crossings on several major arterial roads. However, rather than walking longer distances in the hot sun to access an over-bridge, climbing up and down uneven, unclean stairs, and wondering about safety, most people prefer braving the traffic. Foot over-bridges and subways sideline pedestrians; are inaccessible to persons with disabilities; and place an unreasonable burden on pedestrians. Pedestrians have a right to safe, clean, accessible roads too.