Chennai has a long way to go to be pedestrian friendly

Most pavements are encroached upon by street vendors and fast food joints. In 2020, the Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group conducted a study at certain stretches in the city to understand their walkability and received mostly negative results

“I wonder if there was ever a pavement in some streets,” says R. Boopalan, a social activist and resident of Tondiarpet.

According to him, streets in North Chennai have pavements that are encroached upon by street vendors and fast food joints. “In the past year, their number has risen, and eventually, they start to moving their stoves and tables onto the platform, leaving very little room for pedestrians to walk,” he says.

In 2020, the Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG) conducted a study at certain stretches in the city to understand their walkability and received mostly negative results. “We looked at commercial and residential stretches such as Usman Road, Harrington Road and Luz Church Road and examined pedestrian infrastructure for 1 km by measuring the width and continuity of the footpath, surface quality, the extent of encroachment and walkability,” says Sumana Narayanan, senior researcher, CAG.

She noted that pavements were small and encroached upon, and used as a lane by motorists often during peak traffic. “Crossing the road isn’t convenient in many places but can the elderly use subways and foot-over bridges?” she asks. Ms. Sumana adds that there has to be a change in the motorists’ attitudes towards pedestrians for things to improve.

A medical student at the Kilpauk Medical College says that despite the absence of a pedestrian crossing on Poonamallee High Road, there is no policeman to assist pedestrians navigate the high-speed traffic. “A subway takes longer and is much more isolated for women,” she adds.

“Footpaths are used by shoppers as parking bays in Pondy Bazar, and the police take no action,” says V.S. Jayaraman, a resident of Motilal Street in T. Nagar. He points out that the small pavement encircling the U.S. Consulate is entirely barricaded, forcing pedestrians to walk on the road. The lack of pavements on Uthamar Gandhi Salai and Demellows Road, made it difficult for pedestrians, especially after Sunday’s spell of rain. Granite pavements also tend to become slippery during rainfall, resulting in injuries, he adds.

Raj Cherubal, CEO, Chennai Smart City Limited, says Chennai is making strides toward becoming more pedestrian friendly. “Many more pedestrian plazas will develop apart from Khader Nawaz Khan Road and MC Road, and public transport will be promoted,” he adds.