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The Hindu
5 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
CUMTA to come up with comprehensive mobility plan for city next month
A mammoth comprehensive mobility plan, packed with plans to push public transit in the city — be it Phase III and phase IV Chennai Metro Rail lines, bus priority lanes or Light Rail Transit —is set to be rolled out next month. The extensive document will chalk out sustainable plans on how to enhance mobility, shift people into using public transport, and introduce multi-modal integration and land-use planning for the next two decades. While the first executive committee meeting will be held between the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) and various government departments, the second meeting is slated to be held next week. If the executive committee approves the plan, it will be presented to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin for the final approval, sources said. 'The document focuses on the Chennai Metro Rail's phase III and phase IV networks. To feed into the main network, we are also exploring the Light Rail Transit network for one or two corridors. We are also considering bus priority lanes, a concept similar to Bus Rapid Transit. With dedicated bus lanes and the existing fleets, we can establish this system,' a source said. According to CUMTA, the existing MTC bus fleet is around 3,300, but the current requirement is nearly 6,000. By next year, the fleet size will increase to 4,500. It has estimated the fleet for the next 25 years. 'We have been giving a lot of impetus to increasing the share of public transport in the city — be it bus, Metrorail and suburban rail — which faced a significant decline post pandemic. However, the share of two-wheelers has risen from 29.6% in 2018 to 36.6% in 2023 in the overall Chennai Metropolitan Area,' an official of CUMTA said. If there is increased emphasis on public transport such as bus priority lanes, Chennai Metro Rail, and suburban rail, the footpath needs to be accessible and free of encroachments. CUMTA has identified 1,500 km for footpath improvement. Of this, work to improve 200 km will be taken up every year. 'Only 16% of the city roads have footpaths. Out of this, 12% have encroachments. The CUMTA has recommended separate operation and maintenance contracts for their upkeep for better accountability. So, whether it is the Greater Chennai Corporation or the Highways, we recommend that they float separate contracts. Our priority is to develop accessible footpaths on bus route roads,' the official said. Moreover, the CUMTA is looking to decongest East Coast Road and Rajiv Gandhi Salai by enhancing their connectivity, the official added.
Time of India
6 days ago
- General
- Time of India
62km of safer, wider footpaths for city
Chennai: In a step toward making Chennai pedestrian-friendly, Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority has identified a 62-km network across seven clusters for footpath widening and upgrades under its 25-year Comprehensive Mobility Plan. The clusters include Nandambakkam, Ambattur, Choolaimedu, Ashok Nagar, Arumbakkam, Vyasarpadi, and Villivakkam with 15km each earmarked in Ashok Nagar and Vyasarpadi. The clusters were selected based on three criteria: proximity to schools and hospitals, access to public transport such as buses, metro and suburban trains, and high pedestrian accident rates. The objective is to enhance safety and ensure uninterrupted walkability across dense urban pockets. Currently, most footpaths in these areas are just 1.2m wide and poorly maintained. The new designs will widen them to 1.8m, allowing two-way pedestrian movement and wheelchair access. For future arterial road upgrades, such as along GST Road, Cumta plans footpaths up to 2.5m wide, integrating canopies. Greater Chennai Corporation has completed preliminary estimates for 17km of the total 62km. These plans include provisions for hand railings, granite pavements, and cut stone kerbs, said Thirumurugan N, superintending engineer (bus route roads). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like LG, KT, SK 모든 통신사 개통당일 현금 100만원 당일 지급! 똑똑하게 돌려받자! 인싸통 더 알아보기 Undo Surveys of 23 roads across nine zones have been completed, and spot verification will begin soon, taking monsoon conditions into account. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai Regarding encroachments, GCC chief engineer (general) Rajeswari said most obstructions were temporary and could be cleared easily. Street vendors will be relocated to officially designated vending zones under Tamil Nadu Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, she added. To safeguard the upgraded infrastructure and prevent encroachments, Cumta has proposed forming an operations and maintenance committee to monitor and ensure the long-term integrity of footpaths. The 62-km upgrade is set to be done by next year. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Chennai set to get a 25-year Comprehensive Mobility Plan
Smart urban planning, with efficient mobility being a critical part, is not an option but a necessity. With that cognisance, the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority ( CUMTA ) is devising a 25-year Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Chennai Metropolitan Area (5904 with the key aim of efficient, seamless public transport for citizens, which in the process will also decongest roads and improve road safety, especially for pedestrians. 'Urban roads are not unlimited. It's a limited source. So, our main idea is to promote public transport options and provide seamless connectivity even for the last mile. They carry more people per unit road space and energy consumed,' I Jeyakumar, IRTS, Member Secretary and CEO, CUMTA tells ETAuto. CUMTA is an authority under the Tamil Nadu government, chaired by the Chief Minister. It is a coordinating authority for all transport related departments/ agencies in the Chennai Metropolitan Area spanning 5904 sq km, including the districts of Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu and Ranipet. The authority has a team consisting of technical experts hired from the private market and officers on deputation from various government departments for effective coordination. The team is led by a Member Secretary who is also the Chief Executive Officer of CUMTA. Mobility revamp As part of the CMP, CUMTA says 50,000 households were surveyed in this region to gain inputs for the masterplan. 'Basically, it's to understand the travel pattern, how people are actually moving, what modes they are using, which are the predominant modes, gaps in the system. We do a diagnostic analysis based on a lot of data and then we come up with the proposals,' says Poonam Sabikhi, Sr. Transport Planner, CUMTA. The survey data showed that 34 per cent of the population in the core city commute by two-wheelers, 7 per cent by cars, and another 7 per cent by cabs and auto-rickshaws. Jeyakumar argues that inadequate number of public transport buses is also leading to people choosing private vehicles, which, in turn, also contributes to traffic congestion and parking issues. Therefore, public transport, footpath and road infrastructure improvements are the topmost proposals of the CMP. Identifying where bus augmentation has to be done, priority lanes or dedicated lanes for buses, locations for terminal depots are some of the key goals. Explaining the larger goal, Sabikhi says 'We are looking at how we can have an integrated transport system. And all these systems like bus, metro or suburban trains, are still working in silos. We need to have an integration among them.' One key step to achieve the integration is a ticketing app which CUMTA is developing. Once ready, citizens can avail transport services across all three modes using a common QR code generated ticket. Double-deckers could also make an entry into Chennai's public transport landscape. The more space efficient mobility option is being proposed for at least a few routes. This would also help address the significant deficit between the demand and supply of buses in Chennai. CUMTA estimates that 6,500 - 7,000 buses are required in the city, whereas the current fleet strength is 3,300 buses (including the ones out of service temporarily). 'We are recommending (double-decker) for certain routes. The number of regular buses have to be increased first,' says Jeyakumar. In another significant move towards improving urban mobility, the Government of Tamil Nadu has approved the parking policy for the Chennai Metropolitan Area prepared by CUMTA . A key reform introduced in the parking policy is planning, management and implementation of parking under one agency. Another initiative under development is Smart Parking Management in Anna Nagar as a pilot project. For the implementation of Smart Parking, CUMTA is developing a common parking app for the fee collection, monitoring and enforcement. The entire system will be centrally monitored by the Parking Management Unit at CUMTA. Pedestrian-friendly spaces Beyond public transport, the CMP is also targeting improvement in pedestrian mobility, by identifying ways to improve the footpath network. 'We have identified the clusters, because that is also a huge network. So again, on a priority basis, it should be taken up first. The first objective is that all the transit stations, like bus terminals, Metro and suburban train stations should have accessibility by footpath,' says Sabikhi. Access to and from footpaths for wheelchair users is also being factored in in the proposals. And, for safer mobility, CUMTA says it is working on standardising processes for accident data. Granular data is critical to analyse trends, which in turn can help in devising ways to address the root causes of fatal accidents. 'Most accidents are written off as human errors. But if you don't know the causes of these fatal accidents from a vehicle or road infrastructure point of view, then how are you going to fix it? So, first we are working with the police to collect good quality road accident data. Based on the accident analysis, we can then understand the vehicle and infrastructure factors and advise the respective agencies to rectify designs or infrastructure through a scientific and data-driven approach,' says Ravishankar Rajaraman, Road Safety Expert at CUMTA. Given the scale of the mobility plan, and the different challenges in its execution, CUMTA plans to line up its targets in terms of 5-year periods. Now, the first phase for the CMP, after being cleared by its CEO, is to get the approvals from the Executive Committee (group of Secretaries and Headed by Chief Secretary), and then the final approval of the CM.
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
100 traffic marshals to curb encroachments and double parking menace in Anna Nagar
Chennai: To bring order to Anna Nagar's chaotic streets, the state govt will deploy traffic marshals from Sept as part of a new Smart Parking Management Plan. The marshals — trained and authorised to fine and clamp vehicles — will patrol key stretches to curb rampant double parking, footpath encroachments, and unregulated roadside vending that have left pedestrians with little room to walk. The initiative is being led by Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (Cumta), in coordination with Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and Greater Chennai Traffic Police (GCTP). The marshals will be assigned roughly one per 500 metres, covering about 20 vehicles each, ensuring real-time enforcement of parking rules. "To ensure accountability, marshals will wear body cameras, and the entire zone will be monitored round-the-clock through 1,255 surveillance cameras," said I Jeyakumar, member secretary, Cumta. The idea was discussed during a public stakeholder consultation meeting for upcoming Smart Parking Management Plan in Anna Nagar, to be implemented from Sept. The parking plan is for 25km of road network mapped for on-street smart parking. On average, around 5,000 vehicles are parked daily in the area. "We will demarcate 2,000 parking slots – 70% on major roads (such as 2nd, 3rd and 6th Avenues) and rest on internal roads (such as 11th and 13th Main Roads). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo The marshals will alert Cumta's command centre if they have an issue with any motorist. The traffic police personnel at the centre will contact the local police station and send assistance if needed," added Jeyakumar. N Adiyaman, councillor of ward 105, said some individuals in Anna Nagar had converted designated parking lots into commercial spaces and now park their vehicles on the road. "The enforcement mechanism needs to be strengthened, and fines must be increased. There also needs to be greater clarity on the overall parking policy. Once on-street parking is regulated, dedicated parking spaces must be created to accommodate residents' vehicles," he added. During the public consultation, several residents voiced concerns about the shrinking pedestrian space and increasing traffic congestion in Anna Nagar. "Vendors have taken over the pavements, making it difficult for pedestrians to walk. Many have also encroached on public space," said Sandhya Vedullapalli, secretary of Federation of Anna Nagar Residents Associations. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Guv gives assent to 16 of 18 bills; two more pending
Chennai: Governor R N Ravi has given assent to 16 out of 18 bills passed by the legislature in the session that ended in April. The exceptions were the Kalaignar University Bill, to establish a university named after former chief minister M Karunanidhi in Kumbakonam, and the Physical Education and Sports University Bill, which empowers the state to appoint and remove the vice-chancellor. "In all, Raj Bhavan has only two bills pending from the last session, and another two bills, the Tamil Nadu Fiscal Responsibility (Amendment) Bill and the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, pending since 2024. All cleared bills have been notified in the gazette," said an official. One of the approved bills allows use of the Goondas Act against those dumping bio-medical waste, particularly in districts bordering Kerala where such cases have been increasing. Another bill protects farmers, women, and women's self-help groups from aggressive loan recovery tactics used by microfinance institutions and other lenders. Violators face imprisonment ranging from three to five years, a fine of up to 5 lakh, or both. The Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services Bill, 2025, replaces the Tamil Nadu Fire Service Act, 1985. Another law aims to decriminalise certain minor offences under the Urban Local Bodies Act. It introduces adjudication and compounding mechanisms to handle these offences. Another law regulates erection of hoardings, digital banners, and placards in rural local bodies. Some laws were changed to make the member-secretary of the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority an ex-officio member of the CMDA; and to create the post of commissioner of urban development. Amendments to the Tamil Nadu Shops and Establishments Act aim to improve ease of doing business. They also decriminalise offences by replacing imprisonment and fines with penalties. The legislation also establishes adjudication and appellate mechanisms. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
