City's streets leave little room for its pedestrians

Chennai: Pedestrians in the city are often forced to choose between navigating damaged footpaths or stepping onto busy roads. For vulnerable groups, including children, seniors, and those with disabilities, these choices are often unsafe.

A study by the Confederation of Indian Industry shows how little the city's infrastructure supports pedestrians. Only 18% of Chennai's road network includes footpaths wider than 1.2m, well below the national average of 30%. Bicycle lanes are even rarer, with just 3% of roads offering dedicated tracks.

Other Indian cities show how the gap can be closed. Pune set up a non-motorized transport cell in 2008 and now has footpaths on 53% of its roads. About 45% of Pune's population walks in safer conditions, the study found.

In Chennai, even where footpaths exist, they are often inconsistent. "A newly paved stretch on Perambur High Road narrows to less than a meter in some places and widens enough to park trucks in others. Public infrastructure development is not uniform across the city," said C Raghukumar, a civic activist from Perambur.

Residents experience the daily risks firsthand. "The footpaths are either broken or occupied by vendors, forcing us to walk on the road, which has become a serious safety concern. There are no proper rules enforced against encroachers, and the local authorities have failed to repair damaged footpaths," said Christina L, a resident of Arumbakkam.

Urban planners believe Chennai can reverse this trend by 50% footpath coverage by 2030, with protected crossings near all schools and universal access standards across public spaces.

Traffic congestion and air pollution continue to worsen. PM10 levels in Chennai have reached 61µg/m³, four times the WHO recommended limit. Experts link the absence of pedestrian infrastructure to greater reliance on motor vehicles, leading to higher emissions and worsening air quality.

The study also noted a contradiction. Chennai does better with public transport, recording a 51% mode share, far ahead of the national average of 27%. But last-mile connectivity remains weak.

"The GCC budget for FY 2025–2026 has allocated 200 crore to expand more than 170km of footpaths," said Venugopal A V, programme manager at Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. "Ensuring accessible footpaths to bus stops and transit stations is crucial for the success of public transportation systems," he added.

The city adopted a non-motorized transport policy in 2014. More than a decade later, most of the city's roads still leave pedestrians on their own.