CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s cities are running far short of public transport needs, with just 18 buses per lakh population against the national benchmark of 60, while pedestrians account for up to half of all road fatalities in major urban centres such as Chennai and Coimbatore, according to a new urban mobility charter released on Wednesday.
It also notes that 40% of denizens lack access to a bus stop within walking distance, even as walking, cycling and public transport together account for 67% of daily trips across TN.
These findings are part of the TN Urban Mobility Charter 2031, released by the Sustainable Mobility Network, a coalition of over 30 civil society organisations, following a multi-stakeholder roundtable held in Chennai on January 28.
The discussion was convened by ITDP India, Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG), Asar and Poovulagin Nanbargal, and attended by commuters, resident welfare associations, mobility experts, disability rights advocates and former government officials.
Public transport users flagged daily commute stress as a key reason that discouraged people from using buses. Stakeholders pointed to overcrowding, unreliable timings and poor last-mile connectivity, particularly the lack of bus services within interior residential neighbourhoods, forcing commuters to depend on long walks or private modes to access main roads.
“Current efforts have been focused on infrastructure for vehicular movement and not people’s movement. Make buses free to make people take buses,” said Vikram Kapur, former secretary, Planning and Development.
The charter calls for increasing bus fleets to meet national norms, improving access to bus stops and better integration with metro and suburban rail, while extending Vidiyal Payanam to all public buses and adding more low-floor, wheelchair-accessible buses. It flagged over 40 lakh high-emission vehicles in Chennai, even as auto drivers cited high costs and poor charging access as barriers to switching to EVs.
The document also noted that nearly 70% of urban transport budgets in cities such as Chennai and Coimbatore are spent on flyovers and road expansion, and called for allocating at least 60% of funds to public transport, walking, cycling and clean mobility.