Chennai’s arterial roads to turn ‘smarter’

Chennai: The Highways Department is planning to develop arterial roads in Chennai into smart roads with facilities like traffic calming measures, safe walkways, cycling facilities and safe intersections.

In the first phase, Grand Southern Trunk (GST), EVR Periyar Salai, Jawaharlal Nehru Salai, Grand Northern Trunk Road, Velachery bypass, Marmalong Bridge Irumbuliyur road and Mount Poonamallee Avadi road, together stretching along to 103 km, would be taken up under the Tamil Nadu Road Sector Project II. Officials said bids have been invited for preparing a detailed project report.

“The improvement works will develop existing roads as smart urban roads with developments like providing traffic calming measures, safe walkways, cycling facilities, safe intersections, parking bays, on/off-street parking, safe crossings, well-planned underground utilities, storm water drains and widening of the road wherever required,” said a Highways official.

Sources added that the consultant would also develop a vision for the seamless flow of traffic, giving priority to NMT, multimodal integration, decongestion, smart road safety features and urban development along the stretch. One of the important features is creating economically and environmentally resilient infrastructure to achieve a 20-year lifespan of roads, climate-resilient utilities and efficient storm water management network planning and alternate route plans.

The official added that the plan envisages reducing road accident fatalities and injuries, promoting low carbon modes like walking and cycling, de-incentivising the use of private vehicles, and reducing the idling time at intersections and traffic jams.

“Traffic calming measures mean speed reduction or controlled flow of traffic. Now we are focusing on road widening, not speed reduction. It will ensure the safety of pedestrians,” said Sumana Narayanan, senior researcher, Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG).

A dedicated cycling lane should be provided by allowing only non-motorised transport, she said, adding that parking facilities should be reduced with increased charges to discourage people from using private vehicles and to promote public transport.