Footpaths in Chennai help cut emissions by 12,000 tonnes annually
As per the study, between 9 per cent and 29 per cent of the people walking on improved footpaths would have used a private motorised mode if the footpaths had not been improved.
T Nagar Pedestrian Plaza
CHENNAI: A study by the Institute of Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) in Chennai revealed that recently improved pedestrian pavements including T Nagar Pedestrian Plaza have cut down 4,200 tonnes to 12,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
As per the study, between 9 per cent and 29 per cent of the people walking on improved footpaths would have used a private motorised mode if the footpaths had not been improved. "As a result, we estimate that between 4,200 tonnes and 12,000 tonnes of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions are prevented annually. This is equivalent to taking off the road 1,000 to 2,900 cars for one year," the report said.
During the study, ITDP surveyed 424 respondents, who were walking on the footpaths of Pondy Bazaar (Pedestrian Plaza), Harrington Road, CSIR Road and Anna Nagar 2nd Avenue. The emission reduction data have been arrived at by extrapolating the survey results. The data was collected in 2019 and the report was scheduled to be released in 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the report highlighted that Chennai has dedicated significant resources to improve its streets for pedestrians. In 2014, the city became the first in India to adopt a non-motorised transport (NMT) policy committing to allocate over half of its transport budget to pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. Between 2013 and 2019, the city designed and built footpaths on more than 100 km of streets.
Moreover, the footpaths reduce between 2.6 tonnes and 7.6 tonnes of greenhouse gas for every Rs 1 crore spent. "That makes the footpath improvements more cost-effective for reducing GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions than metro projects," the report pointed out.
The study also found out that by shifting away from motor vehicles, footpath users reduce between 150 kg and 680 kg of particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter (PM2.5) annually, and their increased walking activity prevents about 340 deaths each year from non-communicable diseases. Additionally, 95 per cent of survey respondents reported feeling safer on the improved streets.
Apart from contributing to emission reduction and improving health, walking also saves money. As per the study, city residents, who shift to walking from another mode save Rs 290 crore each year.
"However, walking is rarely considered a viable, scalable tool for transport de-carbonisation. It is important to thoroughly evaluate projects as pioneering cities like Chennai around the world begin to scale up street transformations and sustainable mobility infrastructure," the report suggests.
