People’s day out: Shoppers welcome T. Nagar Pedestrian Plaza

3rd March 2017 by admin

“He doesn’t want to leave yet! He hasn’t even had his breakfast, but in his enjoyment, he’s forgotten his hunger!” Mrs. Lalitha, a resident of T.Nagar, thus ended up spending the entire morning at Pondy Bazaar with her 7 year-old son Pranav. Pranav, who has nobody at home to play with, found not just games, but also company and a lot of space in T.Nagar to keep him entertained. His mother, who also participated in the games, reliving her childhood days, enjoyed a fun-filled, nostalgic shopping trip.

This alternate shopping experience was on the occasion of the second trial run of the proposed Pondy Bazaar Pedestrian Plaza. Owing to the success of the first trial run of the plaza, a second trial was organised by the Greater Corporation of Chennai on the 25th February, 2017 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm along Sir Thyagaraya Road. Though a hit amongst the people who visited, the shopkeepers remained concerned that the plaza would affect their sales.

Pondy Bazaar, located in the heart of the city, is known for being a famous shopping destination, with both small stores and big brands lining the stretch. This shopping promenade is best experienced on foot, giving one the opportunity to stop-and-shop to one’s content. In order to transform this hub into a haven, a pedestrian plaza has been proposed along Sir Thyagaraya Road as a Smart City initiative.

As a first step towards creating this plaza — for collecting citizen feedback and building support for the project — a part of the road was converted into a pedestrian zone for the first trial run on November 20th, 2016, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Visitors witnessed a new Pondy Bazaar, bustling with activity and games throughout the morning. The lack of congestion despite diverted traffic further added to the success of the experiment.

The first trial run went on smoothly, with no traffic congestion

Similar to the first trial run, the 700m stretch between Thanikachalam Road junction and Panagal Park was closed off to cars, autos, shared autos and vans, during the second trial run. Two wheelers and buses were allowed along the stretch both ways, although on a shorter width of four meters on either side of the median. The traffic rerouting was quite successful, with incredible support from the Chennai Traffic Police.

Due to the longer duration of this trial, the activities were split into various slots across the morning and afternoon sessions. The morning was dedicated to kids, with games such as carrom, chess & life-sized snake & ladder, and activities like yoga, craft with newspaper & a drawing competition on Smart City. Young drummers and dancers dazzled the crowd in the afternoon while the elders learned more about first aid at the training camp organised by the NGO Alert. The health camps organised by the Corporation were also a hit among the older people. Restaurants set up tables & chairs outside, to serve those who wanted to snack while enjoying the outdoor activities.

In terms of facilities, parking was provided at the site of the proposed multi-storey car park at the Thanikachalam Road junction. On-street parking was also arranged for on Bashyam Road in front of Panagal park and Thyagaraya Road between Anna Salai and Nair road. Water and seating were provided all along the street at regular intervals for people’s convenience. Shuttle service in the form of battery-operated cars was made available for the elders.

Pedestrian counts and pedestrian user surveys were conducted to study the quantum of pedestrian traffic in this section of the street as well as collect public feedback. Vehicle-volume video surveys were also conducted at the intersections to study the flow of traffic and pile-up, if any. The results of these surveys, along with those from the first trial run, will be used to decide upon the final design of the proposed plaza.

Visualising the proposed T. Nagar pedestrian plaza

The shopkeepers were concerned about the loss of parking that will result from the pedestrian plaza, which they believe might affect their profits. The appointed consultants for the project, Darashaw, along with members of ITDP, explained to them that the idea of mandatory parking for shopping is a myth. Cases from the world over were presented to them.

Pedestrianisation across the globe

Cities across the world are celebrating the pedestrian and the cyclist. Many have created completely pedestrianised areas to provide better mobility for pedestrians, enhance the shopping experience & volume, and reduce pollution level and the number of accidents. Despite initial resistances, most of these projects have proven to be great successes.

Copenhagen, for instance, set out to pedestrianise its main shopping street, Stroget, in 1962. In the 1960s, the increasing number of vehicles led to growing pressure on Stroget for both moving traffic and parking. As a result, shoppers became confined to a narrow, almost non-existent footpath, with no room to stop-and-shop.

In 1962, 15,800 sq.m of pedestrian area was created. Today, a total of 100,000 sq.m once dedicated to motorised transit has been converted to traffic-free space for pedestrians in Copenhagen. Stroget now has 6 times more area for pedestrians than in 1962 with a 10-12m width carrying 145 people/min. More importantly, the shops have seen an increase in sales by 30%.

Similarly in New York, to ease traffic congestion throughout the midtown grid and improve pedestrian safety, mayor Bloomberg decided to pedestrianise Broadway around Times Square for a trial on May 24, 2009. Initially, the plaza had a few tables, 376 rubber folding chairs, potted plants and orange barrier cones.The plaza is now being redesigned permanently at $55 million.

After pedestrianisation, Times Square has seen a 33% reduction in traffic related injuries. Sales have risen by 71% – the biggest growth in history – and the number of shops has doubled. The testing of the Time’s Square pedestrianisation over the years has taught the world a valuable lesson – trials over a long period help understand the needs of the stakeholders better.

Snøhetta’s proposed design for Times Square

Pondy Bazaar pedestrian plaza to be rolled out soon

The Greater Corporation of Chennai aims to see the pedestrian plaza take shape on the ground by the end of the year. If all goes according to plan, Chennai will have a brand new, revamped public space in its centre, right on the street!

Coimbatore Smart Streets Exhibition marks the beginning of the city’s street transformation

1st March 2017 by admin

“This is a well-conceived project. If you can translate this into reality, it will be heaven”. This is what Mr. P. Nagaraj, an 83-year old citizen of Coimbatore, had to say after viewing the life-sized visualisations of the Model Roads on display at the Coimbatore Smart Streets Exhibition. His words echoed the opinion of many who attended the exhibition, all of whom eagerly await Coimbatore’s street transformation.

The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation organised the exhibition to inform the public in detail about the designs of the 6 Model Roads. People voiced their thoughts about the designs and the feedback collected will help shape the final designs of Coimbatore’s Smart Streets. The Coimbatore Street Design and Management Policy was also launched during the exhibition, marking an important milestone for the city!

The policy that has been adopted by the city, provides guidelines for the transformation of Coimbatore’s streets. Ambitious goals have been set to promote safe and equitable access for all users. These include increasing mode share of walking and cycling to at least 50% of all trips and that of public transport to 50% of all motorised trips in 15 years. The policy also aims to stabilise the number of vehicle kilometres travelled by personal motor vehicles (PMVs) by 2031, ensuring it does not exceed beyond 20% of the current figure.

The Coimbatore Street Design & Management Policy was launched in the presence of the dignitaries of the day: Left to Right – Mr. Sandeep Nanduri IAS, Commissioner of Madurai City Municipal Corporation, Mr. T.K.Majumdar, Director, Internal Finance, Ministry of Urban Development, Mr. Prakash Govindasami IAS, Commissioner of Municipal Administration, Ms. Shreya Gadepalli, Director- South Asia, ITDP, Dr. K.VIjayakarthikeyan IAS, Commissioner of Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation, Ms. P.Gandhimathi, Deputy Commissioner, Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation

At the inaugural event, the Commissioner of Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation, Dr. K. Vijayakarthikeyan IAS, explained that Model roads, as the name suggests, are those streets that will be exemplary of the kind that Coimbatore will have in the future – a model to look up to. These streets will include high quality walking and cycling facilities, improved access to public transport, organised parking & vending zones and streamlined junctions.The Model Roads project is an initiative by the Corporation under the Smart Cities Mission, hence the coinage of the term ‘Smart Streets’.

The Commissioner of Municipal Administration, Mr. Prakash Govindasami IAS delivered the special address at the event. “Everybody might not have a car, but we all have legs. We need to have the freedom to walk safely on the streets. And your voice should help make that happen”, stressed Mr. Prakash, explaining how the government inviting public participation in their initiatives, is the approach of this day and age.

The public raised interesting opinions about the design of the streets, including requests to provide bus bays and entry/exit angles in parking bays. Advait Jani, Program Coordinator at the Institute for Transportation and Developmental Policy, replied, “Buses tend to move straight instead of making the turn into and out of a bus bay. Also, bus bays eat up much space – space that could otherwise be provided to pedestrians for walking. As to turning angles in parking bays, they benefit only the first and last slots in a bay. The splays work only in taxi bays as there is continuous movement and a queuing system is followed.”

Another concern among the people was the absence of exit lanes at intersections, which might hinder with free flow of traffic. “Exit lanes are generally provided in highways where vehicles are expected to move fast and continuously, not at intersections on urban roads. Moreover, according to current traffic regulations, free lefts are forbidden. They are dangerous as well to the pedestrians crossing the road, and increase crossing distance”, said Advait Jani.

The intersection testing that was conducted along with the exhibition, helped the architects and transportation experts explain the concept better. The junction of TV Swamy and DB Roads is proposed to become an iconic intersection with increased safety for all users. The proposed design creates a tighter intersection and thus reduced vehicle turning speed. This was tested out on-site for a period of four days, with space at all 4 corners of the intersection reclaimed for the pedestrians with exciting artwork.

Following the exhibition, excavation has started on DB Road to allow for construction to begin soon. The Corporation has set a deadline of 3 months for the completion of DB and TV Swamy roads in the first phase of the project. Once constructed, these streets will become the pedestrians’ haven!

Voicing out: People shaping Pune’s public transport business plan

13th February 2017 by admin

“An online portal launched by the Government of India could be used to procure spare parts from traders at competitive rates.” “ PMPML (Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited) could look at fixed deposit investment plans for better fund-raising.” These ideas for PMPML’s business development plan were not suggested by a transport planner; neither by a banker nor a tech expert. These were suggestions from the young citizens of Pune at a citizens’ engagement workshop!

PMPML, the public transport service provider for the city of Pune, organised two such workshops in collaboration with Ernst & Young. The first workshop was held in Aundh on January 12th, 2017, followed by one in Pimpri on January 19th. The aim of the programme was to collect people’s feedback on existing public transport conditions in the city and their recommendations to improve bus services through PMPML’s business plan.

Pune’s youth voicing out their innovative ideas.

The business plan is an important step towards attaining a 40% modal share of public transport in the city – one of the goals in Pune’s comprehensive mobility plan. Ernst & Young & UMTC have been appointed to create the business plan. The business plan committee consisting of representatives from Nagrik Chetna Manch, Parisar, Pravasi Manch, Sajag Nagrik Manch & ITDP has helped PMPML put together the scope of work for the business plan and is also reviewing the consultants’ work.

The business plan will include short-term (3 years), medium-term (8-10 years) and long term (10-20 years) plans in order to achieve continued delivery of good service. Contrary to a business plan that generally comprises of purely technical details detached from the people and devoid of their inputs, PMPML’s plan is being made inclusive and people-oriented right from the scratch.

The citizens’ engagement workshops were a part of this strategy to include the public and get their on-ground opinion. During the workshop, several issues were brought forward, a majority of them focused on everyday transit ordeals. The physical condition of the bus, conflicts with the conductor and dissatisfaction with the driving, were a few of these concerns. The programme thus proved to be a good platform for PMPML to learn about these problems, which the agency has promised to resolve immediately.

Mr. Kunal Kumar, the commissioner of Pune Municipal Corporation, addressing the audience

Mr. Kunal Kumar, the chairman and managing director of PMPML, addressing the audience

Apart from micro-scale suggestions, macro-level long term ideas were also raised, especially by the youngsters in the crowd. These included ways to make the service more affordable and brand it better, for the benefit of both the users and the service provider. Another suggestion was to award points to PMPML employees as encouragement for good work. Fixed deposit investments could be considered for better fund-raising. Setting up an online portal to create a virtual marketplace for spare parts, thus promoting healthy competition among traders and better rates, was also suggested.

Comments from the workshops are currently being compiled to be included in the plan. Apart from the citizens engagement programme, people’s feedback is being collected in other methods as well such as on-board (during the journey) & off-board surveys by representatives from Ernst & Young. Photography, essay writing and slogan-phrasing competitions along with other contests have been organised to increase awareness of the use of public transport, while also gathering people’s thoughts on the issues.

By allowing people to voice out their opinion in different ways and acknowledging that stakeholders should play a key role in shaping any service for the people, Pune is setting a great example for other cities. Following Pune’s lead, Coimbatore is also organising an exhibition to showcase the design ideas for its Model Roads. This exhibition will also serve to collect people’s feedback on the proposal and help shape the final design. Coimbatore Smart Streets Exhibition is to be held on the 18th & 19th February, 2017.

Thank You, 2016. Welcome, 2017!

3rd January 2017 by admin

“It is refreshing to find the government making plans for people — I’ve always seen only flyovers and road widening projects for the benefit of vehicles.” This was what Mr. Ravikumar, a 54-year old resident of T. Nagar, had to say the day Chennai witnessed the first trial run of its proposed pedestrian plaza. A 700 m stretch in Pondy Bazaar, a central & prime shopping street in the city, was closed off to cars on November 20, 2016 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

The street was filled with happy and excited faces, owing to the various activities that had been planned along the stretch. The past year has had many such successful pro-people events and initiatives which ITDP has supported and co-partnered. Here is a recap of the year that has gone by and a glimpse into the one to come.

Pune had its own week-long part-pedestrianisation trial run

Apart from Chennai’s Pondy Bazaar ‘Mall Road’ test run, Pune had its own week-long part-pedestrianisation trial run in Aundh, turning one half of the road on a 1.5 km stretch into a non-motorised transport (NMT) zone. On the cycling front, to build support and raise demand for better infrastructure, Nashik celebrated Cycle Day on 26th April, 2016. Following its success, the mayor allocated funding to develop a 9 km cycle track network in the city.

Beyond these people-friendly events which promoted walking and cycling, ITDP has succeeded in bringing systemic change to the process of street design in a few cities. Pune formed its Street Design Cell comprising of dedicated urban design specialists. The city also adopted Urban Street Design Guidelines prioritising pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. This guide will now influence the design of over 100km of streets in the city. In Coimbatore, 6 architects were empanelled early 2016 to design the 6 streets identified for the first phase of the Model Roads project. The city municipal corporation sanctioned Rs. 5.5 crores for construction of 2 of these roads.

Coimbatore Corporation sanctioned Rs. 5.5 crores for construction of 2 Model Roads

The public transport sector has witnessed several developments, especially in the BRT projects across Chennai & Pune. In Chennai, the selected BRT consultants – IMaCS in joint venture with Logit – started work on the detailed project report. Pune started work on expanding its BRT network by 15 km with UMTC as the consultant. Pune also introduced mobility cards and issued the same to a few citizens as a start.

Pune started work on expanding its BRT network by 15 km

Improvements in cycling & walking facilities and public transport need to be clubbed with better management of personal motor vehicles (PMV) use, especially parking, in order to create the necessary shift from PMVs to sustainable transport modes. Towards this cause, Pune proposed a progressive parking policy which pegs differential parking rates in the central area of the city. Ranchi Municipal Corporation adopted a similar parking resolution, with three different zones: Green, Yellow and Orange – with maximum pricing in the Orange zone.

Finally, better cities can only be achieved by embracing the 8 principles of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), including walking, cycling, public transport, parking, etc, that lead to good urban growth. Jharkhand Government proposed a TOD policy which includes actively planning for future mixed use developments — residential, commercial, and other uses — within a compact city form, so that most citizens live, work, and play within walking distance of public transit.

On the whole, sustainable transport received much due attention in cities across the nation in 2016. Around half of Pune’s transport budget got assigned towards sustainable transport initiatives, with an additional 220 crore rupees for the city’s BRT expansion. 3 cities in Tamil Nadu – Coimbatore, Tirupur and Trichy – had 50 crore rupees allocated in all, to initiate the planning process for dedicated cycle tracks and a Public Bicycle Sharing system.

The biggest win of the year, however, was the selection of Pune, Chennai, Coimbatore and Ranchi as Smart Cities, with over 600 crore rupees to be invested in sustainable transport projects. ITDP has been working with these cities in different roles, providing technical support to projects, capacity building for officials, and creating community engagement at various levels.

A network of greenways linking major lakes is proposed in Coimbatore, as part of the Smart Cities Mission

A network of greenways linking 8 major lakes is proposed in Coimbatore, as part of the Smart Cities Mission

The year that went by saw many exciting wins, the year to come promises more:

NMT- Coimbatore has planned to organise an exhibition to inform the public, and receive their feedback, about the Model Roads, 2 of which will be reconstructed in 2017. Also in the pipeline for the city is the rejuvenation of 8 lakes and 30 km of greenways around them, for which the RFP will be floated this month. In Chennai, all streets in T.Nagar and two intersection in Egmore will be redesigned this year.

Cycle sharing – Coimbatore and Ranchi are planning to start work on setting up cycle sharing systems in the two cities with 1600 and 1200 cycles respectively.

BRT- Chennai is looking forward to getting the BRT DPR ready and approved by the government in 2017. Pune expects to launch 7 km of the existing network retrofitted by the end of the year.

Pune expects to launch 7 km of the existing network retrofitted in 2017

Pune expects to launch 7 km of retrofitted BRT in 2017

Parking management – Chennai plans on launching its on-street parking pilot project in T.Nagar for 1000 equivalent car spaces. Ranchi will test its parking resolution on-ground through a pilot project in its central area.

TOD – People Near Transit (PNT) is an important index to measure accessibility to public transport in a city. Having already conducted a PNT survey on Chennai, ITDP plans to expand the study to other cities like Delhi and Ahmedabad. Also planned is a workshop on inclusive Transit Oriented Development. (i-TOD)

The future also holds new ventures such as gender-related transport issues, with Ranchi aiming to address women safety in transport in the coming months. With all these plans lined up for 2017, here’s hoping to a great year! Happy New Year!

People-friendly streets taking shape : Coimbatore’s Model Roads

25th November 2016 by admin

“When it’s not a car-free day, where is the space to walk?”, asked a resident of R.S.Puram in 2015, at a stakeholders’ discussion about the Car-Free Sunday event in Coimbatore, prior to its launch. The Happy Streets Car-Free Day initiative has since enhanced awareness among the citizens about the infrastructure needed for cycling and walking – in other words, non-motorised transport (NMT). This level of support and buy-in for NMT from the public encouraged the Corporation to initiate the Model Roads pilot project in Coimbatore in 2015.

For this first phase, 6 roads have been selected by the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation: DB Road, TV Swamy Road, Sanganoor Road, NSR Road, Masakalipalayam Road and Race Course Road. A total of 13.1 kms is to be revamped with broad pedestrian-friendly pathways, allocated zones for parking and vendors, safer crossings and better provisions for utilities.

Conference on Sustainable Cities Through Transport

In the wake of rapid motorisation a few years ago, the cities of Tamil Nadu realised a need to address mobility challenges. In 2013, the Commissionerate of Municipal Administration (CMA) thus hosted Sustainable Cities through Transport, a planning workshop organised in partnership with the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and with support from ICLEI–SA South Asia. The objective was to develop sustainable transport plans and create municipal transport budgets for five cities in Tamil Nadu including Coimbatore.

The Coimbatore Corporation engineers attending the workshop concluded that the city should aim to increase its share of public transport, cycling and walking to 60% by 2018. As a step towards achieving this, a network of Complete Streets, including the Model Roads, was proposed. The proposal comprised a target of 49 kms of footpath upgrade,19 kms of street pedestrianisation, 37 kms of greenways and 31 kms of cycle tracks. Furthermore, to ensure the prevention of vehicle encroachment for the success of these NMT projects, 5 zones were identified for better parking management.

The Coimbatore Corporation engineers concluded that the city should aim to increase its share of public transport, cycling and walking to 60% by 2018.

For implementation in the first phase, the Corporation identified 6 streets in its jurisdiction, based on right of way — 12 m or more — and pedestrian demand. CCMC empanelled architects for the first time, with the assistance of ITDP, early in 2016. The 5 firms – Padgro, Design Consortium, VeraCITY, Arth Agam and Yanapada – were assigned the work of redesigning the streets.The architects carried out various surveys and developed conceptual designs, which was later tested on-site through line drawings to check for feasibility.

In order to get work started on the ground, CCMC conducted the first coordination meeting early in August, 2016. This meeting brought together the Corporation engineers, architects, ITDP and partner association RAAC (Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore). The engineers along with ITDP reviewed the designs presented by the architects. Since then, coordination meetings are being held once every month to ensure the smooth progress of the project.

Break-out group discussing at a coordination meeting.

An important milestone in the execution of the Model Roads Pilot project was the resolution passed by the CCMC at the Council Meeting held later that month. The Corporation sanctioned Rs.5.47 crores to take up D.B and T.V Swamy roads in the first phase of construction. The tenders to start work on these roads are have been floated in November. Implementation of the Model Roads project will soon be rolled out.

Moving forward, the Corporation is looking to host a 3-day exhibition in early December, showcasing visualisations of the proposed designs of the Model Roads. The exhibition aims to inform public regarding the many transport-related initiatives that CCMC is taking for the development of the city. Feedback collected from the citizens during the event will be used to shape the final design of these people-oriented projects. With all these plans in place putting pedestrians and cyclists at the top of the hierarchy, Coimbatore is showing the way for other Indian cities!

Reclaiming streets: Pedestrian-only test run marks new beginning in Pune!

11th October 2016 by admin

“If we play in our backyard, the shuttlecock always falls into a neighbour’s compound!”, complained little Anaya and Avani, residents of Aundh, Pune. In a city that is getting more congested by the day leaving behind fewer playgrounds, Anaya and Avani are joined by other Pune locals in grumbling about a lack of open public space. But for a week now, and everyday in the nearby future, children and adults alike have a chance to play in the open to their heart’s content – right on the streets!

As a step towards returning Pune’s streets back to its residents, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has organised a weeklong trial of “HEALTHY Aundh – Street and Pedestrian Walkway” until 15th October, 2016. A stretch of 1.5 kms between Bremen Chowk and Parihar junctions in Aundh has been converted into a pedestrian-only zone for this test run.

The idea of pedestrians and cyclists reclaiming some space back from vehicles has been receiving positive feedback in Pune. This welcome has been witnessed during the numerous pre-event meetings with various stakeholders, shop owners and residents of Aundh, who believe that it is high time for a change of this scale. A few concerns were raised by a small group of local shop-owners, who were apprehensive about the impact of the pedestrianisation on sales in the region. Despite this minor discrepancy, it is a general consensus here that the freedom to walk and cycle is every citizen’s right!

In addition to backing from the public, immense support from Prasanna Desai Architects (PDA), IBI Group, Pavetech Consultants, CEE and McKinsey Group with technical counsel from ITDP, has helped PMC in getting this challenging project on ground. The traffic police have also played an important role in assisting the Corporation and the architects with the design for this test run.

As per this plan, half of the road between Bremen and Parihar junctions has been completely reallocated for pedestrians and cyclists, giving them enough room for safe movement. The aim is to create a better environment for both the individual and the community. Hence, the layout for the pedestrianized street includes a combination of elements that seek to decongest public space.

These elements include a cycle track, in line with the city’s vision to substantially increase its current cycling share of 9%. A separate, wide footpath allows pedestrians to walk without obstructing the cyclists. Street furniture with clear road signage has been placed in different areas within the zone to enhance the experience of the pedestrians and shoppers. While some on-street parking slots have been retained along the other half of the road, the overall design of the plaza reduces space occupied by parking and repurposes it for people’s use.

A shopping destination, these streets on Aundh attract a lot of local residents. To make it easy for them to visit, Kinetic Motors has provided electric vehicles to shuttle along four colour-coded routes every ten minutes during the trial week. This free service should encourage residents to abandon their private vehicles and opt for publicly-shared transport methods instead, until they get habituated to walking and cycling as mainstream modes of commute.

With these changes in place this week, Aundh has been witness to children playing happily on the streets, families strolling uninterrupted, shoppers enjoying at the stores, locals peacefully riding their bicycles for running errands, seniors sitting on benches under trees having animated conversation on politics – a scene unimaginable in the past!

The mock is but one among many new beginnings for Pune. The city also recently launched the open data portal as a part of the Digital India Initiative, which will soon make Pune’s transport and traffic data freely accessible to all. With these continuous efforts by the PMC combined with the positivity in the air, Pune is definitely on the right track towards becoming a sustainable developing city!

Jharkhand’s Vision 2026 set to embrace Transit-Oriented Development

15th September 2016 by admin

“I would like to see Transit-oriented development materialize on the ground”, stated C.P.Singh, the Urban Development Minister of Jharkhand, at the public consultation workshop held in July, for the adoption of the Jharkhand Transit-oriented Development Policy (JTODP). The workshop, organized in Ranchi by the Urban Development and Housing Department (UD&HD), thus backed by political will, was an important step towards realizing Jharkhand’s vision of making its cities safe and sustainable.

The Jharkhand government has set high goals to this end in the proposed State Transit-oriented Development (TOD) Policy. According to this policy, by 2026, public transport, walking and cycling will become the predominant modes of transport for over 80% of the city trips, thereby reducing usage of personal motor vehicles to less than 20%. Quality public transport will be accessible to a majority of the population within a 400m walk. Further, more than 50% of the residents in larger cities will have access to rapid transit at the same walking distance. Reduced trip lengths have also been aimed at. Once adopted, the policy will guide the future growth of all cities in Jharkhand.

By 2031, Jharkhand’s urban population is expected to double to 13.85 million!

The 21st century has seen an increase in Jharkhand’s urban population by 32% from 2001 to 2011, totaling at 7.9 million — 67% of which is constituted by 11 cities with a population of 1 lakh and more. Unplanned rapid urban growth in these cities has translated into low-density urban sprawl, longer commutes, increased dependence on personal motorized vehicles, congestion and pollution. This disastrous outcome is a result of conventional car-centric planning and insufficient development of sustainable modes of transport such as walking, cycling and public transport.

By 2031, the number of city inhabitants in Jharkhand is expected to further double to 13.85 million! With its cities urbanizing at such quick rates, Jharkhand faces the challenge of planning this transition in ways that will ultimately provide a safe, affordable, sustainable and inclusive environment for its citizens. The state is looking to bring about this paradigm change by adopting a TOD-approach.

In contrast to the current method of development, TOD involves actively planning for future mixed use developments — residential, commercial, and other uses — within a compact city form, so that most citizens live, work, and play within walking distance of public transit. Well designed and fully realized TOD areas can play a transformative role in the city’s economic and cultural well-being, creating vibrant and lively places for people of all ages and income groups. Adequate parking fees and overall reduction in parking supply can disincentivize the use of personal motor vehicles.

Key features of TOD

At the consultation workshop held in Ranchi, Ms. Shreya Gadepalli – Regional Director, South Asia, ITDP – presented the key features of the Jharkhand TOD policy. She reinforced the primary principle that streets are meant for people rather than for cars and stressed the need to adopt a transit-first approach to help achieve social inclusion, safety and resource efficiency. The presentation also sought to bust many parking myths and laid emphasis on managing and pricing on-street parking to restrict private vehicle use. The necessary changes to be made to the bye-laws and institutional framework were then elaborated.

Following the presentation was a dynamic discussion with the stakeholders — including Principal Secretary and Director of UD&HD along with town planners; Municipal Commissioners of Ranchi; Director, State Urban Development Authority; members of CREDAI and Architects Association of Ranchi. The discussion brought out the likely challenges in implementing the JTOD policy and sought solutions for the same, such as selection of transit corridors for TOD-transformation.

Following the presentation was a dynamic discussion with the stakeholders.

The consultation workshop witnessed Vision 2026 being received with promising welcome and endorsed by most stakeholders – along with a much needed political backing. It can be expected to soon transform Jharkhand’s urban spaces into people- and environment-friendly pockets, giving way to safe, sustainable and inclusive cities!

Towards Great Streets: Pune launches Urban Street Design Guidelines

29th July 2016 by admin

Mr Deshpande, a 63-year-old resident of Pune — a metropolitan city in a western Maharashtra — wishes he could take his 4-year-old granddaughter Anaika for a leisurely stroll on the streets outside his home. However, the fear of wading through traffic due to the absence of footpaths on most streets in the city has robbed him of this simple pleasure. Even where footpaths do exist, he fears knocking his own knees while climbing on and off them, and also fears the possibility of his granddaughter running into a utility box sometimes placed in the middle of a footpath.

While strolling on the city’s streets is a desirable activity for Mr Deshpande, for many individuals in Pune and most other Indian cities, the ability to walk and cycle safely is essential to earn a living and access education. In most Indian streets, more than a third of all trips are made on foot and cycle every day. All public transport users also generally walk at the start and end of their journeys. Yet, walking and cycling have turned into undesirable adventure sports in our cities.

To restore the dignity of all road users other than just the drivers, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has developed a unique set of Urban Street Design Guidelines (USDG) which give clear priority to walking, cycling, and public transport. By setting standards for the elements of street design and providing a collection of street design templates catering to the needs of all road users, this manual illustrates how good design can transform Pune’s streets into safer and more livable public spaces. It clearly breaks away from the implicitly assumed paradigm that ‘streets are for vehicles’.

The launch of the manual comes in the wake of rapid urbanisation that has resulted in the streets of Pune getting clogged with more and more vehicular traffic every passing year. The drastic increase in motor vehicles, especially two wheelers has pushed pedestrians and cyclists to the very edge of the street, with footpaths most often disappearing from the street section. On the few streets where footpaths dos exist, speeding motorists driving on them during peak hours is a common sight. Once a ‘cycle city’, Pune has now deteriorated into a heavily ‘motorised city.’

Apart from pedestrians and cyclists, the needs of public transport users are also ignored. Finding space to locate bus stops and manoeuvring city buses through the heavy traffic have become increasingly challenging. Poor allocation of street space for walking, cycling, and public transport has made it extremely inconvenient to use these sustainable modes of transport — leading to a dip in their modal share. Over the last five years, cycling mode share has reduced by half while public transport use has fallen by a quarter.

Keen to rewrite street hierarchy by putting pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport users at the top, PMC with support from private consultant VK:a architecture [1] [2] [3] developed the manual. The preparation of this document was very closely guided and reviewed by the Institute of Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) as well as Pedestrians First (a local NGO). The process, which witnessed enthusiastic participation from different levels of PMC officers — right from the junior engineers to the Commissioner — was unprecedented in the Pune Corporation.

The manual aims to support the transformation of all streets in the city into ‘complete streets’ with wide and continuous footpaths, safe crossings, separate cycle tracks (on selected streets), organised on-street parking, and uniform carriageways. It establishes the proposed street typology for Pune, offers detailed guidance on designing different types of street elements — including safety elements and multi-utility zone elements — along with a set of detailed drawing templates for designing streets and intersections. The final section provides insights into the processes involved in the design and implementation of street design projects.

Caption: A design template from the USDG illustrating section and detailing for 15 m right of way

This simple and easy-to-use manual is a handy reference for planners and designers working on street design as well as for PMC engineers carrying out execution on-site. The manual simplifies street design into a three step process: Determine the available right-of-way, identify the character of the street from the surrounding land uses, and finally choose the correspondingly right template. With a total of 50 templates and right-of way (ROW) ranging from 6m to 60m including sections with bus rapid transit (BRT), the guide provides references for all possible street sections.

The launch of the manual comes at the most opportune time for Pune. The PMC, with support from ITDP is focused on implementing sustainable solutions in the city. With all new road construction and repairs guided by the USDG, Pune’s streets will soon be transformed into great people-friendly public spaces, which promote and encourage walking, cycling and public transport.

Download the document here.