ITDP India

Promoting sustainable and equitable transportation worldwide

Carefree on Car-free Sundays: Citizens take to city streets for fun and revelry

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Imagine an arterial road in your city. Now, place a child running about in that stretch. Fair to assume that your brows twitched at the thought of these two events aligning. Though stark, urban dwellers are naturalised to the danger that arterial roads or streets in general hold. But to hold a static entity accountable is unfair. So where does the buck stop?

Let’s reimagine this sequence of events. Same arterial city road and same child running about carefree. This time though, cordon off vehicles from the section. Suddenly, the road seems to be devoid of chaos. It even becomes an oasis where people can come together to run, play, and enjoy themselves to their heart’s content.

Isn’t it bewildering how one component can drive our stress up the walls and still be considered an integral part of our lives. This is exactly what the “Car-free” initiative was conceptualised to debunk. Originated in the Netherlands and Belgium during the 1956 Suez Crisis, the move was planned to ration petroleum. But it took its true form in 1958, when New York City residents blocked vehicles into their neighbourhood to protest the extension of a road at the cost of a public space.

As vehicles started taking over our streets and lives, the initiative gained prominence to counter this menace. And it is with the same intention that the initiative made its way into the Indian quarters. The “Car-free Sundays” drive, proposed by ITDP India Programme in collaboration with Riverside School and other partners, was first introduced to Ahmedabad in 2009. Every Sunday, citizens were given unconditional access to three arterial stretches to experience the freedom of walking and cycling on safer car-free streets.

India’s first car-free Sunday in Ahmedabad in 2012

It wasn’t long before other states recognised the transformative nature of the initiative. Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra were quick to come on board and transform their streets into vibrant spaces for citizens, not vehicles, to occupy.

Leading the charge in Tamil Nadu was Coimbatore. The dialogue, facilitated by ITDP, was a success. All partners –including the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation, Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore (RAAC), print media partners and the residents– realised that the concept would help improve walking and cycling conditions in the city.

The Corporation and the Coimbatore Police left no stones unturned to help citizens reclaim landscape lost to vehicles. With prior public consultation workshops for residents, the campaign was launched across two stretches –DB Road and T V Swamy Road– for a total of 1.7km, in 2015. This sense of emancipation was refreshing, as many came in droves to be part of the revelry. Soon accolades started pouring in, with the campaign being honoured with the Best Project Award, Non-Motorised Transport category, by India’s National Ministry of Urban Development.

People enjoying hop-scotch at the car-free Sunday in Coimbatore

The obvious impact was soon realised by Chennai and it didn’t take much for city officials and the police to join the bandwagon, with ITDP again playing a hand holding role in collaboration with Chennai City Connect and The Hindu (media partners). Titled “Namma Chennai Namakke” (Our Chennai for Ourselves), many residents took an instant liking to the idea.

“I would love to see children aimlessly ride their cycles on the road…or adults playing badminton and pet enthusiast take their companions for a walk. I personally would indulge my pet, without the fear of him/her getting hit by a car,” said Jennifer Jacob-Murali, resident of Chennai.

Father and daughter bonding over skipping at the car-free Sunday in Chenani

Every Sunday, the ruckus of vehicles were replaced by that of laughter and excitement. Of kids being kids and parents joining the act. Of people dancing, doing yoga, and enjoying art and craft. Of citizens, young and old, not surrendering their right to walk, run, and cycle to the chagrin of fuel guzzling automobiles.

Today, these cities have taken a step ahead towards sustainable urban transport solutions with Chennai adopting a Non-Motorised Transport Policy and Coimbatore adopting the Street Design and Management Policy. Car-free Sundays helped citizen to wake up to the possibility of enjoying public spaces like roads and streets without the hindrance and dread of vehicles. Its success gave momentum to the ‘Model Roads’ project, as citizens demanded better walking and cycling infrastructure across Coimbatore.

Not even John Lennon could have imagined how vehicles would take over lives, leaving us struggling to find our way. So an ode to his legendary vision, with a twist of our own.

Imagine there are no vehicles
It’s easy if you try
No fumes around us
Only people and the sky
Imagine all the people living for today

Cover image courtesy: Times of India, Coimbatore.

ITDP India – Our Journey from a Dream to Reality

team ITDP

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It was back in 1998 that ITDP began its engagements in India, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s words, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” What started as one woman’s journey to change the dystopian path our cities were drifting towards has transformed into a formidable force of young, passionate visionaries who strive to bring back life in a place we call home. Today, ITDP celebrates two decades of action on the ground, catalysing tangible transformation at scale in over a third of urban India.

Transportation is the focus of many pressing issues facing the world today—decisions about whether to build highways or bus corridors have a great impact on our health and our planet. For this reason, ITDP has worked with over 18 Indian cities to reduce the human impact of transport choices: ensuring cities put people before cars, all citizens can walk and cycle safety, and jobs and services are a bus ride away. Through the dedicated efforts of our team and a strategic approach towards sustainable transport, ITDP India programme has impacted the lives of millions for the past 20 years.

ITDP in India

The journey in India began in Agra. The vision to develop a modern cycle rickshaw to counter the growing threats of motor vehicular pollution, gave way to the India Cycle Rickshaw Improvement Project. What started off as five prototypes has become sustainably embedded as the standard design in cities across North India. Today, around half a million of these modern cycle rickshaws serve  4-5 million zero-carbon trips daily and offer dignified livelihood to over a million people, transforming the lives of their families as well.

Cycle rickshaws

ITDP realised the need to transform the quality and availability of public transport in Indian cities. Since 2003, the India Programme evangelised the idea of the Bus Rapid Transit (popularly known as BRT) to transform mediocre bus services into high-quality mass transit.

Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s largest city, welcomed ITDP to reimagine bus transit in 2005. Our partnership with Environment Planning Collaborative, and thereafter with CEPT University and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation resulted in the launch of Janmarg (in 2009)—India’s first high quality BRT system that expands to a network of 87 km. Janmarg has inspired many cities in India, and with guidance from ITDP, five cities have created 200 km of high-quality BRT to date.

janmarg

In 2009, the India Programme revolutionised the way people perceived streets in India. Safe, child-friendly streets are not just a mirage of the past, but can be a beautiful reality even today. Ahmedabad was the first city in India to host Car-Free Sundays in collaboration with ITDP, Riverside School and other partners.  The initiative allowed citizens to experience the freedom of walking and cycling on safer car-free streets.  The success enabled expansion to Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra to raise awareness and transform their streets into places we all dream of everyday.

ITDP India Programme initiated collaboration with Chennai City Connect in 2009 to improve cycling and walking conditions across the city. Change isn’t easy in cities where the car is a symbol for status. But within five years of ITDP’s engagement with the city, Chennai took the bold move of adopting the Non Motorised Transport (NMT) Policy—first in India.

The policy mandates that a minimum of 60 percent of of transport funding to create and maintain walking and cycling infrastructure in the city. Having retrofitted over 50 km of walkable streets over the years, Chennai has initiated the next phase of redesigning an additional 50 km of street network. Chennai’s policy has inspired many national and international cities—from Chandigarh to Nairobi—to adopt similar policies. The comprehensive approach undertaken by Chennai, was awarded the Sustainia Award in 2015.

 

chennai complete streets

Since 2013, the India Programme has worked with the smaller cities of Tamil Nadu – Coimbatore, Trichy, Tirupur, Salem, and Madurai.  In Coimbatore, the Namma Kovai Namakke (Our Coimbatore Ourselves) campaign, initiated by ITDP, sparked citizen demand for better pedestrian facilities. Coimbatore was the first city in Tamil Nadu to host Car-Free Sundays, that inspired Chennai and Madurai to do the same. The city also adopted The Coimbatore Street Design and Management Policy that aims to increase walking, cycling and public transport use. In light of Coimbatore’s vision to improve people-mobility, the city has planned a 30 km-network of walking and cycling paths to connect the city’s major lakes, in line with the guiding Policy.  

The India programme began its engagements in Maharashtra in 2009, first with the Municipal Corporations of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, and thereafter in Nashik and Aurangabad. Today, Pune is the epitome of a smart Indian city. Pune launched 40 kms of the Rainbow BRT in 2015, with an additional 45 km in the pipeline. The city adopted the Urban Street Design Guidelines and plans to redesign 100 km of streets based on the world-class standards set by the transformation of  JM Road and DP Road pilot project.

While Pune has taken the first steps towards developing a people-centric city, the next challenge is to address the encroachment onto footpaths by parked vehicles. As a result, Pune adopted the Public Parking Policy to regulate parking, in 2018. The Policy aims to manage on-street parking through an efficient paid parking system but exempts bicycle parking from any charges. Pune realises that encouraging cycling reduces CO2, improves commuters’ health and increases retail visibility. As a result, the city plans to implement a dockless Public Bicycle Sharing system of 13,100 cycle, under the city’s Bicycle Plan.  Yes, the city has worked wonders. Pune, Chennai, and Coimbatore – all cities ITDP assisted, were selected in the first round of the national government’s Smart City Mission.  

Pune complete streets

In 2013, the India programme also expanded to Ranchi, the capital of the state of Jharkhand. Local conditions were unfavourable to support sustainable transport; thus, ITDP initiated collaboration with local civil society groups, educational institutions and trade associations that formed the Ranchi Mobility Partnership. Ranchi’s Mobility for All action plan prepared by ITDP, with input from the partners, provided a detailed roadmap of transport solutions for local conditions.

The action plan inspired the city to take responsibility of overseeing operations of 100 new buses, and an additional 300 buses in the due course—an applaudable move for a city that had fewer than 30 buses. The plan also identified a cycle network to improve access to public transport; as a result, the city is in the midst of constructing the state’s first Bicycle Sharing system comprising of 1200 cycles.

Onward and upward, Ranchi’s Parking Policy has inspired other cities in the state, like Jamshedpur, to manage on-street parking. The State too realised the chaos caused by unregulated parking and thereafter adopted the  Jharkhand Parking Regulations—first in India. Jharkhand is also the first state to endorse the Transit Oriented Development Policy that was prepared in consultation with ITDP India.

On account of leveraging the sustainable transport agenda at the national level, the India expanded to the country’s capital, Delhi, in 2016. This gave rise to the policy brief on Women and Transport in collaboration with Safetipin and UN Women. Women represent the largest share of public transport users, yet they face many barriers that limit their mobility such as safety, comfort, convenience and affordability. Empowering women in transport enables them to participate in workforce, thereby creating a societal shift to transform the entire world economy.

The India Programme’s capacity development work, through training workshops and study tours, has been imperative to the success of its projects and policy. The India Programme has trained over 1000 government officials and other stakeholders. Over the years, our knowledge products have not only been used for best practise references, but also endorsed by the government – for example, the National Guidelines for Public Bicycle-sharing for the Ministry of Urban Development, and Street Design and BRT Guidelines for the Indian Roads Congress (IRC).

capacity development

Since 1998, ITDPs’ agenda of improving the quality of life of citizens through equitable and sustainable transport has only magnified in momentum over time. Times have evolved, but our dream remains the same. Take a moment and imagine a 2050: will we design a future where we continue to get trapped in endless traffic while pollution destroys the city, and infrastructure fails to deliver? Or, will we live in ‘smart cities’ where people can zip around town, connected with walking and cycling boulevards and world-class rapid transit. The choice is yours; we chose the latter.

P.S. Dear Mahatma Gandhiji, we are being the change we wish to see in the world today. And, we have been doing it successfully for the past 20 years in India!  

A year of radical planning, 2017 passes by…

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“I used to take my two-wheeler to travel the 3 kilometers between my house and the railway station. I’m now able to walk the stretch, thanks to the continuous footpath. Best part – I’ve lost 5 kilos and my diabetes!” Mr. Manimaran, a resident of Egmore in Chennai, is thrilled at the tremendous change that a safer and better footpath has brought about in his life.

The year 2017 witnessed many such impactful changes in the field of sustainable transportation all around the country, including cities which ITDP India Programme has been closely working with. Thanking all our supporters, we take a look at the year that passed by.

Pune broke ground on its ambitious Complete Streets networks – a 100km-network with its own financial resources and 45km through support from the National Smart Cities Mission. The first phase of these street design projects on JM Road and DP Road has already been lauded by the country, owing to the vibrancy of these redesigned streets. Pune’s Bicycle Plan, recently approved by the General Body, paves way for the creation of a 300km bicycle-track network in the city.

Having accomplished over 40km of Complete Streets, Chennai initiated the next phase of street design by inviting tenders in late October to redesign 22km of streets. The city tested out the design of 5 key intersections through a tactical urbanism approach – quick, temporary, on-ground interventions. Chennai also conducted another trial run of the proposed pedestrian plaza in Pondy Bazaar, the success of which fetched the project a sanction of of Rs 55 crores (~US $9 million) under the Smart Cities Mission.

Smaller cities have also made remarkable progress this year in their Complete Streets programmes – Nashik appointed nationally-acclaimed urban designers to redesign its proposed street network of 50 kilometers, with 10 kilometers tendered out; and Coimbatore commenced construction of its Model Roads and hosted an interactive exhibition to inform the people of the design of the roads while collecting feedback. Coimbatore also started developing detailed implementation plans for its Greenways and Lake Restoration Project, which includes a 30km network of greenways (exclusive walking and cycling infrastructure) that crisscross the city and connect 8 water bodies.

Becoming one of the pioneering cities in parking management in the country, Ranchi implemented a progressive on-street parking management system on its busiest thoroughfare, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, with a twelve-fold increase in revenue. Inspired by the success of the pilot, the city has proposed to refine and expand the system to cover all key locations. The state of Jharkhand has also proposed to adopt a state-level parking policy.

Chennai recently invited tenders to select an operator for its proposed on-street parking management system covering 12000 equivalent car spaces on Bus Route Roads across the city. Since Pune is also working towards parking management, ITDP, in collaboration with  GIZ-SUTP,  facilitated and managed a two-day workshop on the topic, with international parking expert, Dr Paul Barter in the city. Participants included municipal officials, traffic police, public officials from other agencies as well as various local stakeholders.

An increase in demand for better public transport has provided the fillip to cities across the country to increase and improve their transit services. Chennai made considerable advancement in its BRT planning, with the interim report for Phase I approved by the state and a series of public consultation programmes organised to explain the significance of BRT to people and get their feedback on the various corridors.

In Pune, around 130 crore rupees was sanctioned to construct 13 new bus terminals to facilitate better integration of bus services with the proposed Metro Rail network. The city also commenced work on expanding the existing 38km Rainbow BRT by an additional 15km. Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) initiated the process of adding 200 feeder buses to its fleet, to improve connectivity between the city and the surrounding towns.

Public bicycle sharing (PBS) is emerging as a popular mode of public transit across the country. Pune piloted a dockless PBS system with 275 bicycles and signed an MoU with 4 vendors dealing with dockless systems. Two other cities are preparing for the installation of a PBS system – Ranchi and Chennai invited operators to submit proposals for setting up 1264 bicycles in 122 stations (Phase 1) and 5000 bicycles in 378 designated parking areas, respectively.

Successful and sustained on-ground changes invariably require the backing of well-framed guidelines, policies and financial plans – 2017 was marked by many of these. Two sets of guidelines – the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) planning and design guidelines, and the Guidelines on Control and Regulation of Mixed Traffic in Urban Areas – prepared by ITDP, were approved by the apex committee of the Indian Roads Congress. These guidelines will apply for all cities across India and guide them towards low-carbon mobility.

The Government of Jharkhand adopted an inclusive TOD policy that focuses on equitable development of cities in the state, so that a majority of the population lives and works in areas with safe and accessible walking and cycling facilities integrated with reliable and high-quality public transport.

The Government of Maharashtra published a draft of the State Urban Transport Policy, which promotes low-carbon & equitable mobility and urban development by prioritising public transport (PT) and non-motorised transport (NMT). Furthermore, over half of Pune’s total transportation budget of 1100 crore rupees was allocated towards sustainable transport development for the financial year 2017-18. In the South, Coimbatore adopted a Street Design and Management Policy that focuses on creating equitable and sustainable mobility options and expanding their use.

The realisation that sustainable urban development will remain elusive without integrating women’s safety and comfort in urban transport, has generated momentum to include gender as a key factor in transport planning. Bringing this subject to the fore and as a first of its kind, a paper on Women and Transport in Indian Cities was created by ITDP and Safetipin, and released at a national workshop on gender and transit conducted by the two organisations. This paper identifies indicators, service level benchmarks and processes for integrating a gender perspective in urban transport projects, policies and programs along with good practice case studies.   

 

2017 was a year of radical planning indeed, with many grand plans conceived, developed and initiated for sustainable transportation. With all these plans set to materialize in the coming months, 2018 will be a year of implementation and tangible transformation. Looking forward to a great year ahead: Happy New Year!

Coimbatore’s sustrans initiatives lauded by international experts

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“Sustainable change through transport is something that needs to be discussed at length. However, what is missing from these conversations is the participation of actual commuters. Those who use public transport, those who walk, those who cycle. Here in Coimbatore, though, actual users of public spaces and public transport are very involved in these discussions,” says Mr. Clayton Lane, CEO of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, sharing how thoroughly impressed he was at the level of community involvement in Coimbatore.

Inspired by livable cities across the world, Coimbatore has kicked off various sustainable transport (sustrans) initiatives, and these changes in the cityscape are being brought about with incredible public support. The city’s sustrans initiatives include — the Model Roads project to design safe streets for all, encouraging more walking and cycling, and the Lake Eco-restoration project to rejuvenate eight lakes in the city and create a 30km eco-mobility corridor around them.

To discuss Coimbatore’s transformation through sustrans initiatives, experts from the field were at Coimbatore on March 18, 2017, to add their inputs as well as learn about the process that has been initiated.

Picture showing a 10m pilot stretch on DB Road that is being constructed as part of the “Model Roads” initiative

Picture showing a cross-section through the underground ducts of a 10m pilot stretch on DB Road that is being constructed as part of the “Model Roads” initiative

“It all started with the Car-free Sundays initiative”, said Dr. K. Vijayakarthikeyan IAS, Commissioner of the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation, during the round-table discussion. He explained how the car-free Sundays event helped create awareness about the need for walking and cycling infrastructure, becoming a milestone in Coimbatore’s journey towards sustainable mobility. “If we could make streets safe for pedestrians and cyclists for 3-4 hours every weekend, why not at all times? This was how the idea of the Model Roads project was conceived!”

Coimbatore’s commitment to launch car-free Sundays and follow through with their plans on Model Roads led to its selection as a Smart City. The proposals for the Smart City Mission were created with inputs from the people. “We Coimbatoreans have big dreams as to how our city should be. And our dynamic Commissioner and Corporation support our dreams. They encourage all of us including NGOs to take part in the action towards sustainability”, said Mr. C.R.Swaminathan, President of the Residents’ Awareness Association of Coimbatore (RAAC).

 

Lakes and Greenways-02

Under the Smart City mission, the primary demand from the people including organisations such as Siruthuli and RAAC, was the rejuvenation of the 8 lakes in the heart of Coimbatore. The city is blessed with a series of lakes, that have been neglected and polluted. The citizens wanted the lakes restored and a 30km eco-mobility corridor linking them . The Lake Eco-restoration project has been tendered out and the consultant for the same will be selected by the end of March, 2017.

A visit to the sites of the Model Roads initiative, as well as the Lake Restoration initiative proved fruitful as experts feel that Coimbatore is on the right track in its sustrans journey.

A visit to the sites of the Model Roads project, as well as the Lake Restoration initiative proved fruitful as experts feel that Coimbatore is on the right track in its sustrans journey.

In a city that is so willing to reduce its carbon footprint, there is much potential for a transition away from fossil fuel-driven personal motor vehicles, especially to low-emission electric vehicles. Mr.Leonardo Lacerda, the Environmental Programme Director of the Oak Foundation advocated this shift during the meeting, given that Coimbatore is home to the popular e-vehicle production company, Ampere.

While discussing other ways and means to reduce the city’s carbon footprint, members of Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore put forth the following points with the aim of shifting people away from private vehicles to public transport:

  • Implementing a modern IT based parking management system
  • Strengthening and improving the existing public transport services
  • Integration of public transport with with a well-connected rapid transit system

The discussion was peppered with many feasible suggestions and one of the bigger ideas that captured everyone’s attention was the need for a Transit-Oriented Master Plan for the city. Representing the urban planning community of Coimbatore, Ar. Arun from Arun & Associates stressed the need for planning to focus on creating more transit near people, and bringing people near transit.

“There are many mid-sized cities in Tamil Nadu”, said Ms. Shreya Gadepalli, Director – South Asia, ITDP. “Chennai, being a large metropolitan area, is generally seen as a higher standard for them to reach. On the other hand, Coimbatore owing to its similar size is inspiring these cities to work for SusTrans changes. ‘Coimbatore is doing it, we would also like to try’, is the mantra that is driving sustainable transformation in cities like Madurai. Kudos Coimbatore, for showing the right way forward!”

Click here for the exclusive with Mr. Clayton Lane, published in the Times of India on 20th March, 2017.

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

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“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!

Coimbatore Smart Streets Exhibition 1

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

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.”

 

Coimbatore-Smart-Streets-Exhibition-2

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.

Coimbatore Intersection testing

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!

 

 

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

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“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

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.

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.

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!

Citizens want safer streets and greener spaces for a better Coimbatore

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DB Road and NSR Road are two of busiest streets in Coimbatore, where one can often see pedestrians fighting for space with vehicles. But every Sunday morning, thanks to car-free days, such scenes are replaced with those of citizens walking, cycling and playing. Initiated in August 2015, car-free Sundays have not only provided a new form of public space for people to unwind, they have also  brought together various organisations working on improving Coimbatore and helped initiate dialogue on different issues in the city.

Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore (RAAC) is one such citizen organisation. Along with Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation, Coimbatore City Police and ITDP, RAAC was a founding partner of Namma Kovai Namakke (‘Our Coimbatore for Ourselves’), a campaign to create people-friendly streets in Coimbatore. In conversation with ITDP, R Raveendran, from RAAC, speaks about what residents want for Coimbatore. Responses have been translated from Tamil and have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Coimbatore has seen rapid growth in traffic over the past few years. What can the city do to address this concern?

The concept of traffic jams in Coimbatore was unheard of, even a few years ago. But of late, there are traffic jams that last an hour or more. In this context, project such as car-free Sundays and better streets for walking and cycling are timely interventions.

Giving importance to pedestrians is a novel idea in Coimbatore, and people support this idea. Before this, we didn’t know concepts like pedestrian movement and walkability. People ended up walking on busy streets, sharing space with vehicles. With car-free days, children can now play on the streets. Residents have realised the importance of walking as well.

Namma Kovai Namakke has been very well received in Coimbatore. Tell us more about what makes this campaign a success.

Streets become highly energetic on car-free Sundays, new friendships are being formed, and  the image of the city itself has been transformed. The cultural activities are a great hit, with many schools coming forward on their own to organise dance, drawing and other activities. Laughter clubs are popular with the older crowd. Walking and fitness activities are popular among all ages. For children who have forgotten or never experienced the idea of playing on the streets, car-free Sundays provide a place to kick a football and run around.

Within a short time, the city has expanded car-free Sundays from DB Road to NSR Road. How has the event been received in the second location? What makes this one different?

The event on NSR Road is also getting a lot of attention. With new activities like street magic, flash mobs and street music planned every week, people have something new to look forward to. Often, there are popular chief guests who come in. This also draws many people.

How have car-free Sundays helped in engaging people in the city-building process, in initiating a dialogue on different social issues in Coimbatore?

With car-free Sundays, residents now have a platform to talk about these issues. Many community  organisations meet during the car-free Sundays to discuss common problems. The message that people want better footpaths has come out strongly in the event. Even for other social issues like voter awareness or disability rights, the event has become a platform where different people can communicate with each other as well as with the government.

What kind of public space improvements do you look forward to in Coimbatore? What public transport improvements do residents want in the city?

Coimbatore has been selected for funding under the Smart City Mission, and we hope that better footpaths on all roads, with features like good lighting, will be a part of the project. Work to redevelop six roads with better footpaths has already been initiated by the municipal corporation, in collaboration with ITDP.

We look forward to redevelopment of the lakes and creation of cycling tracks. Cycling is becoming increasingly popular here and streets needs to be made safer for cyclists. Such projects are not too expensive and should be a part of the government budget and implemented quickly. To address traffic congestion, we hope that the city develops a mass transit system that will help reduce use of personal motor vehicles.

What other projects do you work on? How does Namma Kovai Namakke fit in with your overall vision for Coimbatore?

We work on many projects like source segregation of waste, increasing green cover, developing parks and improving roads. We conduct activities related to restoring forests and rivers, and improving the quality of life in the city. We want the city to develop in a positive way, and initiatives like Namma Kovai Namakke help the cause.

Car-free days are held every Sunday, from 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., on DB Road, TV Swamy Road, as well as NSR Road in Coimbatore. All are welcome. For more information, log on to https://www.facebook.com/NammaKovaiNamakke.

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Coimbatore delegation visits Chennai: Understands best practices in street design

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As Coimbatore looks at developing 13 km of streets as ‘Model Roads’ in the city featuring high quality pedestrian environment, a team comprising officials from the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation along with empanelled architects visited Chennai for a detailed knowledge-sharing session with their peers from the Greater Chennai Corporation on 23 February.

The team, comprising of four engineers and ten architects from Coimbatore, visited various streets developed in Chennai as part of the ongoing Chennai Street Design project. ITDP facilitated the site visits and discussions with support from the Greater Chennai Corporation and local partner, Chennai City Connect Foundation.

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City officials from Chennai explained various site-specific details to the visiting engineers and architects.

Over the course of the day-long program, participants visited various streets in the city and noted key design features, such as continuous footpaths at property entrances, location of bus stops, and pedestrian crossings, all of which contribute to a safe walking environment. City engineers from Chennai showcased various construction details and stressed the need for contextual design solutions that accommodate existing utilities and landscape elements. Key implementation barriers like managing parking and street vending were also discussed.

These site visits were followed by a presentation by ITDP on best practices in street design. Mr. L. Nandakumar, Superintending Engineer (Roads, Works & Bridges), Greater Chennai Corporation, outlined the various processes adopted in Chennai to build public support for better streets. In addition, he also detailed out the construction and implementation challenges faced in Chennai and how these were resolved. Subsequent discussions saw active participation from the visiting delegation, who provided positive feedback on this program.

Learnings from these site visits and discussions will directly contribute to the street design processes underway in Coimbatore, where important streets like DB Road, TV Swamy Street, NSR Road, Sanganoor Road, Race Course Road and Masakalipalayam Road are to be redeveloped at an estimated cost Rs. 26 crore. 

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DB Road in Coimbatore (left) is proposed to be redeveloped into a pedestrian-friendly street with wide, continuous footpaths (right).

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Pune, Coimbatore and Chennai Selected as India’s ‘Smart Cities’

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Pune, Coimbatore and Chennai have been making huge progress creating sustainable cities. Each has made great strides in recent years, laying the groundwork for even bigger changes to come. Thanks to their demonstrated commitment to act, in addition to well-developed plans for next steps, all three have been selected for the first round of India’s national Smart Cities Mission.

Right now, experts predict that about 25-30 people are migrating every minute to major Indian cities from rural areas in search of better livelihood and better lifestyles. It is estimated that by 2050, Indian cities will house nearly 843 million people. This massive increase in population will put incredible pressure on India’s cities, requiring new infrastructure for transportation, energy, and safety. To address these imminent issues, the Government of India has allocated Rs 48,000 crore to create the Smart Cities Mission, a programme dedicated to helping cities invest in sustainable infrastructure and growth.

As part of the Smart Cities Mission, these three selected cities (see the full list here) have each proposed to invest over 600 Crore rupees in sustainable transport projects. By pegging this money to tangible, area-based improvements, these cities have a clear plan to transform over the next 5 years, bringing widespread socio-economic benefits to a large section of society. ITDP is proud to have partnered with Pune, Coimbatore, and Chennai to chart out their sustainable paths for the future.

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. In the twin cities of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, ITDP helped implement the Rainbow BRT, incorporating best practices in BRT planning and design. ITDP has been instrumental in helping Chennai adopt a Non-Motorized Transport Policy and overseeing its implementation through street design and engaging with citizens through initiatives like car-free Sundays. In Coimbatore, the Namma Kovai Namakke (Our Coimbatore Ourselves) campaign, initiated by ITDP, sparked citizen demand for better pedestrian facilities, all of which formed the groundwork for the Smart City proposals developed by these cities.

In the next 5 years, Pune aims to increase the mode share of public transport from 18 percent to 50 percent by augmenting its bus fleet and improving bus services using Intelligent Traffic Management Systems (ITMS). The city also aims to expand its high quality BRT network by 30 km and improve access to transit by creating 75 km network of footpaths and cycle tracks.

To facilitate easy interchange between Rainbow BRT and other buses, a transit hub is proposed at Anudh Baner Balewadi, Pune, along the lines of the Kiwale terminal pictured above.

In keeping with its NMT policy, Chennai aims to develop ‘Complete Streets’ and build footpaths to cover 80% of its major roads. A city-wide cycle sharing system with 3000 cycles and an IT-based parking management system are also expected to give a major thrust to walking and cycling while restricting private vehicle use.

Better NMT facilities are proposed in T. Nagar, a commercial and retail hub of Chennai.

Non-motorised transport is a key focus for Coimbatore as well, where the city aims to create NMT infrastructure along 75 percent of its primary and secondary road networks before 2020. A 30 km network of greenways connecting major lakes in the city is expected to improve quality of open space for its residents. The city also aims to increase mode share of public transport from 42 percent to 60 percent by modernising and expanding public bus services.

Congratulations to these cities, and all the selected Smart Cities, for the exciting work preparing India’s cities for a more sustainable, brighter future.

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Coimbatore’s car-free Sundays spark demand for better pedestrian facilities

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Over the last four months, as more than one lakh citizens have stepped into the streets on car-free Sundays transforming the city’s thoroughfares into vibrant public spaces, Coimbatore residents have started strongly calling for better pedestrian facilities in the city. The dramatic success of Coimbatore’s car-free Sundays has proved that there is demand for pedestrian infrastructure, and has encouraged civic authorities to begin implementing more permanent changes on ground. As a first step, the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) has begun—redesigning and construction of city’s main roads with wider footpaths. In addition, the city plans to expand the car-free event to other areas such as Race Course Road.

Coimbatore’s car-free Sunday has been a huge success, and is bringing the city national attention. The comprehensive effort by CCMC was recently honored with the Best Project Award, Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) category, by India’s National Ministry of Urban Development. The national award was received by CCMC Commissioner K Vijayakarthikeyan at the Eighth Urban Mobility India Conference and Expo, 2015 held at New Delhi. Of the 40 cities that sent in entries, Coimbatore emerged the winner, recognizing both the success of the program and it’s potential to be replicated in cities across India

For decades, transport planning in India has focused on improving conditions for private vehicles at the expense of safe footpaths and cycling facilities. However, in most Indian cities at least a third of all daily trips are made by foot or cycle. In Coimbatore, rapid urbanisation is placing increasingly high pressure on the existing infrastructure. Until recently, the response to these pressures has been to widen roads and propose more flyovers, while the welfare of pedestrians and cyclists was often overlooked.

Fortunately, the success of car-free Sunday is transforming this paradigm. By creating a new platform for citizens to assert their right over the city’s public spaces, the program is sparking interest in better footpaths and safer streets. The initiative, which brought together other partners including Coimbatore City Police, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, the Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore (RAAC) and the Times of India, helped generate the political backing for a comprehensive programme of pedestrian improvements.

Recently, the Coimbatore Council approved redesigning 13 km of streets in the city with wide and continuous footpaths. Gathering architects for the design of these streets is already in progress, and ITDP India will continue to play a role in the process. The Corporation is also creating a network of greenways along the city’s water bodies. Work is in progress on walkways along Perur Lake, while the edges of Ukkadam-Valan Kulam lake are being cleaned and beautified. Besides the construction of new footpaths, the Corporation has also set a goal of building raised pedestrian crossings outside 80 schools and redesigning two intersections for improved safety by August 2016.

(Left) Existing and (Right) Proposed pedestrian facilities on DB Road, Coimbatore

Car-free Sundays in Coimbatore reclaim only 2km of streets from traffic. However, even this modest beginning has made citizens realise the joy of walking on their streets and empowering them to voice their demand for better pedestrian facilities. With national leaders taking notice and local leaders taking action, Coimbatore’s non motorised future now looks promising. The vision of reclaiming the city for its people—Namma Kovai Namakke—is becoming a reality.

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