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Parking Reimagined: Chennai’s Parking Policy is Paving the Way for Better Streets

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Commuting in Chennai’s streets often feels like a game of Would You Rather?—except that the choices aren’t fun. 

Would you rather drive in circles for 20 minutes looking for a parking spot, only to settle for an informal parking space with an arbitrary fee? Or walk on the roadside, dodging parked bikes and cars, weaving through traffic, and hoping for a safe path? 

In Chennai, these aren’t just hypothetical scenarios, with a population of 15.37 million and 9.2 million registered vehicles, the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) faces a severe parking crunch as there’s nearly two vehicles for every three people in the city. A driver struggling to park in a narrow lane, while a pedestrian—with an elderly companion or child—undertaking challenging obstacles on a short 500-meter walk, dodging haphazard parking one side and speeding vehicles on another- are common scenes we all encounter. 

Sadly, neither choice makes the city easy to move around and aren’t working for anyone, just like how a would-you-rather game has no correct response. 

But can the new parking policy and on-ground parking management be the answer, that can lead to a win-win situation for everyone using the street?  
 
That’s exactly what Chennai has set course for. This year, the city took a historic step toward better parking management by launching a progressive Parking Policy for the entire 5,904 sq. km of the Chennai Metropolitan Area, which includes four corporations – Chennai, Tambaram, Avadi, Kancheepuram, 12 municipalities, 13 town panchayats, 22 panchayat unions and one special grade town panchayat. The policy was developed by the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA), which will not only plan, design and strategise, but also oversee its implementation and monitoring. 

Since April 2022, ITDP India has been a key technical partner, supporting CUMTA in shaping this landmark policy.  

Stakeholder Meeting with GCC and GCTP in September 2022

This policy not only addresses the city’s growing parking challenges through area-level parking plans, Travel Demand Management measures, but also brought together key stakeholders—including Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), Avadi and Tambaram Corporations, Traffic Police, Highways, and Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA)—through extensive consultations. 

CUMTA’s Parking Policy: Transforming Urban Mobility  

CUMTA’s newly adopted Parking Policy 2025 is more than just a set of regulations—it’s a transformative approach to managing limited parking space efficiently, reducing congestion, and improving mobility. Here’s a look at its key highlights of the policy: 

1. Managing parking at the area level and creating neighbourhood wide solutions, to prevent spillovers  

What does the policy say?
With the new policy, Chennai is shifting from scattered parking management in isolated streets, to a structured, Area-Level Parking (ALP) Management plan with demand-based pricing, clear regulations, and smart enforcement. The plan allocates parking spots in every street, based on the demand, and uses both ground teams and technology to manage parking efficiently across the neighbourhood. 

Why is it important? 
Managing parking in a few streets isn’t effective and can make the problem worse by causing spillover and more traffic in the adjoining streets. But when we look at a whole area and its network of streets together, we can address the neighbourhood’s need for parking more effectively. This also ensures that street space is used efficiently and is accessible to all street users. By using a demand-based pricing system, we can discourage unnecessary car/bike use and encourage people to choose more sustainable options, like public transport or cycling. 

Site Visit in Anna Nagar Chennai towards preparation of ALP (CUMTA x ITDP India x Street Matrix)

2. Prioritising Pedestrians, Cyclists, and Public Transport users, Before Parking

What the policy says? 
The policy ensures that the city agencies build safe, continuous footpaths and well-integrated NMT infrastructure. The policy gives precedence to footpath allocation over parking.  The policy ensures that parking space is allocated to a street, only after sufficient footpaths and carriageway space is available.    

Why is it important?
More than 60% of trips starts and ends on foot. Poor footpaths/no footpaths push pedestrians onto carriageways, increasing their exposure to moving vehicles and reducing safety. Presence of NMT infrastructure reduces vehicle dependence, easing parking demand, and optimising street space, ensuring safer, more inclusive streets. This way parking plans will also nudge the city agencies to ensure walkable footpath are available, leading to wider footpath coverage. 

Pedestrian Plaza at T.Nagar with On-Street Parking Management.

3. Demand-Based Dynamic Pricing and Smart Enforcement to Shape People’s Parking Behaviour 

What does the policy say?
Parking rates under the new policy will be dynamic based on the area. It will vary, by vehicle size, location of the parking spot, time of day, and demand. On-street parking will be priced higher than off-street options (government or private MLCPs, parking lots, etc.). This will nudge those wanting to park their vehicles for long term (more than 2 hours) to look for off-street options and allowing the on-street parking lots to be open for short terms users. Prepaid parking will replace postpaid models to encourage planned usage.  
As per the parking policy, enforcement measures will be taken up for the following kind of violations: double parking, parking in no-parking zone, parking on footpath, non-payment of parking fees etc. These violations will be discouraged with the use of technological interventions through sensors, cameras, etc. and on-ground parking teams. 

Why is it important?  
Pricing strategies help manage demand for parking, reduce congestion, and discourage personal vehicle user. Only those willing to pay end up coming in cars and bikes, while the rest may turn to other sustainable options.  
For example, T. Nagar, a bustling commercial area, has a higher parking charge of Rs. 60 per hour for cars, while in other areas, the charge is Rs. 20 per hour.  
In contrast, the proposed parking charges for Anna Nagar are Rs. 40 per hour. These rates have been set based on factors such as, how majority of the people commute while visiting the area, availability of public transport, land use, and considerations for traffic management. 
Enforcement strategies are an important tool for behaviour change. The focus of the policy is to not penalise the violator but discourage the violations. By adding penalties and punitive actions to the violations, people’s parking habits can be modified for the better. 

Comprehensive on-street and off-street parking fee strategy at Pedestrian Plaza at T.Nagar

4. Chennai to take a centralised approach to parking management with a Parking Management Unit (PMU) 

What does the policy say?  
The policy establishes the need for a single authority to manage parking holistically. The Parking Management Unit (PMU) will be this single authority and will function under CUMTA. It will be responsible for planning, pricing, enforcement, and implementation across agencies. 

Why is it important?  
A single authority streamlines decision-making, prevents fragmented implementation across agencies, and ensures consistency in pricing, enforcement, and monitoring. In many other cities, this was a critical reason why parking policies failed to bring the results as expected, as the implementation and enforcement were split among multiple agencies. 

5. Policy allows for Legal & Policy Amendments to other key legislations 

What does the policy say?  
For on-street parking spaces: As per the policy, Traffic Police, Urban Local Body, and Road Owning Agency can pass an official order to delegate parking responsibility and enforcement to CUMTA’s PMU. This will ensure seamless management across agencies.  
For off-street parking spaces: The policy recommends amendments to TNCDBR (Development Control Regulations of TN). This will help redefine how much off-street parking must be made provided in any property development. For example, in areas with high coverage of public transport, the overall number of permissible parking lots is reduced. This follows the concept of parking maximums, to ensure people use the public transport that is easily available and are not dependent on personal vehicles. 

Meeting at CUMTA with CEPT-CRDF (TNCDBR Consultant) in August 2023

Why is it important?
Contextualising the existing legal framework is critical for effective enforcement, regulatory clarity, and integrating parking seamlessly into urban planning frameworks.  As per the current legal framework, the parking management roles are fragmented with Traffic Police and Urban Local Bodies on planning, pricing, implementation and enforcement. The new policy allows CUMTA to take up the responsibility from different agencies and be the sole management unit- through the PMU. 

6. Parking Fee collected from the area to be re-invested back in the area 

What does the policy say?
Surplus parking revenue will be ring-fenced for local improvements, including better footpaths, cycling infrastructure, and public spaces. This approach ensures that the benefits of effective parking management are directly felt by the community, enhancing the quality of life and encouraging more sustainable modes of transport. 

Why is it important?
Unlike traditional models where parking fees is looked at as a general pool of revenue, not linked to any one location, Chennai’s Parking Policy ensures that the revenue collected is re-directed to prioritise improvements in that specific location. 
Currently, the annual parking revenue in Anna Nagar is approximately Rs. 35 lakhs. However, with effective parking management, it is estimated that this could increase to Rs. 3.3 crore per year. This is because, the current practice in Anna Nagar involves pricing per parking slot, rather than, an hourly basis, and not all streets have designated parking slots, resulting in an isolated approach. In contrast, the proposed plan adopts a cluster approach with hourly pricing, ensuring a more organised and efficient system. This revenue will be reinvested into improving Anna Nagar’s mobility, streets, green spaces, etc. 

Future-Proofing Chennai’s Streets

The policy also allows for some future-proof strategies like Urban Freight Management, EV charging integration, Travel Demand Management.

  1.   Urban Freight Management: This is a structured city-level and area-level approach to regulate the  movement of goods. This ensures dedicated loading/unloading zones are allocated on the streets  to reduce congestion and improve last-mile logistics. 
  2.  EV Charging Integration: To ensure that streets can accommodate the growing number of electric vehicles (EVs), the parking policy emphasises the need to integrate both on-street and off-street e-charging infrastructure. By planning for EV charging within parking spaces, the policy supports the shift to cleaner mobility. 
  3. Travel Demand Management (TDM): The policy also allows to create customised strategies for schools, workplaces, and commercial hubs by promoting sustainable commuting options, staggered work hours, and shared mobility to reduce peak-hour congestion.  

How will CUMTA ensure this policy is implemented well and monitored? 

Currently CUMTA has kickstarted the implementation of the policy through Area Level Plan in Anna Nagar. They will roll it out by hiring parking service providers who will manage collection of fees, enforcement etc. This will be a pilot intervention, learnings from which will inform future implementation. Since this is a technology driven parking management plan, CUMTA has also initiated the development of a parking app and a centralised command center for monitoring. The implementation of this pilot will be monitored through 14 robust Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).  

Conclusion 

Chennai’s streets, once vibrant corridors of life, now prioritise metal over people. And for years, moving through the city has felt like a never-ending game of Would You Rather?—drive in circles hunting for parking or weave through a maze of parked vehicles on foot. 

The Parking Policy changes that. It doesn’t force citizens to choose between driving and walking or taking public transport. Instead, it ensures that everyone gets their fair share of space on the road. 

This policy isn’t just a document—it’s the end of a bad game and the beginning of a better city. And that’s a milestone worth celebrating. 

By Sangami Nagarajan, Associate Urban Planning,
With Inputs from Venugopal AV, Programme Manager

Edited by Donita Jose

Are Indian Cities Budgeting Enough for Sustainable Transport? The Tale of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad

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(Part 2 of Municipal Budget Analysis Series)

As cities across India gear up to draft their 2025-26 municipal budgets, the question looms: How well are they prioritising sustainable transport this time around? A good way to determine this is by analysing the municipal budget documents published yearly. This is an important exercise, after all, budgets don’t just outline the finances of the city but also reflect their vision. 

In this context, we delve into the findings from a municipal budget analysis of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). While our previous blog focused on PCMC, this one also highlights Pune, posing a key question: How do these twin conjoined cities which share mobility services like the metro, Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) bus system, and interconnect streets, allocate municipal budget to sustainable transport initiatives? 

Budgetary Overview of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad: Neighbouring Cities with Divergent Approaches 

To understand how Pune and PCMC prioritise sustainable transport, it is essential to consider their population, size, and 2024-25 budget allocations. 

Pune, a tier-1 city with 44 lakh Population (Projected for 2024) and 518 sq. km of area, contrasts with Pimpri Chinchwad, a tier-2 city with a population of 25 lakh (Projected for 2024) and one-third the size of Pune. The table below highlights their budget allocations. 

Key Highlights from Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad’s Budgets (2024-25) 

The team meticulously examined the city’s annual budgets for the past three years, scrutinising each line item related to transport and categorising them into ‘sustainable and non-sustainable modes’ of transport. Sustainable modes include projects that encourage walk, cycle, and use of public transport. Non-sustainable modes include items which encourage use of private motor vehicles and prioritise private vehicle movement over other sustainable modes. 

IndicesPunePimpri Chinchwad
Total Budget₹11,601 crore ₹8,676 crore 
Total Transport budget allocation₹2,320 crores (20% of total budget) ₹1,475 crore (17% of total budget) 
Total Sustainable transport budget:  ₹918 crores (~40% of the transport allocations)  ₹818 crores (~55% of the transport allocations) 
Allocations for non-motorised transport ₹351 crores (15% of the transport allocations) ₹459 crores (31% of the transport allocations) 
Allocations for Public transport (Buses and infra) ₹567 crore (24% of the transport allocations) ₹359 crore (24% of the transport allocations) 
2024-25 Budget Highlights

What were the key observations?

The analysis of budgetary allocations reveals contrasting approaches toward urban transport priorities, offering valuable lessons for other cities. 

1. Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad’s allocation for sustainable transport see slight differences  

In 2024-25, PMC and PCMC allocated significant portions of their municipal budgets to transport—₹2,320 crore (20% of total budget) for PMC and ₹1,475 crore (17% of total budget) for PCMC.  

Over the past three years, both cities have consistently spent about 16%-20% of their total budgets on transport initiatives. 

While Pune’s transport budget grew by 40% compared to last year and Pimpri Chinchwad’s by 31%, how they allocated these budgets tells a different story. 

Chart showing the annual trend of the percentage of transport budget allocated under the total municipal budget.

While PMC allocated a higher absolute amount for sustainable transport (₹918 crore vs. ₹818 crore for PCMC), a closer look at the percentage reflects a different reality. Sustainable transport makes up only 40% of Pune’s transport budget, whereas Pimpri Chinchwad allocated 55.5% of its transport budget to sustainable initiatives. 

Chart showing the annual trend of the percentage of transport budget allocated to ‘sustainable mobility’ initiatives by Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad

2. The curious case of missing allocations for cycle tracks in Pune 

The budgets for Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) infrastructure, which includes building footpaths and cycle tracks, were a mixed bag for Pune in 2024.  

The city allocated ₹351 crore for NMT (15% of its overall transport budget). However, what is concerning is that there is no dedicated fund allocated for cycle tracks.  


This is surprising, given that since 2018, Pune has had a dedicated budgetary allocation for building cycle tracks in alignment with the Pune Bicycle Plan (2017), which set an ambitious goal of increasing cycling’s modal share from 3% in 2017 to 25% by 2031. At one stage, PMC allocated ₹75 crore in 2018-19 to gradually declining it to ₹3.3 crore 2023-24. However, this year, there was no dedicated fund towards this. Pune has projects like ‘Pune Streets Program (PSP) which gets dedicated funding every year through which city can develop footpaths and cycle tracks.  

Glimpses of Pune’s vibrant cycling culture. With no sustained and dedicated investment, this community is at risk

In comparison, Pune’s transport budget in 2024 saw a sizeable amount to build more flyovers! ₹93.5 crore is allocated for grade separators, including flyovers, in Pune budget. This marks a concerning trend as flyover are known to only offer temporary relief from congestion. 

On the other hand, Pimpri Chinchwad has adopted a more balanced approach, allocating 31% of its overall transport budget for NMT. They allocated ₹459.4 crore in 2024-25 for NMT. This accounts for 31.1% of Pimpri Chinchwad’s overall transport budget—double Pune’s share for NMT.  

PCMC has projects like the ‘Urban Streetscapes’ and the ‘Harit Setu’ program which gets dedicated funding every year through which city develops footpaths and cycle tracks. 

In terms of funds for flyover, PCMC has dedicated ₹27.7 crore to flyovers in 2024-25 budgets, which as mentioned above only offers temporary relief from congestion. 

3. Both cities commit VGF for PMPML, but not so committed to allocating for new buses 

In the 2024-25 municipal budget, Pune allocated ₹567 crore, (24% of the transport allocations) towards PMPML bus services while Pimpri Chinchwad allocated ₹358.6 crore (24.3% of transport allocations).  This is the overall allocations for public transport; however, a closer look shows that the majority of this went towards Viability Gap Funding (VGF). 

VGF is a specific component given by both cities to PMPML to operate buses and cover PMPML’s operational costs. As agreed by the cities, this VGF is distributed in specific proportions, with PMC covering 60% of the amount sought by PMPML, and PCMC contributing the remaining 40%. 

PMPMPL needs funds beyond VGF to procure new buses

In this context, Pune allocated ₹536.43 crore of the ₹567 crore in 2024-25 as VGF for PMPML. Pimpri Chinchwad provided ₹290.4 crore out of the ₹358.6 crore in 2024-25 as VGF for PMPML. These budget allocations are to keep the service afloat for day-to-day operations.  

However, the budget allocation for new buses and improvement of the Rainbow Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) infrastructure, while critical, is negligible.   

PMC set aside just ₹58 lakh while PCMC allocated ₹4.27 crore towards the BRT service improvement and infrastructure.  

4. Both cities dip into central funds  

Beyond municipal budgets, central and state schemes significantly shape urban mobility. 

Both cities maintain separate lists for central and state funds, such as NCAP, AMRUT, and JNNURM. Pune allocated ₹103 crore under NCAP for sustainable mobility, including ₹38 crore for NMT-friendly streets. Pimpri Chinchwad on the other hand, allocated ₹77 crore under NCAP for sustainable mobility, with ₹23 crore for NMT-friendly streets. 

Under the 15th finance commission, both the cities have tapped into national funds. Through these funds, Pune allocated ₹25 crore for last-mile metro connectivity, ₹30 crore for e-bus procurement, and ₹10 crore for six e-bus depots. Pimpri Chinchwad, allocated ₹42 crore for last-mile metro connectivity and ₹12 crore for EV charging stations.  

PCMC took a more integrated budgeting approach for transport related projects, allocating ₹262.5 crore through the Urban Transport Fund (UTF). Of this, 48% was dedicated for NMT and public transport, with the rest for carriageway, and bridges etc. 

With its newly formed Urban Mobility Department, PCMC plans to increase UTF allocations for sustainable transport in 2025-26, reflecting a stronger on sustainable mobility and integration. PMC has had no such dedicated UTF budgets. 

 In a Nutshell

Overall, it is evident that Pune, despite a larger allocation for transport than in the previous years in terms of absolute numbers, was not successful in improving their percentage share for sustainable transport.  

PCMC is steadily increasing its investment in sustainable transport, a positive trend that must continue to meet its NMT and public transport goals. Meanwhile, Pune must significantly boost its allocations to reverse its declining trajectory and stay on track with its mobility vision. 

Six key lessons for other cities when developing ‘Annual Municipal Transport Budget’ documents and strategies 

The analysis of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad’s transport budgets reveals critical best practices that other cities can adopt to create effective, transparent, and sustainable urban mobility strategies. Here are six actionable takeaways: 

  1. Uniform format and transparency:  Municipal budgets should follow a consistent, detailed format to track trends and enable comparative analysis. Both Pune and PCMC use uniform budget templates annually, making it easier to track allocations. They also stand out as cities that publish budget documents online each year in local/regional languages. 
  2. Follow a detailed template consistently: Cities should use detailed templates for project-wise budget allocations instead of lump sums. This improves transparency by listing total project costs, yearly allocations, and expenditures, ensuring accountability. Both Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad follow project-based budgeting. Pune traditionally allocates funds under initiatives like road safety, pedestrian policy, and bicycle tracks, while Pimpri Chinchwad focuses on programmes like Harit Setu, Urban Streetscapes, and the Parking Policy.  
  3. Align transport budgets with city goals: Municipal budgets allocations should reflect/align with the transport goals identified in the city’s plans and policies. Regular sustainable transport budget analysis help identify shortcomings, while providing opportunities for course corrections. 
  4. Ensure a diverse revenue streams: Cities should diversify revenue sources, including land value capture, revenue from parking management, international sources, and even municipal bonds, if possible, to reduce reliance on state or central allocations. This ensures consistent funding for transport projects boosting the municipal allocations. Both cities are looking at Municipal bonds for funding mobility projects. PCMC has also participated in national and international competitions for fetching additional funding.  
  5. Create dedicated budget heads for priority projects: Cities should establish dedicated budget heads for priority sustainable transport projects, like implementing footpaths, junction improvement, bus augmentation, bus infra upgradation, etc. Part of the allocation should be for implementation of policies and plans, research, capacity development of staff, road safety initiatives, etc. Each project should have a clear line item in the budget. This approach ensures targeted and continuous funding and ensures accountability. 

The budget analysis of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad tells a clear story that while these twin cities share mobility networks, their financial commitments to sustainable transport differ significantly. This will eventually reflect in the way they set out to achieve their sustainable transport goals. 
 
As cities across India prepare their 2025-26 municipal budgets, ensuring a consistent and transparent approach to transport funding will be key to creating accessible, efficient, and sustainable urban mobility. After all, where cities put their money today will shape how people move tomorrow. 

Written by Pranjal Kulkarni, Programme Manager- Healthy Streets and Compact Cities, Rutuja Nivate, Associate, Urban Development, and Siddhartha Godbole, Senior Associate- Urban Development

Edited by Donita Jose, Senior Associate Communications

A Marathon, Not a Sprint — Lessons from India’s Walking and Cycling Challenges

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As published in the Sustainable Transport Magazine

As we close the chapter on two of India’s landmark mobility initiatives, the India Cycles4Change (C4C) and Streets4People Challenges (S4P), there is much to celebrate from this transformative four-year journey. Four years is also the time it takes to prepare for the Olympics, and just as the world has witnessed the spirit of the 2024 Paris Summer Games, these efforts share many things in common. Just like Olympic athletes need consistent training and resources to shine on the global stage, Indian cities received continuous support and guidance to shine throughout these Challenges. With help from national and local experts, they built a network of partners, engaged with their community, and strengthened their capacity through open dialogue and collaboration, ensuring they had everything they needed to create safer and more accessible streets for all. 

In 2020, India’s Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), and ITDP India collaboratively launched the India Cyles4Change and Streets4People Challenges with a vision to transform Indian cities with improved walking and cycling infrastructure. Many of India’s streets have become increasingly dangerous for the most vulnerable, with pedestrians accounting for 20% of road fatalities in 2022, according to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. This is a staggering 32,800 lives lost. Also, India’s air pollution and quality ranks among the worst in the world. To combat this, we need more people to choose walking and cycling over private vehicles where possible. Cities must create a safer and more conducive environment for both new and existing pedestrians and cyclists for this shift to happen.  

However, at the onset of the two Challenges, the team began to realize that expecting quick on-ground transformation was fairly ambitious. While 117 cities signed up for the Challenges, they were all at different points in their journeys, with respect to their understanding of sustainable mobility, resources, infrastructure, geography, and institutional ecosystems. Even though this was a friendly and healthy competition, fairness would be compromised if the participants started from different points. Thus, the team went back to the drawing board and changed the rules of the game itself. It was no longer just about the scale of on-the-ground transformations; equally important would be promoting the dialogue around walking and cycling, improving community engagement, and building a stronger foundation for capacity building and institutional reform. Over the next few years, these programs became a marathon, rather than a sprint. 

The Streets4People Challenge reimagined city streets as places for civic engagement. Image: Smart Cities Mission / ITDP India


The government and ITDP India began by channeling the focus on three aspects that ensured our efforts were sustained throughout the four years. One, by creating an ecosystem of champions from city leaders to local communities for support; two, by encouraging cities to engage with citizens to get their buy-in at the onset; and three, by building their technical capacities at regular intervals in the most innovative way possible.  The true success of these Challenges came from lasting lessons that have set the cities on a course for change for years to come.

At the beginning of the Challenges, cities were required to pilot interventions locally and gather community feedback before making them permanent interventions. Many successfully implemented changes using tactical urbanism to test designs that could be adjusted based on how people engaged with spaces. For instance, the city of Kohima transformed an old parking lot into a vibrant community space for pedestrians and cyclists, featuring food vendors, pop-up seating, colorful artwork, and new landscaping. They also programmed street carnivals and engagement activities to activate the community within the space. Some cities that lacked such expertise connected with support from partners such as civil society organizations, design experts, resident groups, and cycling advocates. The success of these partnerships underscored the importance of creating local communities of champions as knowledgeable stakeholders who could guide cities through the design and implementation process, ensuring that efforts were both sustainable and impactful. 

While this was happening at the city-level, a burgeoning ecosystem was also taking shape at the national level with these Challenges. The commitment to promoting active mobility had full support from the national Ministry, driven by strong leadership that believed in the cause. It became evident that many city leaders were inspired to become champions after seeing the dedication of the Ministry. The national ecosystem was further strengthened by the collaboration with organizations  like ITDP India, which played a crucial role in providing technical expertise. This guaranteed that, while cities had the financial and national support to implement the Challenges, they could also benefit from strong technical guidance to ensure their concerns were addressed throughout the process.  

Of course, no best practice can be formed without citizen and  public engagement. Cities initially faced challenges in motivating their people, shifting perceptions, and breaking stereotypes  
around cycling and walking. Many residents did not view these as practical alternatives to personal vehicles and resistance to streetscape changes made progress challenging. However, as the  
programs progressed, engaging communities in decision-making was crucial to fostering a sense of ownership, leading to greater acceptance and behavior change. Take the city of Davanagere,  
for example. They ran a creative campaign that made cycling ‘cool’ again with themed merchandise, bike rallies, and citywide promotions. Local residents soon embraced cycling en masse,  
rallying behind the vision for safer, more sustainable mobility. That is the power of bringing people along for the ride.

The Cycles4Change Challenge encouraged cities to improve safe, connected cycling infrastructure. Image: Smart Cities Mission / ITDP India

Each city’s own growth remained at heart of this work, which is why building capacity was crucial for the success of these Challenges. Having the right support to build expertise and skillsets for cities was part of a winning strategy. Throughout the Challenges, ITDP India helped host 18 sessions for cities, including national Healthy Streets and Public Spaces workshops in cities like Bengaluru, Chandigarh, and Pimpri Chinchwad, and interactive design clinics for city leaders to receive input from experts. Over 85 toolkits and technical resources on planning, budgeting, and infrastructure were developed and disseminated during these workshops.

To make capacity building even more engaging, ITDP India also introduced an innovative game during these workshops. This fun and interactive approach helped city leaders learn how to  
develop a Healthy Streets Plan, map out a multi-year action plan, and identify key interventions in three crucial areas: action, foundation, and communication. This ‘gamification’ strategy  
helped the leaders immerse themselves in a hands-on learning experience, moving beyond traditional presentations to explore the complexities of sustainable mobility. 

By January 2024, 15 cities emerged as leaders, with many others making great strides in changing their streets. Across 33 cities, over 350 kilometers of improved footpaths and more than 220 kilometers of cycle tracks were developed, while 48 cities launched projects to revamp over 1,400 kilometers of streets. Plus, 15 cities adopted Healthy Streets Policies, 18 set up dedicated Healthy Streets groups, and 17 developed their three-year action plans. To top it off, 33 cities formed Apex Committees to keep the momentum going with future collaboration.

As we close the transformative chapter of the Cycles4Change and Streets4People Challenges, these initiatives have set the stage for long-term change nationwide. Success was not merely about achieving quick wins; it was about laying the groundwork for resilience by mainstreaming dialogues, building capacity, and fostering an ecosystem of walking and cycling champions.

Like coaches preparing a team for victory, the Ministry and ITDP India helped lay a solid foundation for scaling walking and cycling options across India. Now, it is important for the national government to capitalize on this momentum by allocating more budgets and strengthening policies and institutional reforms in favor of safe, equitable streets for everyone. Let the next  Challenge begin!  

Written by Kashmir Medhora Dubhash, Senior Programme Manager – Communications, Partnerships and Development

Technical inputs Smritika Srinivasan, Senior Associate – Urban Development

Are Indian Cities Budgeting Enough for Sustainable Transport? A Case from Pimpri Chinchwad

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(Part 1 of Municipal Budget Analysis Series)

Annual municipal budgets shape how the city’s resources- the taxpayers’ money- are allocated to shape the city and in turn serve its residents. However, the question arises: do the city’s annual budgets reflect investments in mobility for cleaner air and congestion-free streets, which have been challenging for most cities? Such budget allocations are even more critical for rapidly urbanising Indian cities. 

Pimpri Chinchwad is one of India’s fastest-growing tier-2 cities. Through its ambitious policies, plans, and projects, Pimpri Chinchwad has been actively striving to build a robust sustainable urban mobility system in the city.  Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s (PCMC) bold policies, including the Non-Motorised Transport Policy (2021) and Pune Metropolitan Region’s Comprehensive Mobility Plan (2018), aim for 90% of trips to be made by walking, cycling, or public transport by 2036. PCMC also aims to reduce private vehicle trips by 18%, focusing on a fair distribution of road space between all users and a shift towards sustainable urban transport modes such as walking, cycling, and public transport. However, as per Parivahan data, with nearly 90 vehicles per 100 residents, congestion, road safety, and air quality remain major challenges.  

PCMC is well aware of this alarming figure and is making every effort to address it. With the further expansions of the existing 54 km of Bus Rapid Transit and the 7 km of Metro, along with 16 km of suburban rail, and more than 100+ km of redesigned healthy streets, the city is reshaping how people move.  

While in the last decade, the city has made strides with its sustainable transport initiatives, how can we ensure it remains committed to creating safer streets, reducing congestion and improving air quality? 

One key indicator of the city’s commitment to its sustainable transport goals is how much allocation of the municipal funds goes to various transport modes, especially the sustainable ones – walking, cycling, and public transport.  

PCMC collaborated with ITDP India to analyse the city’s annual budget allocations from 2022-23 to 2024-25 (across a period of three years) focusing on mobility projects in the city. In June 2024, ITDP launched the ‘PCMC Municipal Budget Analysis Report’ capturing the insights from this research project. 

Why was the study conducted?

The study was conducted to gain a nuanced understanding of historical budget allocation trends, assess current allocation patterns, and identify gaps and opportunities for future provisions towards urban mobility. It aimed to establish a detailed report of funding requirements through projections and provide informed recommendations to enhance the upcoming annual mobility budget allocations. Additionally, this study was undertaken in response to the lack of such detailed case studies in India, highlighting the need for more structured approaches to urban mobility budgeting and planning. 

How did we do it?

The team meticulously examined the city’s annual budgets for the past three years, scrutinising each line item related to transport and categorising them into ‘sustainable and non-sustainable modes’ of transport. Sustainable modes include projects that encourage walk, cycle, and use of public transport. Non-sustainable modes include items which encourage use of private motor vehicles and prioritise private vehicle movement over other sustainable modes. 

What were the key observations?

1. Transport allocations inching towards its sustainable transport goals 

With a total municipal budget of ₹8,676 crore, PCMC has one of the highest per capita budgets allocated in the state. In 2024-25, 17% (₹1475.4 crore) of the annual budget was allocated to transport– an increase in proportion to the overall increase in municipal budget as compared to the previous year. Additionally, over half of the current transport budget is now allocated to sustainable transport infrastructure, up from 48% (₹540 crore) to 56% (₹818 crore) as compared to the previous year. 

Graph showing an upward trend in PCMC’s annual transport allocations, along with the sustainable and non-sustainable allocation split 

2. Significant increase in allocation towards walking-cycling infrastructure 

The non-motorised transport (NMT) budget allocation of ₹439.7 crore accounts for more than half of the sustainable transport budget and one-third of the entire transport budget! As compared to the previous years, the city has more than doubled its allocation towards NMT from ₹217.9 crore in 2023-24 to ₹439.7 crore in 2024-25 which is a move in right direction. This shift is mainly due to the allocations for the ambitious ‘Harit Setu’ project that aims to make PCMC a 15-minute walking-cycling neighbourhood city and ‘Urban Streetscapes Programme’ (USP). In addition, this also includes allocations for initiatives like cycle sharing systems, parking management, and maintenance of infrastructure. 

Sankey graph showing the detailed transport allocations for the year 2024-25

However, PCMC needs to allocate a similar amount consistently every year towards creation of footpaths and cycle tracks to achieve the goal of 90% of all trips by sustainable modes by 2036. This budget will support the transformation of 25 km of major streets and 100 km of minor streets each year. Only by maintaining this aggressive pace, can PCMC systematically transform its streets over time and move closer to achieving the NMT Policy’s targets. 

3. Need for more investment in public transport 

While there have been significant efforts to improve walking and cycling, there is a gap in funding for more public buses. There is still a need to make buses more accessible to everyone. The city funds its public bus system by providing Viability Gap Funding (VGF) to the city’s transport undertaking – Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML). However, the city’s budget allocation for buses has seen a slower increase, rising from ₹231 crore in 2022-23 to ₹359 crore in 2024-25 for buses over the four years. According to PMPML’s Vision 2027, the city currently has around 26 buses per lakh population, which is half of the national guideline of 60 buses per lakh population and an exponential increase is needed to meet these goals. In addition to the operational expenditures, PCMC needs to allocate an estimated ₹730 crore annually to achieve target bus fleet of 2850 size (as per the recommended MoHUA standards) by 2030. 

Comparative chart showing the non-sustainable and public transport allocation trends 

4. Car-centric investments still dominate the budget 

As one of the fastest-growing cities, Pimpri Chinchwad has also prioritised the development of new streets to ensure connections to the new villages. As a result, the private motor-vehicle-centric road expenditure is reasonably high. It is critical for such cities to ensure this new development is equitable and caters to the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport. The allocation of budget for car-centric infrastructure, such as flyovers and multi-level car parks, is consistently high. At ₹657 crore, PCMC is allocating twice as much for non-sustainable transport than that for public transport. Surprisingly, some programs, like Sustainable Urban Transport Projects (SUTP) and Urban Transport Funds (UTF), earmarked for sustainable development have budgetary provisions for car-centric projects. A 100% of the ₹4.5 crore under SUTP and 51.6% of the ₹262.5 crore under UTF are allocated towards non-sustainable transport projects like carriageway and flyover development. 

In a Nutshell

The substantial doubling of funding for walking and cycling projects highlights PCMC’s commitment to its NMT Policy goals. However, public transport remains underfunded with a visible shortfall of buses and a dire need for improved quality of service in the city. On the contrary, car-centric projects continue to receive disproportionately high funding. To achieve its goals, PCMC should not only increase funding for sustainable transport initiatives but also simultaneously reduce the allocations for high-value car-centric infrastructure. This can be achieved through reallocation of existing budgets towards sustainable transport projects. 

The study also provides recommendations for a sustainable transport-focused budget, exploring innovative revenue sources like parking management, municipal bonds, national and international grants. It also emphasises the need to consistently allocate budgets for walking, cycling, and public transport projects to help PCMC maintain its status as a leader in sustainable transport in India.  

Since presenting the findings at the Smart Cities Mission’s National Conference in January 2024, the team has also been focusing on helping cities with securing additional funding through this data-driven approach. In the next blog in the series, we’ll take a deep dive into the process of the budget analysis including methodology, limitations, and the challenges faced while conducting the study. Stay tuned! 

Written by Donita Jose, Senior Associate Communications

Edited and technical inputs by Rutuja Nivate, Associate- Urban Development and Pranjal Kulkarni, Programme Manager – Healthy Streets and Compact Cities

Learning from Play: Designing an Urban Street Design Game (Part 2) 

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For everyone who thinks managing urban transport is serious business, and not fun and games, we are back to say it can be both! 

A few months ago, we wrote a blog on how to design an urban transport game. In the blog, we captured our learnings of gamifying the process of developing long-term plans for Healthy Streets. We did this so others can learn from the process and build on it. Well, this is our way of giving back, having learned from and built upon the expertise and experience of many other organisations in this field.  

This is another such attempt to document our journey with a new game – Getting Your Street Design Right. In this blog, we elaborate on how we gamified the process of developing good street designs. 

This game was played on 31st May, 2024, with 70 engineers of Greater Chennai Corporation at an inter-departmental workshop. Here’s how it was developed.

Engineers from the Greater Chennai Corporation playing the game during the Inter-departmental workshop

Drawing Inspiration from Experts

In our quest to strategise the next game on getting street design right, we came across Global Designing Cities Initiative’s (GDCI) work. In 2023, GDCI hosted an interactive workshop with nearly 40 participants from Renca and Cerrillos (municipalities in Chile). During this workshop, city officials redesigned an intersection using puzzle pieces that represented key street sections such as bus lanes, cycle tracks, curb extensions for play, commerce, and pedestrian crossings. What a great idea! Inspired by their approach and drawing from our own experience, we started out designing our next game.

Crafting a Clear Intent

Having designed multiple games and hands-on exercises in the past, we knew that getting our intent right was key to designing this game. Street design is a vast subject, and with limited time, we had to focus on specific areas and key takeaways for the participants—the city engineers. Here’s what we wanted them to take away from the game:

  1. Grasp the basics of street design – Our participants were city engineers who were familiar with street design. However, they needed guidance on the right principles that would make their projects more impactful and long-lasting. Hence, we decided to focus on the basics, which could then be incorporated even in their ongoing projects for better impact.  
  2. Understand the reasoning behind the standards – Simply sharing information was not enough. Without understanding why certain street design standards are recommended, there’s always resistance to change. Hence it was necessary to establish the reasoning through the game, making it easier to grasp.
  3. Foster collaboration across departments – Different departments involved in street design have their own perspectives and processes. It was important to bring them together and get them to collaborate.  

In short, we designed the game to simplify street design while making it fun, insightful, and collaborative.  

Establishing Gaming Principles 

To understand the design of street elements—footpaths, carriageway, landscaping, bus stops, street furniture, utilities, etc.—better, we wanted participants to explore redesigning a street. With this as the base, we structured the game on the following principles: 

  • Allow for mistakes and fixes – We wanted the participants to see how their current approach to street design wasn’t effectively addressing on-ground challenges. Hence, the game was structured in two rounds—one, where they design the street as usual, and two where they rectify their design based on the best practices. 
  • Evaluate the design and learn – To get participants to fix their designs, we needed them to understand the design gaps and why it was considered so. For this, we introduced a design evaluation round for them to understand the reasoning behind the street design standards.  
  • Reward players – It was established up-front that this game would have no winners. But where’s the fun in that? To keep the excitement going and to celebrate the teams for getting some aspects of street design right, we introduced badges! Each badge represented a key element to street design and winning that badge meant they designed that element well. Each team needed to win all six badges to unlock a “Healthy Streets Badge”.
The different kind of badges awarded to the participants after each round of play

Detailing the Game

From our past experience, playing the game in groups, especially smaller ones, is most effective to hear different ideas. We decided to play this game in groups of 6-8 participants, creating an interactive approach for participants to learn by doing. Here’s how the game played out:

1. The Playing Board

We started by creating a fictional street, Malgudi Salai (Malgudi Street, in Tamil) and developed a plan view of an 80m stretch of this street, on the playing board. To keep it as realistic as possible, we depicted broken footpaths, varying carriageway widths, parking encroachments, large intersections, etc. on the playing board. Common pedestrian issues were also identified on the board to make it easier for the participants to understand the context and resolve them through design. 

2. Context Sheets

To help participants visualise the street , we developed additional information for Malgudi Salai. We included street photographs (of streets with similar character), land-use, and it’s location in the city.  

A sample of the context sheets provided to the participants
A sample of the context sheets provided in the form of photos

3. The Game Pieces

The elements of street design were our game pieces. Since we wanted players to learn from their mistakes, we developed the street elements of varying dimensions, including some that did not meet standards. This way the players had a variety of pieces of the same street element to choose from. We were also curious to know which ones they would pick in an ideal design scenario.

A list of street-element cutouts handed over to the participants as game pieces

4. The evaluation matrix and characters

To make the game more engaging, we introduced two fictional pedestrian characters—Thangavel, a person with disability, and Kamala, a caregiver—who frequently used Malgudi Salai. Through their journey, we highlighted specific street issues, such as Thangavel struggling to navigate a broken footpath with his wheelchair. These scenarios helped participants understand the street issues from the characters’ perspectives. We shared an evaluation matrix which helped the teams evaluate their designs, keeping in mind the needs of Thangavel and Kamala. The evaluation matrix was a set of questions to check if a particular street design element was designed correctly. 

The two game characters and a sample of the evaluation sheet

5. The right process

After the players designed the street and evaluated their designs, it was time to fix it. For this, they needed guidance on best practice of street design. So, before the teams modified their designs, we provided a step-by-step guide on how to redesign their streets. This was followed by another round of evaluation, and then the awarding of the Healthy Streets Badges.  

Rolling out the Game 

The capacity-building workshop had representatives from departments including the Bus Route Roads, Stormwater Drains, and Special Projects, along with Zonal engineers. We split them into groups of 10, making sure each group had representatives from different departments.  
 
And then, game on! The team dived right into Round 1, working together to come up with a design solution for Malgudi Salai. We witnessed participants engage in healthy debates over minimum standards of the street elements.  
 
After 15 minutes of play, the designs were complete and then came the moment of truth—the evaluation and handing over of badges. All groups got a minimum of two aspects of street design right, qualifying for atleast two badges. However, since they did not incorporate all elements of street design, they did not qualify for the Healthy Streets badge. This quickly made them realise that just fixing one or two aspects of the street doesn’t yield the impact they expect.  We eventually informed them that they had an opportunity to win the Healthy Streets badge in Round 2 by following a secret recipe! The energy in the room shifted—they were now pumped to pay attention to the guidance (the secret recipe) we provided on the right street design practices.  

As the participants worked on Round 2, following the guidance provided, they even remembered to add access ramps for Thangavel’s wheelchair, without our nudges! They also realised that by making small modifications to their approach, like starting off with identifying the centreline of the street and fixing uniform carriageway widths, they were able to accommodate wider pedestrian infrastructure. They could do all this without compromising on other elements.  

As a result, all teams qualified for a Healthy Streets badge by following the not-so-secret-anymore recipe! The players actively referred to the evaluation matrix and the guidance to ensure they got their designs right. This went on to show us that even a simple game like this can be so impactful.  

Glimpses from the game play at the workshop

Conclusion 

Just like our game play in 2023, we once again saw how powerful and transformative games can be. The process of developing the game and especially the positive response of city officials to the game makes us hopeful about the future of streets in our cities. Through such continued engagements, we hope to make Healthy Streets a reality and enable our cities to create impactful transformations on the ground. 

We leave you with this – there is hope for the streets in our cities. The game is far from over. 

Written by Smritika Srinivasan, Senior Associate – Urban Development

Edited by Donita Jose, Senior Associate – Communications

Compact Cities: Pathways Toward India’s Sustainable Mobility Journey

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We’re happy to have hosted a roundtable discussion on ‘Compact Cities: Pathways towards India’s Sustainable Mobility Future’ at the 16th Urban Mobility India 2023 Conference, organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Institute of Urban Transport (India).

Moderated by Aswathy Dilip, Managing Director, ITDP India, the roundtable sparked an insightful conversation with key decision-makers and experts who stressed the importance of fostering collaboration between various departments to adopt a comprehensive and interdisciplinary strategy aimed at developing cities that are compact, electrified, and sustainable.

Check out this infographic blog for a detailed overview of the session and the main insights from the speakers:

Conceptualized and Designed by Varsha Jeyapandi
With Inputs from Keshav Suryanarayanan

Healthy Streets Capacity Development Workshop 2 – Chandigarh

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Conceptualized and Designed by Varsha Jeyapandi
With Inputs from Keshav Suryanarayanan, Aishwarya Soni

ParkItRight

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An infographic blog

Conceptualized and Designed by Varsha Jeyapandi
Technical Inputs from Parin Visariya, Bala Nagendran

ITDP India Programme: A Decade of Impact

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Infographic Blog

“All urban residents of Indian cities should have access to jobs, education, and recreation through means of mobility that are safe, affordable, resource-efficient, environment-friendly, and accessible to all.”

Over the last 20 years, the ITDP India Programme has worked with nearly 40 cities across the country to make this vision a reality, impacting the lives of millions. 

We celebrate the completion of a glorious decade of work, and welcome a new one with renewed excitement and anticipation of the possibilities ahead. 

Designed by Keshav Suryanarayanan

Conceptualised by Aishwarya Soni, Keshav Suryanarayanan