Blogs

Residing in an Indian metro, not a single day passes without encountering delivery staff on their rounds, delivering everything from food to electronics. E-commerce companies, both Indian and foreign, have their delivery staff zip through our streets from morning until midnight.

From being a signatory to the Brasilia Declaration in 2015 to reaffirming its commitment to reducing road crash induced injuries and fatalities by 50 percent under the United Nations’ Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, India has been taking a raft of initiatives to improve road safety. Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Transport and Highways in a recent press conference on making vehicles safer highlighted that India has been consistently working on the 4 Es of road safety viz.

Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, is one of the fastest-growing metropolitans in the country. The growing population and city expansion has stressed the existing infrastructure, especially the transport systems. The transport sector needs to be planned to cater to the existing needs and meet the future demands of the growing population by taking into account the changing travel patterns .

Looking at Chennai's roads, one would wonder if the roads in Indian cities are designed only for motorised vehicles. Two wheelers and four wheelers account for 90% of the total vehicle fleet pushing users of public transport, pedestrians and cyclists to the margins even though the majority of trips are made by them.

There have been reports of high impact crashes after the first Covid-19 lockdown was lifted as people started moving again. High impact crashes bring into focus the minimum safety systems that one must use while travelling in a vehicle. It is the helmet in case of a two wheeler and seat belt in case of a car. However these safety equipment do not take into account the needs of children. 

Lack of sensitivity towards child safety

For years my commute in whichever part of the world I have been in, has been by public transit. Even on holidays, I use public transit. You can actually manage to figure it out ahead of time (the Internet is a wonderful thing!). But somehow I hadn’t really thought about cycling as a commute option, not since college anyway! 

Back in the saddle

Covid 19 has been an upheaval of epic proportions in recent memory. It has impacted people's lives to an extent that no one would have imagined.

Covid-19 has affected our mobility in a drastic manner. While there is a considerable reduction in road crashes in the short term, there could be delay in implementing the increased penalties and also reduction in investment on road infrastructure in the long term. This is also the time to re-look at our national priorities that must include healthcare for all, transportation, and livelihood so that we are ready when the next calamity hits us.

Is Chennai’s public transit beyond help? How hard is it to navigate? Sumana takes a bus, train, and metro to understand what ails the system and challenges you to take the 30 day Public Transit Challenge