The Hindu 07.01.2010
Proposals for improving road safety submitted
Staff Reporter
— Photo: M. Karunakaran 
Mayor M.Subramanian inspecting a modified helmet designed by students of Anna University at ‘Chen Safe’ in Chennai on Tuesday. CMDA Member Secretary Vikram Kapur and College of Engineering, Guindy, Dean M.Sekar are in the picture.
CHENNAI: Pointing out that the explosive growth in the number of vehicles has made it extremely difficult for Chennai Corporation to keep pace by providing adequate infrastructure, Mayor M. Subramanian said that construction work on eight flyovers at various locations in the city is currently on.
“The flyover at Perambur junction will be opened for traffic by next month. Various other facilities like the provision of a lift at the Road Over-Bridge (ROB) in Nungambakkam will be inaugurated shortly,” he said.
He was speaking on Tuesday at the valedictory session of a two-day seminar on road user safety ‘Chen Safe’ jointly organised here by the College of Engineering, Guindy, and its Alumni Association.
Admitting that there is a lack of adequate infrastructure, Mr.Subramanian added that existing facilities, including ROBs, were not being utilised. “Infrastructure facilities along with proper public participation only can provide lasting solutions. Each citizen must love the city and work for its improvement instead of just leaving it to government authorities.”
As a result of the deliberations which took place at the seminar, 12 proposals for improving safety and traffic management in the city were submitted to the Mayor.
Some of these proposals were to revive traffic engineering and management cells in Chennai Corporation and in Highways Department to look into inadequate geometry of roads, giving pedestrians priority at least in areas where their movements are high, creating a traffic management school in Anna University to train in-service personnel and to relook at the methods used to issue driving licence. Stressing that focus must be on moving people, not vehicles, Vikram Kapur, Member-Secretary, Chennai Metropolitan Development Corporation (CMDA), said “Huge investments have been repeatedly made to cater to the needs of private motorised vehicles. We must not lose sight of the fact that 30 per cent of trips everyday across the city is by non-motorised means, which includes pedestrians and cyclists.”
While infrastructure services such as flyovers and road widening schemes must go ahead, he said, more attention has to be given to measures that make more people use public transport. “Limit the amount of road space available for private vehicles,” he said. Parking fee should be increased and a tax levied on vehicles entering busy commercial districts, he added. He said that authorities must not lose sight of pressing concerns by trying to become a city of grandeur with flyovers, Metro rails and expressways.
