A comprehensive mobility plan (CMP) for Chennai is on the verge of completion. CMP is an intensive study which will help the city plan its urban mobility challenges for the next 30 years. However, the CMP wasn’t prepared by CMDA but by Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL). Since CMP was mandatory for phase III funding, CMRL took up the task and roped in consultants to complete the plan soon, said official sources.
The report so far appears to be a repetition of the earlier Chennai Comprehensive Transportation Study (CTTS), released in 2010, in terms of strategies adopted. It has not suggested any new approach, a government source said.
“More importantly, it hasn’t discussed the status of proposals suggested in the CTTS and whether projects implemented so far have supported seamless commute or not. For instance, both the plans want Chennai to have more cycle tracks. But look at the status of present tracks near Guindy and Adyar. It is a failure. The new plan should ideally discuss lessons learnt and suggest course correction,” an official said.
Besides this, other government agencies like Metropolitan Transport Corporation were sceptical about data used in presentations made on CMP in inter-departmental meetings so far. “A presentation showed to us suggests that more than 55 lakh passengers use our buses daily. But this was three years ago. Our patronage has reduced to 30-35 lakh per day,” said an MTC official.
CMP presentations suggest an increase in bus frequencies along some uneconomical routes so that more multi-modal integration points will come up. Though it is a good option, MTC’s revenue will take a beating, he added.