Mobility plan for Expanded CMA to roll out by June-end

CHENNAI: The proposed Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for the expanded Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) is well on schedule and the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (Cumta) will release the final plan by the end of June. Cumta is waiting for the election model code of conduct to be lifted to release the draft. “The public will be given enough time to send feedback, after which the final CMP will be released,” an urban development source told DT Next.

CUMTA-appointed consultant, SYSTRA India, is tasked with preparing a plan that will address the mobility needs of the people, support the long-term land use objectives of the third master plan and serve as an input to the strategic planning process.

In 2018, Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) had prepared a comprehensive mobility plan. It covered

only 1,189 sq. km area which is the present CMA. Also, the plan was in the perception of CMRL. Later, a government order was issued to expand the CMA to cover 5,904 sq. km.

The CMP prepared in 2018 envisaged plans for safe and sustainable mobility needs of Chennai over a 30-year horizon period up to 2046.

Earlier, the transport authority held discussions with residents’ associations and line departments for inputs to the plan. Cumta also used the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) dataset on electricity service connections to map existing buildings.

According to the 2018 CMP, more than 57 per cent of the transportation in CMA (1,189 sq. km) will be public transit in 2048 if all of CMP is implemented on time. Also, private transportation would be cut to less than 39 per cent in the next 30 years and the average speed would reach 24 km per hour. To attain these goals, the CMP proposed several projects at Rs 1.61 lakh crore over a period.

The State Housing and Urban Development Department had issued orders to declare MRTS, suburban rail and Metrorail corridors as Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) areas. The orders slashed charges to avail of premium FSI (Floor Space Index) by 50 per cent. The government is expected to increase the FSI along the corridors to allow vertical growth of the city and promote public transportation.

The transport authority has also decided to use drones to map urban infrastructure and services, and carrying capacity in major corridors like Anna Salai and Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) as part of the TOD project.