CUMTA
CUMTA TOOLBOX Envisioning the Comprehensive Transport Plan for Chennai
March 2013
CONTENTS Introduction...... 1
Workshop format ...... 1 The Chennai transport system ...... 3 CUMTA as an agent of change for the Chennai region...... 6
Core functions for CUMTA ...... 6 Staffing...... 7 Strategic plan ...... 8 Transportation performance measurement and monitoring ...... 9 Institutional strategy...... 9 Financial management ...... 10 Develop an integrated, high-quality bus and BRT network for the entire city ...... 11
Finance and expand the bus fleet ...... 11 Implement bus rapid transit...... 13 Improve customer experience ...... 16 Integrated fare mechanism ...... 16 Paratransit ...... 17 Improving access to public transport ...... 18
Street design standards...... 18 Non-motorised transport and greenway network ...... 19
Urban design standards ...... 20 Seamless connectivity ...... 21 Management of road space and travel demand ...... 22
Manage on-street parking...... 22 Balance and intensify land uses ...... 23 Off-street parking reform ...... 23 Road pricing ...... 24 CUMTA’s three-year agenda...... 25
Items for immediate action ...... 25 Items for near-term action...... 25 CUMTA after three years ...... 28 What role should CUMTA play in the long term?...... 28 What will be achieved? ...... 29 Conclusion ...... 30
Appendix. Workshop participants…………………………………………………………………………30
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INTRODUCTION
The Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) was created through Tamil Nadu state government legislation in 2010. As per the legislation, the Authority shall oversee, coordinate, promote and monitor the implementation of various traffic and transportation measures including promoting the cause of public mass passenger transport systems and regulating their operations, besides implementation of certain traffic and transportation infrastructure of special nature in the Chennai Metropolitan Planning Area. The Authority shall also act as a coordinating authority in the areas of transport. Further, the Authority is empowered to take decisions on matters that would impinge on transport in the Chennai Metropolitan Planning Area and to also oversee that no steps are initiated by any agencies or local bodies that detract from the overall efficiency of the Comprehensive Transportation Plan.
As the state government prepares to notify CUMTA, the Authority’s key competencies and a path to implement the bill’s stated goals are beginning to take shape. In order to facilitate the activation of CUMTA, a participatory planning workshop was organized over a two-day period (22-23 January 2013) followed by a one-day conference on Unified Metropolitan Transport Authorities in India on 24 January 2013. The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) in collaboration with the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) brought together key traffic and transportation stakeholders from various government agencies, academic institutions, private consulting firms, and non-profit organizations to collaboratively develop a vision and set of core responsibilities for the CUMTA. In this setting, the stakeholders sought to address the mobility needs of all people in the CMA, and worked together to guide the authority in implementing the Chennai Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CCTP).
While there was widespread consensus that high-quality sustainable transport facilities and better integration of land use and transport systems are needed in Chennai, a unified, comprehensive plan of action for CUMTA’s creation must be developed further. Thus, the workshop sought to engage in a dialogue on CUMTA’s organizational role and vision for the Chennai region and to develop specific and viable strategies and actions to achieve short- and long-term outcomes supporting the vision.
Workshop format
The following agencies were represented (or invited) to contribute to the CUMTA workshop:
• Chennai Metropolitan Development Transport Commissioner’s Office Authority • State Highways Department • Corporation of Chennai • State Transport Department • Metropolitan Transportation Corporation • State Finance Department • Chennai Metro Rail Limited • Municipal Administration and Water • Southern Railways Supply Department
• Chennai Traffic Police • Housing and Urban Development Dept. • Academicians • Home Department
• NGOs
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Supporting the process and providing key insights about coordinating regional transportation efforts was the Director of Planning, Surface Transport, Transport for London (TfL), Mr. Ben Plowden. Established by a legislative act in 1999, TfL has helped transform the transport system in Greater London by investing in new transport systems, improving interdepartmental coordination, and garnering public support through outreach and participation. Mr. Plowden’s presentations and general insights on institution building and public transportation agency responsibilities in London pushed the stakeholder discussions and negotiations over CUMTA’s roles in a positive and productive direction.
Figure 1 Workshop Inauguration on Day 1 (top), Workshop focus groups (lower left), and Conference Inauguration on Day 3 (lower right)
The workshop was conducted in the form of four parallel focus group sessions on the following four topics:
I. CUMTA as an agent of change for the Chennai region II. Developing an integrated, high-quality bus and BRT network for the entire city III. Improving access to public transport IV. Management of road space and travel demand
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On the first day, participants of each focus group, with the support of an expert and session moderator, discussed various issues, agreed on common goals, and developed action plans for projects and initiatives to achieve the goals. During the second day of the workshop, the participants’ feedback, suggestions, and project recommendations were reviewed and formatted so that each session could be presented back to
CUMTA executive committee members. Finally, on the day of the conference participant leaders from each session presented the results of their session findings and action plans during the national conference on day 3.
The Chennai Transport System
As background to the group discussions, the workshop organizers compiled some background information on existing patterns and trends in Chennai’s transport system. As per the Chennai Comprehensive Traffic Study (CCTS) prepared by Wilbur Smith Associates in 2008, public transport comprised about 53 per cent of motorised traffic, but this percentage represented a negative trend since 1992-95 (shift of –13 per cent when compared to all modes). This trend is illustrated in Figure 2 below.
Figure 2: Chennai modal shift 1992-95 to 2008
Currently, the CMA supports 26 lakh motorised two wheelers and 6 lakh automobiles. Over the next 5 years, it is estimated that the population of the CMA will increase 16 per cent (from 95 lakh to 110 lakh). Without prioritizing walking, cycling, or public transport, it is likely that the number of personal vehicles will increase along the same trajectory. In this “business as usual” scenario, an additional 12 lakh motorised two-wheelers (8 per cent annual growth) and 2.3 lakh automobiles (7 per cent annual growth) will compete for road space for travel and parking in the CMA. By 2018, the shares of public transport, walking, and cycling will decline, with corresponding increases in the use of personal motorised vehicles. These trends are illustrated in Figure 3. It should be noted that these estimates take into account public transport projects that are already planned or under construction, such as the Chennai metro.
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As per North American estimates, each car requires 40 lane–meters (defined as one linear meter of a lane of traffic) of road space and 12 lane–meters of parking (Litman 2011). We can assume that half of these are sufficient for Indian conditions (20 lane-meters of road space and 6 lane–meters of parking per vehicle).
However, Chennai’s roads are already bursting at the seams. Where will these vehicles go? Following the projected increases in vehicles per the business as usual scenario, the city will need to construct an additional 13,000 lane-km of roads and provide 4,700 lane-km of parking spaces to accommodate the increased traffic.
With an estimate of Rs. 2 crore per lane-km of newly constructed road space, Rs. 36,125 crore is required to build this additional infrastructure. To put this figure in perspective, compared to the Rs. 5 lakh that the average Chennai family will spend on a new car, the government must spend Rs 6.8 lakh for road space and parking (not accounting for land cost or future maintenance costs).
Beyond the cost of construction, accommodating the additional roads and parking for the new vehicles will require 53 square kilometres (sq km) of land area. Even if the state were to mobilize the resources to construct the additional road space, securing the rights of way will be an immense economic and political challenge for the government. In addition, there would be a significant impact to the overall liveability of the CMA if roads and parking gain comprise additional 5 per cent of its 1,189 sq km. This is a losing game to play.
Workshop participants agreed that CUMTA would need to provide alternatives to reduce the demand for use of private motor vehicles. Key elements in this strategy that were identified in the workshop include a major expansion of the bus fleet, implementation of bus rapid transit (BRT), integration between various public transport modes, improvements in walking and cycling infrastructure, and better management of road space. Together these initiatives can help the region meet the goal outlined in the 2008 CCTS of increasing public transport’s share to 40% of all trips (equivalent to 60% of all motorised trips).
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Figure 3. Mode share trend under the business-as-usual, or “Personal Motor Vehicle Orientation,” scenario (left) and the “Sustainable Transport Orientation” scenario (right).
Figure 4. Mode shares under the “Business as Usual” scenario (left) and “Bus Orientation” scenario (right).
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CUMTA AS AN AGENT OF CHANGE FOR THE CHENNAI REGION
The first focus group at this workshop was concerned with institution building. Participants sketched out CUMTA’s structure and developed a list of organisational responsibilities. At this early stage of its development, CUMTA’s strength is developing CMA-wide, issue-focused agency partnerships. To avoid fragmentation, a strongly defined identity and set of core functions is recommended. This may help the authority maintain a holistic vision while addressing individual issue or concerns raised by specific working groups. It is important that individual focus points not dictate CUMTA’s structure.
Figure 5. CUMTA Conceptual Framework
Conceptually, CUMTA would be seen as managing the following regional partnerships:
• Road Transport includes agencies involved in the provision of bus, paratransit, taxi, and other surface transport services; the provision of infrastructure for walking and cycling; and the efficient management of road space through parking and other road user fees.
• Rail Transport includes agencies providing suburban rail, metro rail, and monorail infrastructure design, delivery, maintenance, and operations.
Core Functions for CUMTA
Participants emphasized that CUMTA should develop internal planning and monitoring capability, to be supported by external experts from time to time. CUMTA will pursue its planning and other activities in close alignment with operations at various line agencies and ensure that key decisions are informed by those responsible for operations at these line agencies, or people with operational experience able to guide the line agencies. CUMTA will be most effective if it functions as a strategic planning and monitoring agency with limited operational responsibility. Operations can be managed by existing or newly created line agencies.
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Figure 6: CUMTA Potential Core Functions
It was proposed that CUMTA’s initial organisational structure include the following core functions:
• Data Analysis and Reporting includes collecting key data from transport agencies, selecting and reporting key Chennai transport performance data (on a regular basis), identifying gaps in existing data sets, commissioning new data sets to fill gaps, and defining key performance metrics and indicators.
• Planning and Strategy includes long-term transport planning and integration with Chennai’s spatial and economic development planning. The key task under this role is to carry out planning so as to ensure delivery of key ‘business’ objectives (such as reducing road casualties or vehicle kilometres travelled by personal motor vehicles). This function should also include the task of coordinating and connecting land use designations and transport developments.
• Funding and Financing includes developing funding and financing strategies, as well as investigating scope for new and additional funding sources for all transport investments.
• Integration is key to CUMTA’s successful contribution to the region. This function ensures integration within “Road Transport Partnership” and “Rail Transport Partnership” and between them, and providing secretariat functions for all partnerships. This function should also include developing intermodal transportation integration plans and design standards, developing an integrated customer information strategy, and develop integrated public transport ticketing strategy.
• Pilot Projects and Program Management includes developing and managing pilot projects and programs (such as bus rapid transit system, parking management, district-wide public realm improvement projects, or multi-modal interchange projects).
• Communications and Engagement includes public relations and stakeholder management (e.g. relations with business community regarding transport), region-wide marketing and promotional campaigns (e.g. road safety, public transport promotions), as well as improving quality and accessibility of customer info.
Staffing
It is essential that CUMTA develop strong internal technical capacity to facilitate coordination between agencies, regulate effective regional planning goals, adequately manage technical contracts and sub-consultants, and manage pilot projects. Internal capacity is needed to ensure that CUMTA is
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not dependent on infrastructure firms bidding on contracts to plan or construct infrastructure to guide the technical decision making process. Thus, it is especially important that CUMTA staff members are able to manage and oversee contracts that are of an extremely technical nature.
Perhaps the most important step in the near-term for building CUMTA’s capacity will be the hiring of its initial set of executives as they will play a defining role during the agency’s start-up phase. Participants agreed CUMTA’s staffing should begin with a small team of high-competence, high-stature positions including the following:
1. Chief Executive Officer (CEO): A Secretary-level IAS officer with high-level understanding of the transport sector, regional planning bodies, and best practices in sustainable transport.
2. Chief Financial Officer (CFO): a technocrat of high stature. An important function of CUMTA will be managing project finance.
3. Chief Operating Officer (COO): a senior professional manager who oversees the day-to- day operations of the organization.
4. Chief Strategy Officer (CSO): Head of strategic and project planning – a technocrat of high stature.
5. Chief Communications Officer (CCO): Head of communications and public outreach.
The first four positions were included in the notes from the CUMTA Executive Committee meeting on 16 July 2012. In addition to these officers, participants emphasized the importance of communications, both in terms of public communications as well as internal communications among regional partners. Transport agencies are obligated to communicate basic information and service changes to their customers—this is an essential piece of any transport service. The designation of a Chief Communications Officer would be necessary to provide strong leadership for communications initiatives in CUMTA.
Strategic Plan
CUMTA will prepare a strategic plan to guide transport investments in the Chennai metropolitan area (CMA). The plan will assess the effectiveness of the existing transport system at generating economic, social, and environmental benefits by providing effective alternatives to personal motor vehicles. The plan will be updated every three years to reflect changing travel patterns and transport challenges in the city, but in alignment with the core vision and goals. CUMTA will develop the plan iteratively, in consultation with the planning and operations teams of each of the line agencies.
CUMTA or one of the line agencies may develop detailed feasibility reports, detailed project reports, and operational plans for specific projects. CUMTA will help ensure that these plans are coordinated with one another and will serve as a knowledge centre to facilitate sharing of project implementation and management best practices among agencies.
Transportation Performance Measurement and Monitoring
There is the general perception of inadequate region-wide data collection and lack of performance-based transport planning. Thus, CUMTA should conduct a detailed audit of regional transportation agencies’
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data collection, functions, activities, finances, and communications.
CUMTA will develop a process for using readily available transport data to calculate key performance indicators that provide a synopsis of the performance level of Chennai’s transport system. CUMTA will collect information to measure performance on a monthly basis. This information will be comprised of:
• Information generated by the line agencies themselves.
• Information gathered by CUMTA where data is not automatically collected by line agencies.
After generating indicator values, CUMTA staff will present summary statistics to the Board at its regular meeting. Indicator data will help CUMTA set priorities for transport investments. They will also create an incentive for individual line agencies to improve the performance of their respective systems.
Institutional Strategy
Within the broad framework described above, it is important that CUMTA follow a strategy of pursuing incremental measures to solidify its reputation and gain respect. Initially pursuing high visibility and easily accomplishable projects should leverage popular opinion and establish a positive public perception of CUMTA.
The strength of CUMTA lies in its ability to bring together the multiple agencies that are represented on its board. As a coordinating body, CUMTA can help institute an integrated transport planning and decision making for Chennai as a whole. CUMTA can help give direction to the individual agencies and to the government’s overall transport strategy. CUMTA has already developed three active working groups (now termed sub-committees): Non-Motorised Transport, Multi-Modal Integration, and Resource Mobilisation.
Figure 7. CUMTA Framework and Partnerships showing Existing Working Groups (Green), and Suggested Working Groups (Dark Blue).
The diagram above (Figure 6) illustrates where each of the existing working groups would fit into the CUMTA conceptual framework. Participants suggested the creation of two additional working groups to address concerns raised during the workshop: Transit-Oriented Development and Public Transport. Additional working groups will follow, but participants felt that developing this core of five should be
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given the earliest attention.
It is important to recognise that for CUMTA, an essential function will be building political will. The Authority will need to temper its technical skill with political acumen to conceptualize pilot projects and coordinated planning initiatives that are constructive and acceptable to its regional partners. This requires thinking that triggers early positive feedback loops of success and constituency building. In this way, CUMTA must move beyond simple and linear cause-effect relationships where there is a problem, a solution, and then a transition to the next problem. CUMTA is uniquely positioned to identify commonalities between multiple agencies and to explore new methods for group problem solving through establishing trust and building consensus (an example of this is developing “bundles” of multiple agreements that all partners can agree upon).
Financial Management
CUMTA can help facilitate the implementation of public transport systems by establishing a dedicated urban transport fund (UTF). The UTF could be supported by vehicle taxes, fuel taxes, parking management charges, and other revenue sources. CUMTA should set policies to determine how UTF funds can be used to provide the highest benefit to the citizens of CMA at the lowest cost to the government (primarily through investments in bus based public transport, walking, and cycling).
With the next section we will describe the work of the second workshop focus group: CUMTA’s role in promoting public transport, specifically bus rapid transit.
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Develop an integrated, high-quality bus and BRT network for the entire city
“What is transportation for? … The purpose of transportation is to bring people or goods to the places that they are needed, and to concentrate the greatest variety of goods and people within a limited area, in order to widen the possibility of choice without making it necessary to travel.”
(Lewis Mumford, 1964)
The second workshop focus group set to work discussing how to improve and maintain public transport services and facilities in the region. As discussed above, a key goal of Chennai’s recent transport planning efforts is that public transport should comprise of at least 60 per cent of the region’s motorized trips by 2018. In order to meet this goal of reducing this trend and expanding the public transport mode share by 2018, CUMTA must prioritize expanding the region’s public transport supply and improving the efficiency and performance of public transport in general. This section discusses a number of initiatives that can be carried out to improve the quality of public transport services in the region.
Finance and Expand the Bus Fleet
Chennai’s limited fleet of around 3,400 public transport buses is grossly inadequate to serve the needs of the region’s commuters. Most peak hour passengers experience severe overcrowding. The dire capacity shortage in the bus system received significant public notoriety over the past months with the deaths of X students while traveling on the footboard of MTC buses. Given the immediate need for a considerable expansion of the bus fleet, the group determined the number of buses required as well as a timeline for the expansion.
Participants carried out the following calculations to estimate the fleet requirement:
• At least 1,600 additional buses are required to relieve existing overcrowding on the MTC system. o This would ensure a “comfortable journey,” where buses do not carry more than 72 persons (48 seated and 24 standing). • An additional 450 buses should be added to the fleet to expand service on corridors that are presently underserved by MTC. These buses would attract around 25 per cent of the trips that are currently served by shared auto-rickshaws on these corridors (around 450,000 passenger trips). • The rationalisation of MTC services through the removal of redundant and unnecessary services would reduce the fleet requirement of about 10 per cent, resulting in a savings of 550 buses.
The group concluded that Chennai should immediately expand the fleet to 4,900 buses to meet existing demand in 2013. Thus an additional 1,500 buses are required to do this.
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Figure 8: Fleet required at present (2013) to relieve overcrowding and accommodate shared auto passengers, incorporating savings from service rationalisation.
Next, participants considered the number of buses required to meet the regional goal of 60 per cent of all motorised trips by public transport by 2018. By that time, the public transport system will need to serve 105 lakh trips per day to achieve a mode share of 60 per cent of motorised trips. Of this, 21 lakh trips can be served by various rail systems if their capacity is fully utilised. After 15 lakh trips by various forms of intermediate public transport (shared-autos, regular auto-rickshaw and taxi services), a further 68 lakh customers will need a high-quality bus based service for the overall public transport share to reach 60 per cent of all motorized trips.
The first phase of BRT system with a network of 88km has been proposed for immediate implementation. Since BRT systems can be implemented in well under 3 years, the system will be ready by 2016 and is expected to serve around 14 lakh trips1 in 2018. This BRT system will require a fleet of 390 18m articulated buses and 150 12m buses.
A fleet of 4,900 city buses will be required to serve the remaining 54 lakh trips. These numbers do not include the additional rolling stock that will have to be procured to replace aging fleet. The cost of procuring this additional fleet (1,500 new buses) will be approximately Rs. 600 crore2. This cost is miniscule compared to what the government would have had to spend if it attempted accommodating all the additional trips by personal motor vehicles (around Rs. 36,000 crores). Typically, the fare box revenue should be more than sufficient to cover the cost of operations and even cover a part of the capital cost.
Besides the expansion of the fleet, participants suggested the following strategies to better serve existing demand and expand public transport usage:
• Begin rationalizing MTC bus services to increase service frequencies and make the route network more legible for customers. As mentioned above, rationalisation will enable MTC to utilise its fleet more efficiently. • Establish a schedule for periodic assessments of bus quality (fleet age, operating conditions, etc).
1 Projected boardings in 2018 on the Phase-1 BRT network.
2 Assuming costs of Rs 80 lakh per articulated (18m two coach) bus and Rs 40 lakh per standard size (12m) bus.
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• Develop policy to support continual fleet procurement to expand service based on growing demand and replace old rolling stock. It is important to have a marginally higher capacity over and above what is required to satisfy existing demand. This additional capacity gives a chance to bring new customers to use the system.
Would adding more buses cause congestion?
Participants raised concerns that increasing the bus fleet might result in congestion on the road. In order to clarify the relationship between the vehicle mix and congestion, participants calculated the amount of road space that would be occupied by 60 commuters if they travelled by bus and then determined the amount of space that would be required if the same 60 commuters travelled by two- wheeler and car (assuming mode shares of 80 and 20 per cent, respectively). The participants deduced that congestion would be ten times as severe if the commuters travelled by private vehicle than if they used the bus. Thus, the mode shift enabled by an expansion of the bus fleet would result in a massive decrease in the amount of congestion on Chennai’s streets.
Table 1. Calculations of road space occupied by 60 commuters. Occupancy Vehicles Road space Scenario Passengers per vehicle required occupied (PCU) Public transport Bus 60 60 1 3 Car 12 1.2 10 10 Private motor vehicles 2W 48 1.2 40 20 Total 60 - - 30
Figure 9. Road space occupied by 60 commuters depending on the mode used.
Implement Bus Rapid Transit
As per CUMTA’s legislative mandate, the agency was established to coordinate effective and efficient transport in the region. In April 2012, CUMTA’s Executive Committee approved a motion to implement bus rapid transit (BRT) to expand the reach of mass rapid transit in the CMA. Workshop participants discussed ways to accelerate the implementation of BRT and ensure coordination among the multiple stakeholders who will be involved in the project. Participants felt strongly that implementing a high quality BRT system is a critical step toward improving the overall public transport system in Chennai.
BRT is a robust and flexible system that leverages the strength of the existing bus system while providing a faster, more reliable service to a larger number of people. The effectiveness of traditional bus services are constrained by the congestion levels, traffic speeds, and traffic violation enforcement mechanisms of the existing road network. In Indian cities like Chennai with a high degree of congestion and low traffic speeds, traditional buses struggle to provide a competitive public transport service.
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BRT offers a solution to these challenges by providing physically separated bus lanes that are not easily encroached by private vehicles. An effective BRT system requires much more than putting city buses on a dedicated lane. It requires a meticulous and comprehensive transport planning vision that CUMTA is in the right position to provide.
The group identified the following next steps that are necessary to facilitate BRT implementation:
• Guide the development of specific budgetary allocation by the Government of Tamil Nadu for initial implementation • Form a special purpose unit (SPU) to implement and manage the BRT system. • The SPU must have clean and accurate ridership and operations information. • It must have the freedom to modify operations as required, based on demand or business opportunity. • Formal subsidies that are passed directly to passengers to provide better service rather than pay for the inefficiency of the regulator or operator. • Develop a draft operating contract that ensures that the BRT utilises private bus owner-operations firms that are paid by the kilometre for bus services operated • Develop a draft operating contract for an independent fare collection contractor • For long-term system expansion, raise funds through development banks and other external agencies.
The phase 1 BRT plan includes a network of 80 km of BRT corridors requiring an investment of Rs 1,109 crore. The phase 1 corridors are identified in the figure and table below.
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Figure 10. Phase 1 BRT corridors, showing locations of interchange with suburban rail, MRTS, and metro
Table 2. Phase 1 BRT corridors
Corridor Length (km) Cost (Crore Rs)
Maduravoyal – CMBT 14.0 196
Ambattur – Thirumangalam 7.7 108
CMBT – Madhavaram 12.4 149
Siruseri – Saidapet 24.8 372
Tambaram – Airport 10.5 158
GST Road Junction – Thoraipakkam 10.6 127
Total 80 1,109
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In championing BRT, CUMTA has the opportunity to quickly transform Chennai’s public transportation into a truly world class system. By seamlessly integrating with other current and future modes, CUMTA can rapidly unfold a high quality BRT system fit to Chennai’s dense urban form and rapidly growing suburbs. This will require strong, dedicated political will that has been amply displayed in the state throughout its history. With CUMTA supporting a sustained communication of a positive vision, Chennai can have a world class BRT that is highly beneficial to all its citizens - both rich and poor.
Improve Customer Experience
To further support a regional vision of sustainable mobility, participants discussed specific enhancements to better the public transport customer experience.
The following enhancements earned group support:
• Stop / station design:
o Develop standardized modular bus stop design and guidelines for sizing based on demand at any given location (number of shelters, spacing between shelters).
o Ensure that specific stop amenities (such as bus bulb-outs, bus shelter size, seating, etc.) are provided based on customer demand in each location.
o Develop a policy to rationalise bus stop locations. Reduce the distance between bus stops, especially in densely populated areas, to under 500m to improve access to the bus network.
Study potential multi-modal hubs and prepare detailed designs. o o Establish administrative partnership to identify station location and develop multi-modal hubs in collaboration with all public transport agencies. Apply policy across all mass transit station designs to ensure regional consistency.
• Vehicle design:
o Revise regional standards for bus design to make public transport inclusive and attractive.
• Customer information:
o Retain a consultant for the creation of design guidelines for static passenger information systems and develop the first round of customer information signage at all bus stops and multi-modal hubs.
Create transportation information helpline number. o o Develop a user friendly website for MTC.
Integrated Fare Mechanism
As per the CUMTA Bill, the Authority is squarely tasked with establishing an integrated fare mechanism for the CMA. Regionally supported electronic “smart cards” are recognized as an effective manner to facilitate customer transfers and overall utilization of a public transport system. However, such integration is not an easy one to implement. Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) is at an advanced stage in planning for an electronic fare medium. Workshop participants suggested that CUMTA encourage other agencies and public transport modes (such as taxis, autorickshaws, cycle sharing, etc) to use a common system based on the CMRL system. CUMTA Toolbox, February 2013 | 16
Participants recognized this particular challenge and supported the following steps to appropriately implement an integrated fare system.
• In the short run, expand electronic ticketing to cover 100 per cent of the MTC bus fleet.
• Establish consensus-based process to jointly determine a fare structure for public transport modes (metro, MTC, BRT, monorail, etc.) and develop framework for revenue sharing between different operating agencies
• Develop electronic fare collection standards and protocols to ensure connectivity and data sharing between various systems.
• Develop a framework for allocation of revenue from other sources towards improvement of public transport systems.
• Form an SPV to guide implementation of integrated ticketing across all public transport modes.
Paratransit
Throughout the discussion of public transport and bus system improvements, workshop participants discussed CUMTA’s role in regulating paratransit (such as taxis, auto-rickshaws, cycle rickshaws, shared autos, and maxi-cabs). These services are essential component in Chennai’s transportation ecosystem. Their role is especially meaningful in providing connectivity for the last mile of public transport journeys. A well-regulated paratransit network need not compete with public transport for customers. Instead, it would support existing services, and provide much needed capacity in areas that are difficult to serve with conventional public transport modes. Participants suggested the following tasks to bring the goal of IPT regulation closer to accomplishment:
• Conduct a study of CMA’s various paratransit systems.
• Develop CUMTA policy to regulate paratransit modes, including regulation of paratransit fares
• Implement physical integration to support public transport services.
The next section documents how the workshop participants addressed specific interventions related to streets and the public realm to improve local and regional accessibility.
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IMPROVING ACCESS TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT
“If we can develop and design streets so that they are wonderful, fulfilling places to be— community-building places, attractive for all people—then we will have successfully designed about one-third of the city directly and will have had an immense impact on the rest.”
(Alan Jacobs, in Great Streets - 1995)
Considering that walking and cycling account for a third of all trips in CMA and that all trips via public transport require pedestrian trips at the beginning and end of each journey, improving conditions for pedestrians and cyclists could impact almost 70 per cent of the people traveling in the CMA. Thus, the third workshop focus group concentrated on how CUMTA could improve conditions for pedestrians and cyclists through infrastructure and urban design interventions. Discussion topics included street design for pedestrian safety and comfort, city-level greenway networks, urban design standards, and multi-modal integration at public transport stops and stations.
Street Design Standards
At present, street design in Chennai is carried out in an ad-hoc manner. Designs, material palettes, and construction techniques vary by agency, contractor and location. Essential street design elements such as footpaths and cycle tracks are absent or poorly designed. Group 3 participants discussed how to develop and implement uniform street design standards to ensure that consistent designs are adopted for all street redevelopment and greenfield projects in CMA. Participants recommended that CUMTA pursue the following specific activities toward the development of the guidelines:
• Create a unified set of standards based on location, existing land use, and road width. The standards would apply across agencies, including the Corporation of Chennai, CMDA, and the Highways Department.
• Finalize clear carriageway that gives priority to pedestrians, social activities, and street vending. On-street paring areas should be designated clearly.
• Find technical solutions for better integration of utilities and infrastructure in street design to maintain pedestrian comfort.
The street design standards would include provisions for pedestrian safety and universal accessibility, such as: at-grade crossing facilities; legibility (active and passive signage); inclusive design for all uses; as well as compliance with the most current design standards to ensure access for people with disabilities (Indian Standards IS: 4963 – 1987/ R-2005: Recommendations for Buildings and Facilities for Persons with Disabilities, and Annexure D - Clause 12.21 of the National Building Code, 2005).
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For narrow ROWs, the entire width should be On wider streets, a separate designed as a slow zone slow zone is necessary
Figure 11. Sample Street Hierarchy and Design Guideline Examples
The participants suggested that CUMTA establish and fund an Urban Design Cell to oversee the development and enforcement of street design standards (with a similar technical capacity to the Unified Traffic and Transportation [Planning and Engineering] Centre, Delhi). The Urban Design Cell can be embedded in one of the following agencies: CUMTA, CMDA, or CoC. The proposed UDC would coordinate activities between CoC, Highways Department, TNRDC, CMRL, Railways, CMDA, and CUMTA. It would generate detailed traffic management plans for major intersections that emphasis pedestrian safety, preserve the pedestrian realm, and balance competing demands for movement and social activities.
Non-Motorised Transport and Greenway Network
To supplement walking and cycling improvements on existing streets, open spaces and waterways in the city can be developed as non-motorised transport (NMT) corridors that support long-distance commuting as well as recreational uses. Thus, the session turned its attention to the design of an integrated NMT and greenway network for the entire city. Participants contributed the following short-term actions to address this end:
• Develop pilot projects for cycling and pedestrian priority. Participants proposed an NMT corridor along the Marina Beach with connections to MRTS stations (Figure 11) as an “easy win” short- term project.
• Develop cycle connections from inner neighbourhoods to major arterials roads, for access to public transport, dedicated segregated cycle lanes along major transportation arterials.
• Mandate designated cycle parking in private developments through the development control regulations (DCRs).
• Designate separate cycle parking facilities in all MRTS and other major public transport stations.
• Prioritize pedestrian improvements for the Anna Circle reconstruction project.
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Figure 12. Marina Beach Cycle track and MRTS connections, Successful cycle track and pedestrian path alignment (Delhi)
In the long-term, participants suggested the following actions to support the integrated NMT and greenway network:
• Clean the waterways along rivers and canals and remove encroachments to open up these spaces for recreational uses.
• Develop cycling pathways around parks in neighbourhoods.
Urban Design Standards
While the design of the public right-of-way is key for creating an environment that is conducive to walking and cycling, the nature of the private buildings that open onto public streets also as a significant effect on the level of NMT access. For example, the activity generated by a series of commercial storefronts that abut the street may create a greater degree of variety and safety for passersby than a large blank compound wall that surrounds an entire property. Thus for the third session, the group discussed ways to improve pedestrian safety, create public amenities, and improve pedestrian network connectivity through urban design regulations. The session opened with discussion of two case studies: Old Mahabalipuram Road, where limited street connectivity makes it difficult for public transport users to reach bus stops, and Saidapet, where inadequate provision of footpaths hinders customer transfers between the suburban railway station and the MTC bus stop.
Participants determined that a key strategy is to mandate Detailed Development Plans (DDPs) to facilitate urban design improvements around public transport stations. DDPs would be prepared for the following areas:
• Develop DDPs for all major public transport modes. The plans would encourage intensification within a 500 m catchment of stations as well as urban design, public realm, and street connectivity up to 2.5 km from the stations. Through appropriate adjustments to DCRs, DDPs would include provisions covering street connectivity, height, density, edge condition, and parking access.
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• Develop DDPs for all new developing areas informed by the existing master plan.
• Extend DDPs to the rest of the city over time.
The DDPs would be developed by CUMTA’s Urban Design Cell in collaboration with CMDA. To facilitate the DDP process, participants recommended that CUMTA develop a comprehensive geographic information system (GIS) database for the whole of CMA. As part of this database, under-utilized, vacant lands should be identified. Policy mechanisms should be instituted to encourage landowners to offer these areas as park space, in return for receiving monetary compensation or development rights.
Figure 13. Missing street network on Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) and poor footpath conditions at Saidapet MM Hub
Seamless Connectivity
Finally, the group addressed the challenge of ensuring seamless connectivity from bus and rail-based mass rapid transit stations to other modes, including bus, paratransit, walking and cycling. A core strategy to provide the connectivity challenge was to prepare multi-modal integration (MMI) plans for all of the major interchange locations in CMA. The following actions were proposed to address the challenge of modal connectivity:
• Develop MMI guidelines for transit oriented development (TOD) in each station influence area, defining each agency’s roles in implementing and enforcing the plan and an appropriate fund allocation.
• Coordinate implementing agencies to arrive at the guideline requirements through the Urban Design Cell and develop enforcement mechanisms.
CUMTA’s existing study on MMI at MRTS and suburban rail stations is an excellent starting point for this work. Workshop participants proposed that CUMTA identify a specific connectivity-focused project, develop site and time specific solutions (such as establishing pedestrian only zones during specific festivals), and coordinate efforts between the Urban Design Cell and other concerned agencies.
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MANAGEMENT OF ROAD SPACE AND TRAVEL DEMAND
Transport planners across the globe have come to an understanding that roads cannot be built fast enough to keep up with rising travel demand induced by the road building itself and the sprawl it creates. Municipal areas and cities have turned to land-use planning integrated with effective transport policies to shift the demand for travel to more sustainable modes. Thus, the fourth workshop focus group concentrated on how the negative impacts of regional transport systems (such as urban sprawl, traffic congestion, oil dependence, climate change, etc) could be reduced by managing the demand for road space and travel.
To come to a common understanding of the CMA’s transportation assets and needs, the participants proposed that CUMTA conduct an inventory of the following:
• The existing parking system, including current earnings and expenditures, operational systems, and public perception.
• Document the supply of on-street parking (paid, unpaid, no parking, and unregulated) and where possible, off-street parking.
• Document the actual demand of vehicles, given existing pricing structures.
• Complete inventory of existing street designs. (Per the observations made by Group 3, the allocation of parking space must be done as part of a holistic street design.)
Participants felt that it would be essential for CUMTA to store the results of the detailed street mapping using a GIS platform to facilitate data analysis.
Manage On-Street Parking
To begin the focus group session, participants discussed methods to implement a robust on-street parking management and enforcement system. At present, parking fees in Chennai are among some of the lowest among similarly sized cities around the world. An expanded and improved parking management system can help facilitate the efficient allocation of road space, generate revenue for sustainable transport projects, and encourage a shift to more sustainable modes. Participants were in favour of carrying forward with the establishment of the Chennai City Parking Management Company, as proposed by the CUMTA Executive Committee during its last meeting. The following specifications and terms for the special purpose vehicle (SPV) were proposed:
• Structure the SPV to include CUMTA, CoC, and the Chennai Traffic Police.
• Require the SPV to collaborate with all the regional partners, including CMDA, CMRL, MTC, the Transport Department, Resident Welfare Associations, and other non-governmental organisations.
• Structure the SPV to be a lean and professional body that has the flexibility of outsourcing some functions as necessary.
• Ensure that the SPV’s Human Resources Director hires both professionals with technical backgrounds and proven track records as well as career bureaucrats with transport experience.
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• Prepare a financial model for SPV that includes:
- Parking revenue are routed to escrow account.
- Funds from CUMTA for SPV operations and project implementation.
- Funding for allied works (street improvement).
• Cooperate with and integrate CSR initiatives with SPV objectives.
Balance and Intensify Land Uses
Next, the participants worked together to identify strategic changes to balance and intensify land uses along major public transportation corridors. Global learning suggests that compact, mixed land use is the key for sustainable mass rapid transit solutions (Figure 13). Successful public transport corridors must intensify land uses, include mixed-use joint development of station precincts, and provide ample walking and cycling infrastructure to facilitate the intensification.
Participants noted that CMDA has already commissioned a study for densification along the metro rail corridors, and recommended an expanded study of intensification along all existing mass transit corridors. The group identified the following actions to support this process:
• Establish periodic review of land use strategies in addition to the review mechanisms in place, such as the revision of the Master Plan slated for 2014.
• Institute robust planning mechanism that incorporate the proximity to public transport as a planning variable.
• Proactively provide appropriate infrastructure to match the pace of development. Amendments of relevant acts may be necessary to ensure that infrastructure plans become statutory documents.
Figure 14. Example of intensification along public transport corridors paired with NMT improvements (Vancouver, BC).
Off-Street Parking Reform
This session featured a spirited debate about the role of CUMTA in managing travel demand. Participants collectively identified reforms that can improve the efficiency of off-street parking. The group recommended the following actions to move towards this objective:
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• As part of the parking inventory mentioned above, gather information on the off-street parking supply and quantity demanded.
• Study the relationship between proximity to public transport and vehicle ownership and use in the Chennai context. This relationship can inform parking regulations in the upcoming revision of the Master Plan.
• Develop on street parking regulations to accommodate flat owners who don’t want off-street parking.
• Develop dynamic regulations to give flexibility in off street parking options.
• Provide financial and administrative structure to support program regulation and enforcement.
Road Pricing
One strategy for the effective traffic demand management is road pricing. Thus, for the last session, participants were asked to identify road pricing options for Chennai. The group was introduced to details regarding congestion pricing options in the cities of London, Singapore, and Stockholm. The following models for pricing were explored: time based cordon charging, ERP, toll roads, and high occupancy toll roads. Given the novelty of the concept and the lack of background information regarding its applicability in Chennai, it was recommended that CUMTA carry out the following next steps:
• Identify various road pricing strategies for CMA.
• To address a long felt need to strengthen the vehicle database, identify existing databases across organizations and a methodology for integration of databases.
• There was broad consensus that CUMTA should implement pilot projects to create pedestrian and no-vehicle streets. The following locations were considered to be appropriate for pilots: South Usman Road, Pursavakkam High Road, Thyagaraya Road, Walajah Road, and Mylapore.
The group summarized their observations and recommendations with the following points:
• Use scarce road space efficiently.
• Private vehicle users should pay the full cost they impose on society (congestion, pollution, occupying public land for parking).
• Generate revenue to improve and provide for better infrastructure for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users.
The next section brings together all of the proposed CUMTA actions and structures them following the key transport agency functions outlined above, then begins the process of prioritization.
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CUMTA’S THREE-YEAR AGENDA
With the above set of tasks in mind, participants established a detailed short-term agenda to guide CUMTA’s activities over the next three years.
Items for Immediate Action
Participants identified the following items that should be prioritized for immediate action (within the next 6 months) by CUMTA.
Table 3. Tasks for immediate action
Tasks for Immediate Action Function Advertise TOR for Customer Information System analysis & design Data Analysis & Reporting Communications & Engagement Develop TOR for BRT service plan and physical design Planning, Strategy and Regulation Budget allocation for the purchase of 1,600 buses for Chennai in the Finances and Funding 2013-14 budget Advertise TORs for Multi-modal integration study Integration Develop TOR for creating street design guidelines for Chennai Integration Implement pedestrian-only zones: South Usman Rd, Purusaiwakkam Pilot Projects & Program Management High Rd, Thyagaraya Rd, Wallajah Rd, and Mylapore.
Items for Near-Term Action
The following diagrams present three-year implementation timelines for CUMTA. The tasks are grouped as per the suggested core functions for CUMTA (Figure 5).
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After Three Years
By the end of its initial years of operations, CUMTA will have established itself among decision makers as a highly useful body for improving transport in Chennai, giving strategic direction, informing budget allocations, and providing reliable information on the transport system. CUMTA will develop the Comprehensive Transport Plan (CTP) and adopt it to a degree that enables it to inform key decisions. The CTP will be established as a mechanism that addresses practical policy and implementation issues. It will be expanded and updated continuously to address on-going planning requirements.
CUMTA will have adopted effective decision making processes to ensure that decisions relating to transport across relevant agencies and bodies are consistent with an integrated transport strategy and implementation plan. CUMTA will have set up a measuring, monitoring, and evaluation system that gathers relevant, consistent information at minimal cost so as to enable effective monitoring of transport operations, usage patterns, and trends. CUMTA will use this information to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of service provision and identify priorities for improvement.
What Role Should CUMTA Play in the Long Term?
In the long term, CUMTA will set the strategic agenda for all matters relating to transport, including relevant land use planning matters. It will accomplish this long-term role by:
• Developing plans, including the CTP, accompanied by implementation strategies. The CTP will be improved and expanded as required by relevant policy and practical experience.
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• Coordinating the activities of all transport-related agencies to ensure that budget allocation and project implementation decisions taken are in line with an agreed planning and strategy.
• Monitoring transport operations and user requirements so as to identify priorities for improving the transport system.
• Assigning implementation tasks to its constituent member bodies, or, where agreed by its members, creating new bodies to perform such tasks and locating them appropriately within government structures.
What Will Be Achieved?
All transport related matters in which government plays any role are addressed in an integrated, effective, cost efficient manner so that access and mobility across the metropolitan area of Chennai is continually enhanced for all, in an environmentally and financially sustainable way and all public spaces required for access and mobility are pleasant and safe to use.
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CONCLUSION
In conclusion, our awareness of transportation services and infrastructure, and their impacts on the environment, social equity and economic growth has changed. As the Authority for transportation planning in the Chennai Metropolitan Area, CUMTA is tasked with picking the right projects to balance the competing environmental, equity and economic goals. At the same time, CUMTA is responsible for coordinating between its partner agencies that are implementing transportation services, so that the right projects are implemented in ways that support the above goals and that are truly beneficial to the region as a whole.
Thus, this workshop sought to engage in a dialogue. Through discussion and collaboration between regional transport partners, academics, technical experts and officials, strategies and actions to support CUMTA’s many potential roles in the Chennai region were proposed. There remains widespread consensus that the citizens and residents of the CMA require high quality, sustainable transport facilities and better integration of land use and transport systems. Through the above recommendations, action plans and timelines, we hope to present a unified, comprehensive plan that forms the basis of clear responsibilities for each one of the stakeholders that form CUMTA.
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APPENDIX. WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS
GROUP-I GROUP-II Chairman : Mr. K. Phanindra Reddy, I.A.S. Chairperson : Ms. Shreya Gadepalli Secretary to Govt., H&UD Regional Director, ITDP Dept. Vice-Chairman (i/c), CMDA & Chairman, CUMTA
Spl. Guest : Mr. Ben Plowden, Director of Moderator Ms. Pranjali Deshpande , Planning ITDP Transport for London
Moderator : Mr.Jamie Osborne Members Dr. S. Rajasekara. Pandian s ITDP Chief Planner, CMDA
Members Mr. M. Sivashanmugam Mr. K. Rajamanickam Chief Planner, CMDA Deputy Planner, CMDA
Mrs. M. Geetha Mr. G. Ganesan, Senior Planner, CMDA Deputy Manager, MTC
Mr. A. Samuel Ebenezer Mr. K. Sekar, Jebarajan Divisional Engineer, Chief Engineer (Metro), Highways Highways
Mr. S. Pramanick Mr. R. Daniel, Manager (Telecom & Chennai City Connect SCADA),CMRL
Mr. S. Nedunsezhian , Mr. Pratik Dave, Assistant Manager (Planning), MTC ITDP
Mr. K. Mukundan , Ms. P. Radhikka Urban Planner Asst. Project Engineer, TNRDC
Mr. N. Kanagasabaparthy Ms.S. Rajalakshmi, Deputy Planner, CMDA Dy. General Manager (Property Development)
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GROUP-III GROUP-IV Chairman : Thiru Vikram Kapoor, IAS, Chairman Mr. Chris Kost, Commissioner, Corporation of Tech. Director, ITDP Chennai
Moderator Mr. Sam Mohamad-Khany, Moderator Mr. Advait. Jani, ITDP ITDP
Members Ms. Romi Roy, UTTIPEC, DDA Members Mrs. S. Chithra, Chief Planner, CMDA
Mr. B.R. Balachandran, Mrs. N. Usha, Consultant ITDP Senior Planner, CMDA
Ms. Charlotte Furet, ITDP Mr. N. Jeyachandran, Senior Planner, CMDA
Mr. Narendrakumar, Manager Mr. N. K. Kumar, (Transport Planning), CMRL Chief General Manager, CMRL
Mr. S. Selvakumar, Mr. K. Mohanram, Chief Planner, CMDA Deputy Commissioner (Transport), STA
Mr. R.K. Ganeshan, Dr. R. Sivanandan, Senior Planner, CMDA Professor, IIT Madras
Mr. B. Nagalingem, Mr. M. Sekaran, Senior Planner, CMDA Asst. Director, DTCP
Tmt. U. Manimekalai, Mr. A. Sivaprakasam, Deputy Planner, TNSCB Asst. Director, DTCP
Tmt. Kavitha Selvaraj, Dr. S. P. Sekar, Architect/Urban Designer, Professor, City Connect SAP, Anna University
Tmt. Sathya Prabha, Mr. B. R. Kumar, Planning Assistant, TNSCB Divisional Engineer, Highways
Mr. Raj Cherubal, Chennai City Connect
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