Chennai, Jan 28 (PTI) Tamil Nadu’s major cities operate with just 18 buses per lakh population, far below the benchmark of 60 set by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, according to an actionable
roadmap titled 'Tamil Nadu Urban Mobility Charter 2031', released on Wednesday.
The charter attributes this gap to the misallocation of infrastructure spending, with nearly 70 per cent of urban transport budgets funnelled into vehicle-centric projects such as flyovers and road widening.
Prepared by the Sustainable Mobility Network (SMN), a coalition of more than 30 civil society organisations across India, the charter argues that this investment pattern has contributed directly to the decline of public transport and a sharp rise in road fatalities in the state’s major cities.
"In Chennai alone, 40 per cent of residents lack access to a bus stop within walking distance, while pedestrians account for 30-50 per cent of road fatalities in cities such as Chennai and Coimbatore. Air pollution remains a serious public health risk," the charter noted.
"Modes that receive the least investment—walking, cycling, and public transport—account for 67 per cent of trips across the state," it added.
To address these challenges, the charter proposes a fundamental shift in the state’s transport investment strategy.
It calls on the government to mandate that at least 60 per cent of all urban transport budgets be dedicated exclusively to sustainable and people-centric modes, including public transport, walking, and cycling.
This financial reorientation forms the cornerstone of the charter’s broader 'Triple Zero' vision, which aims to achieve zero emissions, zero social exclusion, and zero road deaths by 2031.
The proposed measures also include the creation of Unified Transport Authorities and dedicated Urban Transport Funds to ensure integrated, rather than fragmented, planning.
By shifting the focus from moving vehicles to moving people, the charter aims to transform Tamil Nadu into a model for climate-resilient and equitable urban growth over the next decade. PTI JR SSK
