In a couple of years major cities in Tamil Nadu will have clean, efficient and cost effective modes of transport with major thrust on non-motorised transport. This includes bicycle tracks, greenways, pedestrian zones and footpaths.

Five cities — Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Tiruppur and Tiruchi— unveiled their plans at a workshop on Sustainable Cities through Transport.

“We have developed plans to make walking and cycling safer, easier and convenient,” said K.P. Munnusamy, State Minister of Municipal Administration and Rural Development, Law, Courts and Prisons.

Sustainable Cities through Transport is an effort to forge such a vision and ensure that ‘we make good decisions as we expand urban transport systems to support the development Tamil Nadu,” he said.

“We are aware of the need to construct wide, continuous footpaths along all major cities and towns. We also need to carve out space for cyclists in the form of continuous, shaded cycle tracks that make it safe to travel,” he said.

G. Latha, Coimbatore Corporation Commissioner, said a five-year sustainable transport network worth Rs 1,500 crore has been envisaged. This includes a 72-km bus rapid transport network, greenways along eight water bodies, 31 km of cycle track and 49 km of footpath.

Published on January 23, 2014