Anthony, a fruit seller in Chennai’s KK Nagar, has cycled all his life and never learnt to ride a motor vehicle. His home is just a stone’s throw from his fruit stall, so cycling isn't much of a hassle. However, he has to ride with extreme caution on the main road, as speeding motor vehicles often endanger cyclists like him. “I hope to see more cycling tracks laid in Chennai to make my commute smoother and safer,” he told Down To Earth (DTE).
Just a few kilometres away is Shekar, who sells old goods. He, too, has been cycling since childhood and lives only 0.5 km from his stall. “I’ve become accustomed to the heavy traffic on main roads. Despite the risks, I prefer cycling because it’s good for my health,” he said, also noting that more cycling tracks would help. He sometimes cycles to Porur, about 7 km away. “A decade ago, it used to take me 10 minutes to cover the distance from KK Nagar to Porur. Now, the travel time has doubled due to increasing traffic congestion,” he explained.
Aarumgam, a tea seller, uses his cycle to sell tea in Pondy Bazar, Kodambakkam and Nungambakkam. Pondy Bazar has a good footpath, and is safer. But he has to be very careful while riding in the other two areas. “We have to be very sharp due to the traffic. I’ve met with a few accidents and once a two-wheeler rammed into my cycle, causing injuries,” he shared.
The trio’s experiences highlight some major challenges faced by cyclists in Chennai — from road accidents and traffic congestion. But Chennai has another problem: Poor-to-non-existent cycling infrastructure.
The modal share for bicycle dropped from 6 per cent in 2008 to 2.9 per cent a decade later, according to the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP), a long-term vision for transportation in Chennai. Modal share is the percentage of commuters using a given mode of transport.
Take KK Nagar, for instance. Three cycling tracks, spanning 3.8km, was laid in KK Nagar in 2017. Only two of them remain today in KK Nagar’s PT Rajan Salai and Ramaswamy Salai. When DTE visited PT Rajan Salai, the cycling track was encroached by parked two-wheelers. But no one was seen cycling in the evening around 5 pm. One cyclist, however, was seen using the main road.
For pedestrians, the scenario is relatively better — but is far from ideal. Some 6 km away from KK Nagar is Pondy bazaar, a shopping hub in T Nagar, a 700 m stretch lane on either side of the road was laid in 2019. When DTE visited the site, it was well-maintained with seats positioned across the street. People are largely happy with the infrastructure, but complain some parts of Chennai still lack decent sidewalks.
A Chennai resident, who wanted to be anonymous, regularly comes to Pondy Bazaar for a walk despite living some 5 km away. A 650 metres footpath is under construction near her residence in Khader Nawaz Khan (KNK) Road. The KNK footpath began construction in 2023 and has been delayed due to incomplete stormwater drain and traffic congestion, according to a report in the newspaper The Hindu. “Overall, in Chennai, a few areas are walkable and others are not,” the resident told DTE, on condition of anonymity.
For instance, Priya, a homemaker, said that there is no footpath and no green cover at her place of residence in Sholinganallur. “Even if I have to go the market 5 minutes away, I would use my personal vehicle. But if we have good footpath that is wide and safe, I might prefer walking,” she said.
Regina, who works as a tailor in Pondy Bazar, prefers walking only in Pondy Bazar, not anywhere else. Besides, I do not have time, she adds. Arumugan has seen two-wheelers use the footpath in other places in Chennai to escape traffic, making it nightmare for pedestrians.
Non-motorised transport (NMT) covers modes of transportation powered by human effort, such as walking, cycling, street vendor carts, cycle rickshaws and handicap tricycles, rather than other forms of energy like fossil fuels.
The coverage of sidewalk and cycle lanes in Chennai stand at 17.03 per cent and 0.26 per cent, respectively, according to the 2021 Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework, developed by the Climate Centre for Cities at National Institute of Urban Affairs, an institute of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Chennai has seen a steady decline in the modal share of cyclists and pedestrians, dropping from 41 per cent in the 1970s to 40 per cent in 1984, 46.6 per cent in 1992-95, 34 per cent in 2008 and a mere 28 per cent in 2018, according to CMP.
Compounding this, Chennai has one of the highest rates of road accidents in India. According to NCRB data, the city registered over 5,000 accidents in 2021, securing the top spot among Indian cities. While the number of accidents decreased to 3,452 in 2022, Chennai remained in the top five.
Furthermore, analysis by the global nonprofit, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) India, revealed a troubling rise in the proportion of pedestrian fatalities, soaring from 11 per cent in 2019 to 43 per cent in 2023.
Another contributing factor is Chennai’s climate, which is known for being hot and humid. “Because of the climate here, people do not prefer to walk, which is why they choose private mode of transportation,” said an expert on condition of anonymity.
In October 2014, the Chennai Corporation Council adopted an NMT policy to reverse the declining modal share of walking and cycling in the city. The policy aimed to establish a safe and pleasant network of footpaths, cycle tracks, greenways and other NMT facilities. Its ambitious goals included building safe and continuous footpaths on at least 80 per cent of all streets by 2018, increasing the share of walking and cycling trips to over 40 per cent, and eliminating pedestrian and cyclist deaths.
But, has the NMT 2014 policy delivered? According to experts, Chennai started with strong ambition, but the momentum fizzled out over time.
After NMT policy’s adoption in 2014, the average annual footpath investments rose to Rs 72 crore, leading to over 170 km of footpaths being paved between 2014 and 2019, according to analysis by ITDP.
However, in the period between 2022 to 2025, Chennai’s investment in footpaths dropped to just Rs 13 crore per year on average. While there was some improvement in 2024-25, with Rs 25 crore earmarked for 21 km of footpaths, significantly more investment is needed.
Budgetary allocation data further indicated a continued preference for vehicles. For instance, the government spent Rs 84 crore on road resurfacing and carriageway upgrades, showed ITDP analysis.
Shreya Gadepalli, founder and managing trustee of UrbanWorks, a Chennai-based non-profit, concurred, stating, “Chennai made significant progress in making streets safe for walking in the previous decade.”
However, after redesigning around a sixth of the large street network, the complete streets programme (subsequently named mega streets project) aimed to make the entire city walkable had been put on the back burner.
However, there is some hope. “This year’s [2025 budget] Rs 200 crore commitment by Chennai, marks an eightfold increase over last year’s spending on walking and cycling. This signals a much-needed shift from fragmented support to focused investment,” read the ITDP analysis.
“Currently, footpath is not a part of the road estimate. We are recommending a pedestrian-first mindset and not vehicle-first mindset,” Jeyakumar, member secretary, Chennai Unified Metropolitan Authority, the nodal agency that brings together all agencies in the area of transport within the Chennai Metropolitan Area.
Another expert offered a different view. “We should promote NMT in certain areas in the core city wherever it is feasible and focus more on the outskirts, where new development is being seen.”
Cycling infrastructure requires significantly more work. "Cycling infrastructure in Chennai is a joke. Small sections of largely unusable cycle tracks were piloted in a few locations. To truly make cycling safe and fun for everyone, the government must invest in continuous safe cycling networks, including traffic calmed, tree-shaded streets, compact and safe junctions, and frequent street crossing opportunities,” Gadepalli added.
This article is part of our series on how India moves, which looks at the relationship between air quality and human mobility in cities and towns. This story is the fourth of the Chennai mobility series. Also read the first, second, third and fifth parts.