Summary:
Large stretches of existing pavements are encroached by commercial establishments and street vendors, leaving little to no room for pedestrians. For instance, pavements on the stretch of Anna Salai abutting YMCA and Golf Course ground were 2.5m wide, the minimum width required. “We have removed bunk shops that mushroomed on the pavements of Anna Salai and Poonamallee High Road recently,” a state highways department official said. Nashwa Naushad, associate — urban development at the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, said, IRC guidelines for pedestrian facilities recommend that the minimum clear width (walking space) of a footpath should be 1.8m and in commercial areas it must be 2.5-4m. Interestingly, a few kilometres of the sidewalk on EVR Periyar Salai, along Southern Railway and state government establishments, were intact, hinting strongly at encroachments by private parties..