The Chennai Corporation’s Council adopted a progressive non-motorised policy in October 2014 to make walking and cycling its priority. The policy aims to arrest the current decline in walking and cycling in the city by creating safe and pleasant network of footpaths, cycle tracks, greenways and other NMT facilities. Walking and cycling infrastructure—that until recently was at best an afterthought—will now take centrestage. The policy mandates that a minimum of 60 percent of the Corporation’s transport budget is allocated to construct and maintain NMT infrastructure—a clear demonstration of the Corporation’s commitment to creating safe streets that consider the needs of all users.

The city has set for itself ambitious goals: by 2018, build safe and continuous footpaths on at least 80% of all streets, increase the share of walking and cycling trips to over 40%, and, most significantly, eliminate pedestrian and cyclist deaths. The Corporation aims to achieve these goals by mandating various measures through this policy.