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MOTORINDIA
l
August 2012
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connecting national highways. The
arterial road that was built aided
efficient movement of goods in the
early stages of the city expansion.
However, as the city grew, the road
was subsumed into the city’s road
network, leading to severe traffic
congestion. In order to decongest
another Chennai Bypass had to be
built.
Case studies conducted on imple-
mentation of urban freight transport
exhibit an important element in the
integration of the road transporta-
tion network. One such case is
the portland freight transportation
plan that recognized the need to
have better freight transportation
by understanding deficiencies and
developing solutions. Some of the
important aspects focused in the
plan include evaluation of freight
transportation policies, identifica-
tion of freight mobility improve-
ments and development of freight
mobility projects in alignment with
the people’s needs in the city of
Portland.
The case of Seoul Metropolitan
City is also very appealing. The to-
tal freight volume reached 6,52,000
tonnes a day in 1996. Truck vehicle
traffic at the major expressway and
the arterial roads accounted for 20
per cent of the total road vehicle
traffic. Trucks were plying onto the
arterial roads causing several traffic
jams and inefficiencies.
In 1998 the Seoul Metropoli-
tan City undertook a large-scale
research project to work out an im-
provement plan for urban goods by
collecting urban freight movement
within and around the city. Based
on the research project, the metro-
politan authority adopted the urban
goods transport plan and even
constructed new freight distribution
facilities that improved truck opera-
tions and allowed the dual usage of
roads by passenger cars and trucks.
Further, there was also a provision
of on-road and off-road loading
facilities for trucks.
These case studies clearly stress
the importance of urban freight
transportation plan integrating
the elements of mobility, safety,
efficiency and sustainability. Thus
any proposed integrated transpor-
tation plan for improved freight
management should focus on three
broad themes, namely, mobility &
economy, safety & livability, and
environment.
Way forward
Transportation is an important as-
pect of development in any region.
Chennai, with its a high density of
population, growing boundaries
and an escalating vehicular base,
requires an effective transporta-
tion system to manage its resource
flow. With increasing concentration
of manufacturing and its ancillary
industries in and around Chen-
nai, the need for a transportation
network that balances goods and
freight transportation together with
passenger vehicles is essential.
As per WHO standards, Chen-
nai, because of overcrowding, has
exceeded the pollution limits by
more than three times accounting
for 60 microgram per cubic meter
of suspended particulate matter.
Carbon emissions from vehicles
account for nearly one-third of the
total air pollution.
An ideal way to reduce pollution
is to use road transport only when
it is necessary, making it sustain-
able. Trucks that carry goods and
freight also interact with passen-
ger movement making it difficult
for both parties. Development of
freight centers concurrent with an
integrated road network providing
separate lanes for trucks and modes
of passenger transport could be
beneficial.
An ethical base for providing
an efficient, safe and green mode
of transportation network can be
provided by implementation of sus-
tainable transport policies. Policies
adopted so far have placed little
emphasis on this aspect. The data
availability and planning for trans-
port policies for freight transport is
also outdated.
With the explosion in goods traf-
fic in recent years and the setting up
of several container yards, heavy
truck movement between transport
terminals is indeed a necessity.
w
logistics
An Integrated Transporta-
tion Master Plan is an urgent
need for the metropolitan re-
gion of Chennai to make it a
world class city with an effi-
cient transportation network,
where goods and passenger
traffic interact seamlessly;
a carbon neutral city, with
significantly lower CO2 emis-
sions; and a safer city for
both passengers and goods
movement through well-
designed regulatory/policy
mechanisms.