CHAPTER 4 CASE STUDIES OF SELECTED STREETS IN CHENNAIshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/9573/54/12_chapter 4.pdf · 107 CHAPTER 4 CASE STUDIES OF SELECTED STREETS IN CHENNAI

107

CHAPTER 4

CASE STUDIES OF SELECTED STREETS IN CHENNAI

4.1 INTRODUCTION

Chennai, earlier known as Madras, is the capital of the state of

Tamilnadu situated in southern India, as depicted in Figure 4.1. It is one of the

large metropolitan cities of India. A heady mixture of hoary tradition and

contemporary glitz, Chennai has witnessed unprecedented growth in recent

years, due principally to the information technology boom. The spurt in

urbanization and the resultant population has led to its infrastructure coming

under severe strain. This has resulted in development in the road

infrastructure, but usually at the cost of pedestrian facilities. Hence, Chennai

would serve as an apt example to test the efficacy of the proposed method.

Figure 4.1 Location of Chennai in Southern India

Source: Readers Digest Illustrated Atlas of the World, Readers Digest Limited, London (1997)

CHENNAI

(Madras)

108

4.2. SURVEY DESIGN AND FIELD STUDY

4.2.1. Method

A comprehensive survey of the selected stretch of pedestrian space was

carried out with the help of a checklist, at different times in the morning and

evening. The surveyors were required to evaluate the overall and detailed

characteristics of the pedestrian space.

4.2.2. Sampling framework

Streets in Chennai with significant pedestrian traffic were identified. A wide

variety of streets were taken up for study – Commercial, Residential,

Institutional, Recreational, etc. The location of the selected streets is shown in

Figure 4.2 while a description of the characteristics of each street is provided

in Table 4.1.

The selected street is divided into different stretches, to analyse it more

comprehensively. These stretches vary considerably in terms of function,

context and usage. Thus, the proposed method would be tested against a

diverse range of parameters.

An attempt was made to select streets of varying function and character to test

the suitability of the proposed method. Thus, streets of a predominantly

commercial character like Ranganathan Street and Rajaji Salai, Mixed use

areas like Gandhinagar First Main Road and streets in institutional areas like

Sardar Patel Road and Pantheon Road were evaluated, as were streets in

residential areas like Gandhi Nagar Second Main Road.

The key criteria in selecting these stretches were:

1. The presence of an observed steady-to-high pedestrian flow

throughout the day.

2. The existence of different activities imparting character to the

street.

109

On these streets, the specific stretches which were evaluated were:

1. Adyar Signal (Sardar Patel Road and Lattice Bridge Road)

i. Adyar Bus Terminus to the Adyar Signal

ii. Adyar Signal to Thiru-Vi-Ka Bridge

iii. Adyar Signal to Shastri Nagar 1st Avenue Junction

Figure 4.2 Map of Chennai with the location of selected streets

Source: A Road Guide to Chennai, TTK Printing Division, Chennai, 2005

110

Table 4.1 Location and characteristics of streets selected for evaluation

S.No. Street Location Characteristics

1 Sardar Patel

Road and

Lattice Bridge

Road

Adyar The prime arteries of Adyar – a

residential area converted into a

commercial centre with high traffic.

2 Gandhinagar

First Main

Road

Adyar The gateway to Gandhinagar – a

serene residential layout – lined

with commercial complexes,

restaurants and showrooms.

3 Gandhinagar

Second Main

Road

Adyar This road still retains its original

residential character.

4 Sardar Patel

Road

Guindy An Institutional zone, the road is

lined on both sides by educational

institutions, the Governor’s

residence and memorials.

5 Ranganathan

Street

Theagaraya

Nagar

A famous icon of T.Nagar, it is

renowned for being a shopper’s

paradise.

6 Pantheon

Road

Egmore The main artery of Egmore – a busy

commercial and institutional area

and one of the gateways of Chennai.

7 Rajaji Salai George

Town

One of the prime arteries of George

Town lined with Government

offices, heritage buildings and

provides access to Chennai Port.

111

2. Gandhi Nagar 1st Main Road

i. Canal Bank Road to 3rd Cross Street

ii. 3rd Cross Street to 2nd Cross Street

iii. 2nd Cross Street to 4th Main Road

3. Gandhi Nagar 2nd Main Road

i. Canal Bank Road to 3rd Cross Street

ii. 3rd Cross Street to 2nd Cross Street

iii. 2nd Cross Street to 4th Main Road

4. Sardar Patel Road

i. Raj Bhavan Junction to the Anna University Main Entry

ii. Anna University Entry to Gandhi Mandapam Junction

iii. Gandhi Mandapam Junction to Madhya Kailash Junction

5. Ranganathan Street

i. Ranganathan Street

6. Pantheon Road

i. Co-optex to Casa Major Road

ii. Casa Major Road to the Museum

iii. The Museum to the Police Commissioner’s Office Road

7. Rajaji Salai

i. N.S.C.Bose Road to Nalla Muthu Street

ii. Nalla Muthu Street to Narayanappa Street

iii. Narayanappa Street to Ebrahim Sahib Street

4.2.3. Survey proforma

A detailed survey proforma was designed based on the qualitative evaluation

method proposed in sections 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, and 3.6 of chapter three. This

proforma is divided into two sections:

112

1. Evaluation of Overall level characteristics

This would provide a broad picture of the existing environment,

and help in enhancing the overall levels of safety, comfort, convenience and

the quality of the urban environment as experienced by the pedestrian.

2. Evaluation of Detailed level characteristics

This would help in identifying problems on a detailed level, within

each of the overall parameters of safety, comfort, convenience and the urban

environment.

4.2.4. Manpower & Time taken

A total of eighty surveyors comprising of the fourth year students

of the Bachelor of Architecture program at the School of Habitat, Sathyabama

University, Chennai were involved in the entire exercise, over a period of four

months. Each street was evaluated by a group comprising of eleven and in

some cases twelve students. Each group was further subdivided into smaller

groups to collect information regarding safety, comfort, convenience, and the

urban environment. A comprehensive and accurate evaluation requires

surveys to be carried out at different times of the day. One survey was carried

out in the morning and another in the evening. This was carried out by

different sets of surveyors within the same group. The specific time varied

across different streets, because of their unique character. In order to study the

conditions when maximum number of pedestrians was present, usually peak

hours relative to the particular street were chosen.

4.2.5. Limitations

1. This research has relied on data collected from a detailed

observation of the pedestrian environment for testing the

113

method, by these groups of surveyors who assume the role of

pedestrians. Primarily the method does not require users’

observations to be recorded as part of a questionnaire, as no

particular details of the pedestrian journey being undertaken are

required. Some parameters necessitated a deeper knowledge of

the case study site conditions for example frequency of

patrolling, level of noise throughout the day, effect of noise and

air pollution on roadside cafes and other activities, shortcuts,

traditional rituals and gatherings. In these cases, the input from

vendors and local residents were relied upon.

2. There is scope for subjective interpretation during the

evaluation process. Some parameters, particularly the

characteristics of the urban environment, are subjective.

However, this can be curtailed to a great deal by utilizing the

services of various groups of evaluators to evaluate the same

stretch during different stages of the process.

3. The process requires the involvement of a large number of

surveyors, who would have to make repeated visits to the sites

to collect the required data.

4.2.6. Analysis

The data obtained is collated, and then weighed against the

parameters of the Overall and Detailed characteristics of Safety, Comfort,

Convenience and the Urban Environment. The appropriate grade is selected

based on the highest number of parameters satisfied. If the data satisfy the

parameters of two grades, a combined grading is assigned.

114

4.3 EVALUATION OF THE SELECTED STREETS

4.3.1 Adyar Signal (Sardar Patel Road and Lattice Bridge Road (Dr.

Muthulakshmi Salai))

Background: Adyar is a large neighbourhood in south Chennai. It

is located on the southern banks of the Adyar River. It is bounded by the

Buckingham Canal to the west, Tiruvanmiyur to the south and Besant Nagar

to the east. The centre of this neighbourhood runs along the Sardar Patel

Road, Chennai, between Gandhinagar (north) and Kasturibai Nagar (south),

as shown in Figure 4.3. The selected stretches of Sardar Patel Road and

Lattice Bridge Road (L.B.Road), and the corresponding street elevations are

depicted in Figure 4.4 and 4.5 respectively.

Figure 4.3 Map indicating the location of Adyar Signal – Sardar Patel

Road and L.B.Road

Source: A Road Guide to Chennai, TTK Printing Division, Chennai (1996)

L.B.Road

Sardar

Patel Road

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adyar_River

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckingham_Canal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiruvanmiyur

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Besant_Nagar

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardar_Patel_Road,_Chennai

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardar_Patel_Road,_Chennai

115

Figure 4.4 Map of Adyar Signal indicating the land use and the

selected stretches

Source: Field Survey (2008)

Issues concerning pedestrians: The increased traffic which Adyar

had to contend with, resulted in the service road abutting Sardar Patel Road to

be merged into the main road. A flyover at the Adyar Signal resulted in

pedestrian walkways being the principal casualty. The stretch of Lattice

Bridge road from the Adyar Signal to the end of the flyover near the Old Eros

theatre, is a pedestrians’ nightmare come true. Similarly, the stretch of road

abutting Hotel Coronet and extending to Adyar bakery suffered a reduction in

width, as a result of the flyover.

Adyar Signal to

Thiru-Vi-Ka Bridge

Adyar Bus Terminus

to Adyar Signal

Adyar Signal to Shastri

Nagar 1st Avenue

Junction

LANDUSE LEGEND:

Primary Residential- Yellow

Mixed Residential- Orange

Commercial-Blue

Recreational-Green

116

Figure 4.5 Street elevations of Sardar Patel Road and L.B.Road


Buildings which were once witness to the sedate pace of life in a

residential environment, have given way to glitzy shop-fronts. The main

roads, as well as the nearby lanes, are used for parking by cars and two-

wheelers on both sides, thus reducing their carrying capacity.

117

There is a constant flow of people – shoppers, office workers,

employees of the commercial establishments, students, and others. But this

has not translated into better amenities or facilities for people.

Sidewalks are either not maintained properly, or are encroached

upon as shown in Figure 4.6 and Figure 4.7.

Table 4.2 and Table 4.3 highlight the results of the evaluation of the

Overall Safety characteristics while Table 4.4 and Table 4.5 depict the results

of the evaluation of the Detailed Safety characteristics.

Figure 4.6 Obstacles on the sidewalk of Sardar Patel road


Figure 4.7 Parking on the sidewalk of L.B.Road


118

Table 4.2 Cumulative Rating of the Overall Safety characteristics of

Adyar Signal (Sardar Patel Road)

Street Adyar Signal

Parameter

Stretch

Level of interaction with vehicles

and Consideration for the vulnerable

pedestrian

Adyar Bus Terminus to Adyar Signal D

Adyar Signal to Thiru-Vi-Ka Bridge D

Cumulative Rating of Overall Safety

CharacteristicsD



Adyar Signal (L.B. Road)

Street Adyar Signal

Parameter

Stretch


and Consideration for the vulnerable

pedestrian

Adyar Signal to Shastri Nagar 1st

Avenue JunctionD


CharacteristicsD


Table 4.4 Cumulative Rating of the Detailed Safety characteristics of


Street Adyar Signal

Parameter

Stretch

Deg

ree

of

ob

stru

ctio

n o

n t

he

sid

ew

alk

s

Sid

ewalk

su

rfa

ce

con

dit

ion

s

Deg

ree

of

con

flic

t at

cro

ssin

gs

Des

ign

pri

nci

ple

s

ad

op

ted

for

ped

estr

ian

sec

uri

ty

Des

ign

pri

nci

ple

s

ad

op

ted

for

traff

ic

calm

ing

Adyar Bus Terminus to Adyar Signal C C/D E A/C D/E

Adyar Signal to Thiru-Vi-Ka Bridge C C E A E

Cumulative Rating of Detailed SafetyCharacteristics

C D E C E


119



Street Adyar Signal

Parameter

Stretch Deg

ree

of

ob

stru

ctio

n o

n t

he

sid

ew

alk

s

Sid

ewalk

su

rfa

ce

con

dit

ion

s

Deg

ree

of

con

flic

t

at

cro

ssin

gs

Des

ign

pri

nci

ple

s

ad

op

ted

for

ped

estr

ian

sec

uri

ty

Des

ign

pri

nci

ple

s

ad

op

ted

for

traff

ic

calm

ing


Avenue JunctionE C/D E A E

Cumulative Rating of DetailedSafety Characteristics

E D E A E


The rating for Overall Safety – “D” – signifies that pedestrians

encounter significant conflicts with vehicles, and consideration for the vulnerable

pedestrians, i.e., children, the elderly and the disabled, is meagre or nil.

The evaluation of the Detailed Safety characteristics emphasizes

the deficiencies across the pedestrian environment. The street obtained a

rating of “C” for the “Degree of obstruction on the sidewalks” because of the

inadequate width of the sidewalk on some stretches, encroachment by street

furniture, vendors, and parking. For “Sidewalk Surface Conditions”, it

received a rating of “D”. The absence of refuge areas, pedestrian-operated

signals, pedestrian phase in signals and signage, resulted in a rating of “E” for

the “Degree of conflict at crossings”. In terms of “Pedestrian Security”, high

levels of activity were observed at some places; the adequately dense

concentration of people and sufficient illumination by high-level street lights

earned the street a rating of “C”. The “Design principles for Traffic Calming”

were almost negligible resulting in a rating of “E”.

The results of the evaluation of the Overall Comfort characteristics

are shown in Table 4.6 and Table 4.7. Table 4.8 and Table 4.9 highlight the

results of the evaluation of the Detailed Comfort characteristics.

120

Table 4.6 Cumulative Rating of the Overall Comfort characteristics of


Street Adyar Signal

Parameter

Stretch

Physiological Comfort and

Psychological Comfort

Adyar Bus Terminus to Adyar Signal 10 AM C

Adyar Bus Terminus to Adyar Signal 6 PM A/C/D

Adyar Signal to Thiru-Vi-Ka Bridge C

Cumulative Rating of Overall Comfort

CharacteristicsD




Street Adyar Signal

Parameter

Stretch




Avenue JunctionC


CharacteristicsC


Table 4.8 Cumulative Rating of the Detailed Comfort characteristics of


Street Adyar Signal

Parameter

Stretch

Protection

from

inclement

weather

Noise

Pollution

Air

Pollution

Facilitation

of allied

activities

Adyar Bus Terminus to Adyar

SignalD C/E E E

Adyar Signal to Thiru-Vi-Ka

BridgeC A/E A/E C

Cumulative Rating of

Detailed Comfort

Characteristics

D E E E


121

Table 4.9 Cumulative Rating of the Detailed Comfort characteristics of


Street Adyar Signal

Parameter

Stretch

Protection

from

inclement

weather

Noise

Pollution

Air

Pollution

Facilitation

of allied

activities

Adyar Signal to

Shastri Nagar 1st

Avenue Junction

10 AM D D/E E E

Adyar Signal to

Shastri Nagar 1st

Avenue Junction

6 PM D E E E

Cumulative Rating of Detailed

Comfort CharacteristicsD E E E


The rating for Overall Comfort – “C” – indicates that in terms of

physiological and psychological comfort, the street is adequately comfortable.

There is sufficient freedom to choose the speed of movement, to maintain

adequate distance from others and to indulge in desired activity.

In the Detailed Comfort characteristics evaluation, the street

receives a rating of “D” for “Protection from inclement weather” due to

inadequate protection from the elements. In terms of “Noise Pollution” and

“Air Pollution”, due to the absence of any measure to reduce noise and air

pollution, it gets a rating of “E”. “Facilitation of Allied Activities” is just

about adequate with no provision of seating, moderately wide sidewalks

permitting window-shopping, conversing and schmoozing, only at the

expense of obstructing other pedestrians and meagre sidewalks on some

stretches which prevent any activity. Consequently it earns a rating of “E”.

Table 4.10 and Table 4.11 highlight the results of the evaluation of

the Overall Convenience characteristics, while Table 4.12 and Table 4.13

depict the results of the evaluation of the Detailed Convenience

characteristics.

122

Table 4.10 Cumulative Rating of the Overall Convenience characteristics

of Adyar Signal (Sardar Patel Road)

Street Adyar Signal

Parameter

StretchPath characteristics

Adyar Bus Terminus to Adyar Signal A

Adyar Signal to Thiru-Vi-Ka Bridge A/E

Cumulative Rating of Overall

Convenience CharacteristicsE



of Adyar Signal (L.B. Road)

Street Adyar Signal

Parameter



Avenue JunctionE




Table 4.12 Cumulative Rating of the Detailed Convenience characteristics

of Adyar Signal (Sardar Patel Road)

Street Adyar Signal

Parameter

Stretch

Legibility of

the pedestrian

environment

Pedestrian

amenities

Pedestrian

crossings

Adyar Bus Terminus to Adyar

SignalB/C/D E C/E


BridgeA E D/E


Convenience CharacteristicsD E E


123

Table 4.13 Cumulative Rating of the Detailed Convenience

characteristics of Adyar Signal (L.B. Road)

Street Adyar Signal

Parameter

Stretch

Legibility of the

pedestrian

environment

Pedestrian

amenities

Pedestrian

crossings

Adyar Signal to Shastri Nagar

1st Avenue Junction

D E E


Convenience Characteristics

D E E


The evaluation of the Overall Convenience – “A” and “E” – reveals

that the street is severely deficient in terms of impedances.

The Detailed level evaluation highlights the following issues. The

evaluation of the “Legibility of the pedestrian environment” shows that

though the street has sufficient landmark buildings, street activities, physical

and visual linkages and nodes, in terms of street furniture and signage it is

woefully inadequate. Consequently, it gets a rating of “D”. A complete

absence of “Pedestrian Amenities” earns it a rating of “E”. In terms of

“Pedestrian Crossings”, even though crossings are at-grade, the absence of

curb ramps, audible and tactile cues, and pedestrian operated signals, causes

the street to receive a rating of “E”.

The results of the evaluation of the Overall Urban Environment

characteristics are shown in Table 4.14 and Table 4.15, while Table 4.16 and

Table 4.17 highlight the results of the evaluation of the Detailed Urban

Environment characteristics.

124

Table 4.14 Cumulative Rating of the Overall Urban Environment

characteristics of Adyar Signal (Sardar Patel Road)

Street Adyar Signal

Parameter

Stretch

Imageability and Qualities of the

street

Adyar Bus Terminus to Adyar Signal B

Adyar Signal to Thiru-Vi-Ka Bridge A

Cumulative Rating of Overall Urban

Environment CharacteristicsB




Street Adyar Signal

Parameter

Stretch


street


Avenue JunctionD


Environment CharacteristicsD


Table 4.16 Cumulative Rating of the Detailed Urban Environment

characteristics of Adyar Signal (Sardar Patel Road)

Street Adyar Signal

Parameter

Stretch

Ch

ara

cter

isti

cs

of

bu

ild

ing

s

Ad

her

ence

to

hu

ma

n s

ca

le

Perm

ea

bil

ity

Vari

ety

Leg

ibil

ity

Ro

bu

stn

ess

Ric

hn

ess

Per

son

ali

zati

on

Adyar Bus Terminus to

Adyar SignalE D C/E C B B/C/D E E


BridgeE D D D A C E E


Detailed Urban Environment

Characteristics

E D E D B D E E


125



Street Adyar Signal

Parameter

Stretch

Ch

ara

cter

isti

cs o

f

bu

ild

ing

s

Ad

her

ence

to

hu

ma

n s

ca

le

Per

mea

bil

ity

Vari

ety

Leg

ibil

ity

Ro

bu

stn

ess

Ric

hn

ess

Per

son

ali

zati

on

Adyar Signal to Shastri Nagar

1st Avenue JunctionE D A/D D D B/D E E


Detailed Urban Environment

Characteristics

E D D D D D E E


The rating of “B” and “D” for the Overall level characteristics of

the Urban Environment indicates that some stretches of the street are

adequate, when assessed for Imageability and Qualities of the street, and

some are not.

As part of the evaluation of the Detailed level characteristics, the

street gets a rating of “E” for “Characteristics of Buildings”, thus signifying

that the buildings severely lack a sense of unity, detailing at eye-level and

with respect to context. “Adherence to Human Scale” sees the street getting a

rating of “D”. In the assessment of “Permeability”, the street receives a rating

of “D/E”, indicating that the street offers an inadequate choice of access, very

few views of interior spaces and virtually no spaces which invite the

pedestrian into the built environment. The evaluation of “Variety” – “D” -

highlights the inadequacy of the street in providing variety of form, use and

meaning. The review of “Legibility” – “B” and “D” - reveals that some

stretches of the street fare exceedingly well in terms of location of nodes,

landmarks, physical and visual linkages, and variety and location of street

126

activities, whereas others are inadequate. In the evaluation of “Robustness” –

“D” – the inadequate diversity of activities and adaptability of buildings to

multiple uses are highlighted. The street receives a rating of “E” for

“Richness” in terms of sensory experiences with nothing on offer for the

olfactory, kinetic and tactile senses. In terms of “Personalisation” too, the

street falls woefully short, in terms of enhancing the pedestrian environment

through personalization of personal as well as public space.

4.3.2 Gandhinagar First Main Road

Background: Gandhinagar is a residential layout located in Adyar

in South Chennai. It is bordered by the Adyar River on the north, the

Buckingham canal on the west and Sardar Patel Road on the south and east.

Figure 4.8 displays the location of Gandhinagar First Main Road.

Figure 4.8 Map indicating the location of Gandhinagar First Main Road


From a serene residential area with large individual bungalows,

Gandhinagar has evolved into a posh area with more apartments than

individual houses. The fringes have become commercialised with the First

Gandhinagar

First Main Road

127

Main Road being dotted with commercial complexes, restaurants and

showrooms. All the top brands are represented on this short stretch.

Showrooms of Pantaloons, Titan watches, Shahs, Basics, NaiHaa, Viveks,

Parryware and Woodlands, restaurants like Sri Krishna Sweets, Sangeetha’s,

Kumarakom and Rainforest, branches of the Indian Bank, the Andhra Bank

and HSBC apart from Odyssey, Spencer’s Foodworld, and Nuts and Spices

can be found.

The First Main Road is bordered by the Adyar Bus Terminus from

where the MTC operates intra-city buses.

Issues concerning pedestrians: There are adequately wide

sidewalks along stretches of the road. But encroachments by vendors, street

furniture and building materials render the sidewalk practically unusable, as

displayed in Figure 4.9.

The results of the evaluation of Safety characteristics are shown in

Table 4.18 and Table 4.19.

Figure 4.9 Encroachments on the sidewalk of Gandhinagar First Main Road


128


Gandhinagar 1st Main Road

Street Gandhinagar 1st Main Road

Parameter

Stretch


and Consideration for the

vulnerable pedestrian

Canal Bank Road to 3rd Cross Street C/D

3rd Cross Street to 2nd Cross Street C/D

2nd Cross Street to 4th Main Road E


CharacteristicsE





Parameter

Stretch

Deg

ree

of

ob

stru

ctio

n

on

th

e s

idew

alk

s

Sid

ew

alk

su

rfa

ce

con

dit

ion

s

Deg

ree

of

con

flic

t at

cro

ssin

gs

Desi

gn

prin

cip

les

ad

op

ted

for

ped

estr

ian

secu

rity

Desi

gn

prin

cip

les

ad

op

ted

for

traff

ic

ca

lmin

g

Canal Bank Road to 3rd Cross

StreetC D E D D/E

3rd Cross Street to 2nd Cross

StreetC D E D D/E

2nd Cross Street to 4th Main

RoadC E E D E


Safety CharacteristicsC E E D E


129

The rating for Overall Safety – “D” and “E” – signifies that

pedestrians encounter significant conflicts with vehicles, and consideration

for the vulnerable pedestrian is meagre or nil. The evaluation of the Detailed

Safety characteristics emphasizes the deficiencies across the pedestrian

environment. The stretch obtained a rating of “C” for the “Degree of

obstruction on the sidewalks”, because of significant encroachments by street

furniture, vendors, parking, and dumping of building materials and other

miscellaneous equipment. For “Sidewalk Surface Conditions”, it received a

rating of “E”. The absence of signage and consideration for the disabled

resulted in a rating of “E” for the “Degree of conflict at crossings”. In terms

of “Pedestrian Security”, large buildings with individual commercial uses,

mostly new buildings and inadequate street activities earned the stretch a

rating of “D”. “Design principles for Traffic Calming” were almost

negligible, resulting in a rating of “E”.

Table 4.20 and Table 4.21 depict the results of the evaluation of the

Comfort characteristics of Gandhinagar 1st Main Road.




Parameter

Stretch



Canal Bank Road to 3rd Cross Street A

3rd Cross Street to 2nd Cross Street A

2nd Cross Street to 4th Main Road A


CharacteristicsA


130

Table 4.21 Cumulative Rating of the Detailed Comfort characteristics

of Gandhinagar 1st Main Road


Parameter

Stretch

Protection

from

inclement

weather

Noise

Pollution

Air

Pollution

Facilitation

of allied

activities


StreetC E E C


StreetC E E C


RoadC E E C


Comfort CharacteristicsC E E C


The rating for Overall Comfort – “A” – indicates, that in terms of

physiological and psychological comfort, the stretch is very comfortable.


adequate distance from others and to indulge in desired activity.

The Detailed Comfort characteristics evaluation brings to the fore

the shortcomings of the stretch. The stretch receives a rating of “D” for

“Protection from inclement weather” due to inadequate protection from the

elements. In terms of “Noise Pollution” and “Air Pollution”, due to the

absence of any measure to reduce noise and air pollution, it gets a rating of

“E”. The “Facilitation of Allied Activities” is just about adequate with no

provision of seating, moderately wide sidewalks permitting window-

shopping, conversing and schmoozing, only at the expense of obstructing

other pedestrians. Consequently it earns a rating of “C”.

131

The results of the evaluation of Convenience characteristics of

Gandhinagar First Main Road are shown in Table 4.22 and Table 4.23.


of Gandhinagar 1st Main Road


Parameter


Canal Bank Road to 3rd Cross Street D

3rd Cross Street to 2nd Cross Street E






characteristics of Gandhinagar 1st Main Road


Parameter

Stretch

Legibility of

the pedestrian

environment

Pedestrian

amenities

Pedestrian

crossings


StreetB E D


StreetC E D


RoadD E D


Convenience CharacteristicsD E D


132

The evaluation of Overall Convenience – “E” – reveals that the stretch is

severely deficient in terms of shortcuts and impedances.

The Detailed level evaluation highlights the following issues. The evaluation

of the “Legibility of the pedestrian environment” shows that though the street

has sufficient landmark buildings, physical and visual linkages and nodes, in

terms of street furniture, signage and street activities it is woefully inadequate.

Consequently it gets a rating of “D”. A complete absence of “Pedestrian

Amenities” earns it a rating of “E”. In terms of “Pedestrian Crossings”, even

though crossings are at-grade, the absence of curb ramps, audible and tactile

cues, pedestrian phase in signals and pedestrian operated signals, causes the

stretch to receive a rating of “D”.

Table 4.24 and Table 4.25 display the results of the evaluation of

the Urban Environment characteristics of Gandhinagar First Main Road.




Parameter

Stretch


street


3rd Cross Street to 2nd Cross Street D

2nd Cross Street to 4th Main Road D




133




Parameter

Stretch

Ch

ara

cter

isti

cs

of

bu

ild

ing

s

Ad

her

ence

to

hu

ma

n s

ca

le

Per

mea

bil

ity

Vari

ety

Leg

ibil

ity

Ro

bu

stn

ess

Ric

hn

ess

Per

son

ali

zati

on

Canal Bank Road to 3rd Cross Street E D C C B C D E

3rd Cross Street to 2nd Cross Street E D D C C C D E

2nd Cross Street to 4th Main Road E D C C D C D E

Cumulative Rating of Detailed Urban

Environment CharacteristicsE D D C D C D E


The rating of “D” for the Overall level characteristics of the Urban

Environment indicates that the street is inadequate, when assessed for

Imageability and Qualities of the street.


street gets a rating of “E” for “Characteristics of Buildings”, thus signifying


respect to context. “Adherence to Human Scale” sees the street getting a

rating of “D”. In the assessment of “Permeability”, the street receives a rating

of “D”, indicating that the street offers an inadequate choice of access, very

few views of interior spaces and virtually no spaces which invite the

pedestrian into the built environment. The evaluation of “Variety” – “C” –

shows that the street is sufficiently adequate in providing variety of form, use

and meaning. The review of “Legibility” – “D” - reveals that the street is

inadequate in terms of location of nodes, landmarks, physical and visual

linkages and variety and location of street activities. The evaluation of

“Robustness” – “C” – reveals adequate diversity of activities and adaptability

of buildings to multiple uses. The street receives a rating of “D” for

134

“Richness” in terms of sensory experiences with nothing on offer for the


street falls woefully short in terms of enhancing the pedestrian environment


4.3.3 Gandhinagar Second Main Road

Background: Gandhinagar is a residential layout located in Adyar

in South Chennai. It is bordered by Adyar River on the north, Buckingham

canal on the west and Sardar Patel Road on the south and east. Figure 4.10

shows the location of Gandhinagar Second Main Road.

Figure 4.10 Map indicating the location of Gandhinagar Second Main Road

Source: A Road Guide to Chennai, TTK Printing Division, Chennai, 1996

Comparatively speaking, the Second Main Road has retained its

residential character, though a few commercial enterprises can be seen. Some

old bungalows still remain, but the predominant building type is the posh

apartment. Construction activity is continuing on quite a few sites with the old

Gandhinagar

Second Main

Road

135

individual houses being torn down to be replaced by multi-storeyed

apartments.

Some of the traffic generators on this street are the Grand Sweets

and Snacks, Hot Breads and the Anantha Padmanabhaswamy temple.

Issues concerning pedestrians: There are adequately wide

sidewalks along both sides of the road. But encroachments by vendors, street

furniture and building materials, and poor maintenance have forced the

pedestrian to share space with vehicular traffic. Figure 4.11 and Figure 4.12

depict the condition of the sidewalk of Gandhinagar Second Main Road.

Figure 4.11 Lack of maintenance of the sidewalk of Gandhinagar

Second Main Road


Figure 4.12 Dumping of garbage and debris on the sidewalk of

Gandhinagar Second Main Road


136

The results of the evaluation of Safety characteristics of

Gandhinagar Second Main Road are shown in Table 4.26 and Table 4.27.


Gandhinagar 2nd

Main Road

Street Gandhinagar 2nd

Main Road

Parameter

Stretch

Level of interaction with vehicles and

Consideration for the vulnerable

pedestrian

Canal Bank Road to 3rd Cross Street C/D

3rd Cross Street to 2nd Cross Street C/D

2nd Cross Street to 4th Main Road C/D


CharacteristicsD



Gandhinagar 2nd

Main Road


Main Road

Parameter

Stretch

Deg

ree

of

ob

stru

ctio

n

on

th

e s

idew

alk

s

Sid

ewalk

su

rface

co

nd

itio

ns

Deg

ree

of

con

flic

t at

cro

ssin

gs

Des

ign

pri

nci

ple

s

ad

op

ted

fo

r p

edes

tria

n

secu

rity

Des

ign

pri

nci

ple

s

ad

op

ted

fo

r tr

aff

ic

ca

lmin

g

Canal Bank Road to 3rd Cross Street C D E D D/E

3rd Cross Street to 2nd Cross Street C D E D D/E

2nd Cross Street to 4th Main Road C D E D D/E


Safety CharacteristicsC D E D E


137


encounter significant conflicts with vehicles, and consideration for the

vulnerable pedestrian is meagre or nil.


the deficiencies across the pedestrian environment. The stretch obtained a

rating of “C” for the “Degree of obstruction on the sidewalks” because of the

significant encroachments by street furniture, vendors, parking, and dumping

of building materials and other miscellaneous equipment. For “Sidewalk

Surface Conditions”, it received a rating of “D”. The absence of zebra

crossing patterns, refuge areas, pedestrian-operated signals, pedestrian phase

in signals and signage resulted in a rating of “E” for the “Degree of conflict at

crossings”. In terms of “Pedestrian Security”, low levels of activity observed

at some places, meagre concentration of people and inadequate illumination

by high-level street lights earned the stretch a rating of “D”. “Design

principles for Traffic Calming” were almost negligible resulting in a rating of

“E”.


the Comfort characteristics of Gandhinagar Second Main Road.


Gandhinagar 2nd

Main Road


Main Road

Parameter

Stretch



Canal Bank Road to 3rd Cross Street A

3rd Cross Street to 2nd Cross Street A

2nd Cross Street to 4th Main Road A


CharacteristicsA


138


of Gandhinagar 2nd

Main Road


Main Road

Parameter

Stretch

Protection

from

inclement

weather

Noise

Pollution

Air

Pollution

Facilitation

of allied

activities


StreetC E E C


StreetC E E C


RoadC E E C


Comfort CharacteristicsC E E C


The rating for Overall Comfort – “A” – indicates that in terms of

physiological and psychological comfort, the stretch is very comfortable.


adequate distance from others, and to indulge in desired activity.

In the Detailed Comfort characteristics evaluation, the stretch

receives a rating of “C” for “Protection from inclement weather” due to

inadequate protection from the elements. In terms of “Noise Pollution” and

“Air Pollution”, due to the absence of any measure to reduce noise and air

pollution, it gets a rating of “E”. “Facilitation of Allied Activities” is just

about adequate with no provision of seating, moderately wide sidewalks

permitting window-shopping, conversing and schmoozing, only at the

expense of obstructing other pedestrians. Consequently it earns a rating of

“C”.


Gandhinagar Second Main Road are shown in Table 4.30 and Table 4.31.

139


of Gandhinagar 2nd

Main Road


Main Road

Parameter


Canal Bank Road to 3rd Cross Street A/E

3rd Cross Street to 2nd Cross Street E






characteristics of Gandhinagar 2nd

Main Road


Main Road

Parameter

Stretch

Legibility of the

pedestrian

environment

Pedestrian

amenities

Pedestrian

crossings

Canal Bank Road to 3rd Cross Street E E D

3rd Cross Street to 2nd Cross Street E E D

2nd Cross Street to 4th Main Road B E D


Convenience CharacteristicsE E D


The evaluation of the Overall Convenience – “E” – reveals that the

stretch is severely deficient in terms of shortcuts and impedances.


evaluation of the “Legibility of the pedestrian environment” shows that the

street has no landmark buildings, inadequate street activities and no street

furniture, and signage. Consequently it gets a rating of “E”. A complete

absence of “Pedestrian Amenities” earns it a rating of “E”. In terms of

“Pedestrian Crossings”, even though crossings are at-grade, the absence of

140

curb ramps, audible and tactile cues, pedestrian phase in signals and

pedestrian operated signals causes the stretch to receive a rating of “D”.


the Urban Environment characteristics of Gandhinagar Second Main Road.



Main Road


Main Road

Parameter

Stretch


street


3rd Cross Street to 2nd Cross Street D

2nd Cross Street to 4th Main Road C






Main Road


Main Road

Parameter

Stretch

Ch

ara

cter

isti

cs

of

bu

ild

ing

s

Ad

her

ence

to

hu

ma

n s

ca

le

Per

mea

bil

ity

Vari

ety

Leg

ibil

ity

Ro

bu

stn

ess

Ric

hn

ess

Per

son

ali

zati

on

Canal Bank Road to 3rd

Cross StreetC/E D C/D/E D A/B/D C E E

3rd Cross Street to 2nd

Cross StreetC/E D C/D/E D A/B/D C E E

2nd Cross Street to 4th

Main RoadC/E D C D

A/B/

C/DC B B/E


Detailed Urban

Environment

Characteristics

E D E D D C E E


141


Environment indicates, that the stretch is inadequate when assessed for

Imageability (Skyline, Landmark buildings, Response to context, Nodes,

Levels, Diversity of activities, Spatial relationships and changing views) and

Qualities of the street (Street elements like the Beginning, End and places of

special activity, Sense of enclosure, Adherence of street dimensions to

guidelines, Interaction of people, conduciveness for traditional rituals and

gatherings, and the capacity to support recreation, conversation and

entertainment).


stretch gets a rating of “E” for “Characteristics of Buildings”, thus signifying


respect to context. “Adherence to Human Scale” sees the stretch getting a

rating of “D”. In the assessment of “Permeability”, the stretch receives a

rating of “E”, indicating that it offers an inadequate choice of access, very few

views of interior spaces, and virtually no spaces which invite the pedestrian

into the built environment. The evaluation of “Variety” – “D” - highlights the

inadequacy of the stretch in providing variety of form, use and meaning. The

review of “Legibility” – “D” - reveals that the stretch fares dismally in terms

of location of nodes, landmarks, physical and visual linkages, and variety and

location of street activities. The evaluation of “Robustness” – “C” – highlights

the adequate diversity of activities and adaptability of buildings to multiple

uses. The stretch receives a rating of “E” for “Richness” in terms of sensory

experiences with nothing on offer for the olfactory, kinetic and tactile senses.

In terms of “Personalisation” too, the stretch falls woefully short in terms of

enhancing the pedestrian environment through personalization of personal as

well as public space.

142

4.3.4 Sardar Patel Road

Background: This area is an institutional zone. Sardar Patel Road

starts from the Ashok Leyland corporate office at the junction between

Guindy Railway Station and Little Mount Junction, just near Alexander

Square. On one side it is bounded by the campuses of the Anna University

and the CLRI (Central Leather Research Institute), while on the other side are

the IIT (Indian Institute of Technology, Madras) campus, the Cancer Research

Institute, the Children’s Park and a multitude of memorials in homage to

Mahatma Gandhi and other prominent Indian statesmen, culminating in the

sprawling Raj Bhavan serving as the Governor’s residence. It is the arterial

road which provides the access to all these institutions. A right turn from the

Madhya Kailash Junction leads to the Old Mahabalipuram Road also known

as the IT Highway, which has now been christened Rajiv Gandhi Salai.

Figure 4.13 displays the location of Sardar Patel Road. The selected stretches

are shown in Figure 4.14.

Figure 4.13 Map indicating the location of Sardar Patel Road


Sardar Patel Road

143

Figure 4.14 Map of Sardar Patel Road indicating the land use and the

selected stretches


Traffic analysis: The stretch of Sardar Patel Road between Raj

Bhavan and the Halda Junction is one-way towards the direction of the Halda

Junction. The rest of the road is two-way. It is notorious for its traffic jams,

especially during peak hours. The narrow, one-way flyover in front of the IIT

has added to the traffic problem and has also deprived a prestigious institute

like the IIT, of frontage. As a result, vehicles coming to the IIT from the Raj

Bhavan side have to take a U-Turn from Madhya Kailash. For the pedestrian,

crossing over to the IIT side of the road is a nightmare due to the fast traffic

from the one-way flyover. This is especially true for students of Kendriya

Vidyalaya and Vanavani Schools in the IIT Campus. In contrast, the Anna

University has been provided with good frontage and pedestrian crossing

signals.

Issues concerning pedestrians: The area sees a huge influx of

students, faculty and tourists. But sadly, there is no consideration for the

Raj Bhavan Junction to

Anna University Main Entry

Anna University Main Entry

to Gandhi Mandapam Road

Junction

Gandhi Mandapam Road

Junction to Madhya

Kailash Junction

LANDUSE LEGEND:

Primary Residential- Yellow

Mixed Residential- Orange

Commercial-Blue

Institutional-Red

144

pedestrian. Pedestrian amenities are virtually non-existent. There are no

resting places, coherent signage system, and unified design language adopted

for street furniture, play equipment, landscaping or works of art.

The sidewalks are maintained well due to the proximity of the Raj

Bhavan. But, the recent addition of a vehicular flyover has resulted in the

pedestrian sidewalk becoming the prime casualty. Earlier the stretch abutting

the memorials boasted of a cycle track, as depicted in Figure 4.15. But this

was assimilated into the vehicular carriageway as a consequence of the

construction of the flyover, as shown in Figure 4.16. On some stretches, the

sidewalk is barely wide enough for an individual to walk, as displayed in

Figure 4.17.

The stretch of the sidewalk abutting the memorials used to be

encroached by hawkers and food vendors, whose main clientele were the

tourists and the students. Pedestrians weren’t affected much, because they

could walk freely on the cycle track which was wide enough to accommodate

them and the cyclists.

The area was vibrant during lunch time and evenings, when

students descended in droves to relax over a cup of tea and snacks. The

vendors could be found catering to students till late into the night.

All this was lost with the construction of the flyover and the

‘cleansing’ of the sidewalk vendors, by the city corporation. Overnight, the

area acquired a sterile appearance with the loss of people thronging the

sidewalk.

145

Figure 4.15 Sidewalks before the construction of a flyover at the Gandhi

Mandapam Road Junction

Figure 4.16 Sidewalks after the construction of a flyover at the Gandhi


Sidewalk

Sidewalk

Sidewalk

Sidewalk

146

Figure 4.17 Insufficient sidewalk width abutting the Cancer Institute

and the IIT


Lack of consideration towards the pedestrian is highlighted in the

faded zebra crossing markings, as shown in Figure 4.18.

Figure 4.18 Faded zebra crossing markings at the Gandhi Mandapam

Road junction


The results of the evaluation of Safety characteristics of Sardar

Patel Road are shown in Table 4.34 and Table 4.35.

147


Sardar Patel Road

Street Sardar Patel Road

Parameter

Stretch




Raj Bhavan Junction to Anna

University Main EntryD

Anna University Main Entry to Gandhi

Mandapam Road JunctionD

Gandhi Mandapam Road Junction to

Madhya Kailash JunctionD


CharacteristicsD



Sardar Patel Road


Parameter

Stretch Deg

ree

of

ob

stru

ctio

n o

n t

he

sid

ewa

lks

Sid

ewalk

su

rface

co

nd

itio

ns

Deg

ree

of

con

flic

t at

cro

ssin

gs

Desi

gn

prin

cip

les

ad

op

ted

fo

r

ped

estr

ian

sec

uri

ty

Desi

gn

prin

cip

les

ad

op

ted

for

traff

ic

ca

lmin

g


University Main EntryC C C/E E D/E

Anna University Main Entry to

Gandhi Mandapam Road JunctionE D E D E

Gandhi Mandapam Road Junction

to Madhya Kailash JunctionC C E A E


Safety CharacteristicsE D E E E


148



vulnerable pedestrian i.e. children, the elderly and the disabled is meagre or

nil.



rating of “E” for the “Degree of obstruction on the sidewalks” because of

highly inadequate width of sidewalks adjacent to the flyover. For “Sidewalk

Surface Conditions”, it received a rating of “D” because of the susceptibility

of the vulnerable pedestrian adjacent to the flyover. Faded zebra crossing

patterns, absence of refuge areas, pedestrian-operated signals, pedestrian

phase in signals and signage resulted in a rating of “E” for the “Degree of

conflict at crossings”. In terms of “Pedestrian Security”, the absence of

activity on the Raj Bhavan stretch, meagre concentration of people and the

absence of mixed uses earned the stretch a rating of “E”. “Design principles

for Traffic Calming” were almost negligible, resulting in a rating of “E”.


the Comfort characteristics of Sardar Patel Road.


Sardar Patel Road


Parameter

Stretch



Raj Bhavan Junction to Anna University

Main EntryA


Mandapam Road JunctionA


Madhya Kailash JunctionC


CharacteristicsC


149


of Sardar Patel Road


Parameter

Stretch

Protection from

inclement

weather

Noise

Pollution

Air

Pollution

Facilitation

of allied

activities

Raj Bhavan Junction to

Anna University Main

Entry

C/D E E C

Anna University Main

Entry to Gandhi


C/D E E D/E


Junction to Madhya

Kailash Junction

C E E C/E


Detailed Comfort

Characteristics

D E E E


The rating for Overall Comfort – “C” – indicates, that in terms of

physiological and psychological comfort, the stretch is adequately

comfortable. There is sufficient freedom to choose the speed of movement, to

maintain adequate distance from others and to indulge in desired activity.






“E”. “Facilitation of Allied Activities” is inadequate with no provision of

seating, and narrow sidewalks eliminating the chance of any activities.

Consequently, it earns a rating of “E”.

150


Sardar Patel Road are shown in Table 4.38 and Table 4.39.




Parameter


Raj Bhavan Junction to Anna University

Main EntryA/E


Mandapam Road JunctionE


Madhya Kailash JunctionE







Parameter

Stretch

Legibility of

the pedestrian

environment

Pedestrian

amenities

Pedestrian

crossings


University Main EntryD E D/E



Junction

D E E


Junction to Madhya Kailash

Junction

C E D/E




151

The evaluation of Overall Convenience – “E” – reveals that the



evaluation of “Legibility of the pedestrian environment” shows that though

the street has sufficient landmark buildings, physical and visual linkages and

nodes, in terms of street furniture, signage and street activities, it is woefully

inadequate. Consequently it gets a rating of “D”. A complete absence of

“Pedestrian Amenities” earns it a rating of “E”. In terms of “Pedestrian

Crossings”, even though crossings are at-grade, the absence of curb ramps,

audible and tactile cues, pedestrian phase in signals and pedestrian operated

signals causes the stretch to receive a rating of “E”. The results of the

evaluation of Urban Environment characteristics of Sardar Patel Road are

shown in Table 4.40 and Table 4.41.


characteristics of Sardar Patel Road


Parameter

Stretch


street


University Main EntryD


Mandapam Road JunctionD


Madhya Kailash JunctionC




152


characteristics of Sardar Patel Road


Parameter

Stretch

Ch

ara

cter

isti

cs o

f

bu

ild

ing

s

Ad

her

ence

to

hu

ma

n s

ca

le

Perm

eab

ilit

y

Varie

ty

Leg

ibil

ity

Ro

bu

stn

ess

Ric

hn

ess

Per

son

ali

zati

on


University Main EntryE D D C/D/E D D E E



Junction

C D B/C C A D E E


Junction to Madhya Kailash

Junction

E D D B C C E E


Urban Environment

Characteristics

E D D E D D E E






Qualities of the street (Street elements like the Beginning, End, and places of




entertainment).

As part of the evaluation of Detailed level characteristics, the



153



rating of “D”, indicating that the stretch offers an inadequate choice of access,

very few views of interior spaces and virtually no spaces which invite the

pedestrian into the built environment. The evaluation of “Variety” – “E” -

highlights the inadequacy of the stretch in providing variety of form, use and

meaning. The review of “Legibility” – “D” - reveals that the stretch fares

exceedingly well in terms of location of nodes, landmarks, physical and visual

linkages and variety and location of street activities. In the evaluation of

“Robustness” – “D” – the inadequate diversity of activities and adaptability of

buildings to multiple uses are highlighted. The stretch receives a rating of “E”

for “Richness” in terms of sensory experiences with nothing on offer for the


stretch falls woefully short in terms of enhancing the pedestrian environment


4.3.5 Ranganathan Street

Background: Ranganathan Street is located in Theagaraya Nagar

on the approach to the Mambalam railway station, as depicted in Figure 4.19.

Many commercial establishments can be found on Ranganathan Street. It is

one of the busiest streets of Chennai. The street is a famous icon of

Theagaraya Nagar and due to its proximity to the Mambalam railway station

and the Theagaraya Nagar bus terminus, people from all parts of Chennai

flock to Ranganathan Street for shopping, especially during the festive

seasons.

Ranganathan Street is a shopper's paradise for people belonging to

all ages. From safety pins to exquisite jewellery, the place is packed with

stores brimming with goods. Right from tiny tots to school goers, teens and

the elderly, Ranganathan Street has a lot to allure every visitor. Interesting

154

food to feast on, juices to quench one’s thirst, sweet shops for the sugar

hungry are part of the array of shops in Ranganathan Street. The place is very

crowded at all times during the year.

Some of the well-known outlets on Ranganathan Street include

Textile India, Saravana Stores and Jeyachandran Textiles. Every kind of

household articles, music CDs, apparel and accessories can be obtained at the

many stores that line the street. Vegetable and flower vendors sell their fresh

wares right on the street.

There are no residential buildings on Ranganthan street as such, but

there are a few very close to the street, such as Rams Flats, Narayana

apartments and Kamakoti Flats on Rameswaram road.

Figure 4.19 Map indicating the location of Ranganathan Street


Ranganathan

Street

155

Issues concerning Pedestrians

The crowd surges to extraordinary numbers during the festival

seasons. Even at other times of the year, pedestrians have to jostle for space

and use all their adroitness in evading others. Personal space and social space

are at a premium here. Figure 4.20 and Figure 4.21 display the lack of

personal space and the number of obstacles in the pedestrian path.

Figure 4.20 Lack of personal space on Ranganathan Street


Figure 4.21 Encroachment by hawkers on Ranganathan Street



the Safety characteristics of Ranganathan Street.

156


Ranganathan Street

Street Ranganathan Street

Parameter

Stretch




Ranganathan Street D


CharacteristicsD



Ranganathan Street


Parameter

Stretch

Deg

ree

of

ob

stru

ctio

n

on

th

e s

idew

alk

s

Sid

ewalk

su

rface

co

nd

itio

ns

Deg

ree

of

con

flic

t at

cross

ings

Desi

gn

prin

cip

les

ad

op

ted

for

ped

estr

ian

sec

uri

ty

Desi

gn

prin

cip

les

ad

op

ted

fo

r t

raff

ic

ca

lmin

g

Ranganathan Street E D A A A/B/D


Safety CharacteristicsE D A A A/B/D


The rating for Overall Safety – “D” – was the result of a meagre

consideration for the vulnerable pedestrian, i.e. children, the elderly and the

disabled.

The evaluation of Detailed Safety characteristics emphasizes the

deficiencies across the pedestrian environment. The stretch obtained a rating

of “E” for “Degree of obstruction on the sidewalks” because of significant

encroachments by street furniture, vendors, parking, and dumping of building

materials and other miscellaneous equipment. For “Sidewalk Surface

Conditions”, it received a rating of “D”. Since the stretch is almost vehicle-

157

free, it resulted in a rating of “A” for “Degree of conflict at crossings”. In

terms of “Pedestrian Security”, high levels of activity observed at some

places, adequately dense concentration of people and sufficient illumination

by high-level street lights earned the stretch a rating of “A”. “Design

principles for Traffic Calming” were almost negligible resulting in a rating of

“A/B/D”.

The results of the evaluation of Comfort characteristics of

Ranganathan Street are shown in Table 4.44 and Table 4.45.


Ranganathan Street


Parameter

Stretch





CharacteristicsD



of Ranganathan Street


Parameter

Stretch

Protection from

inclement

weather

Noise

Pollution

Air

Pollution

Facilitation

of allied

activities

Ranganathan

Street

10 AM D A A E

3 PM D A A D/E


Comfort CharacteristicsD A A E


The rating for Overall Comfort – “D” – indicates that in terms of

physiological and psychological comfort, the stretch is inadequate. There is

158

no freedom to choose the speed of movement, to maintain adequate distance

from others and to indulge in desired activity.





absence of vehicular traffic, it gets a rating of “A”. “Facilitation of Allied

Activities” is highly inadequate with no provision of seating, and very high

concentrations of pedestrians precluding any window-shopping, conversing

and schmoozing. Consequently it earns a rating of “E”.


the Convenience characteristics of Ranganathan Street.




Parameter


Ranganathan Street E







Parameter

Stretch

Legibility of the

pedestrian

environment

Pedestrian

amenities

Pedestrian

crossings

Ranganathan

Street

10 AM C/D E D

3 PM D E D


Convenience CharacteristicsD E D


159




evaluation of “Legibility of the pedestrian environment” shows that though


nodes, in terms of street furniture, signage and street activities it is woefully





signals causes the stretch to receive a rating of “D”.

The results of the evaluation of the Urban Environment

characteristics of Ranganathan Street are shown in Table 4.48 and Table 4.49.


characteristics of Ranganathan Street


Parameter

Stretch


street





160


characteristics of Ranganathan Street


Parameter

Stretch

Ch

ara

cter

isti

cs o

f

bu

ild

ing

s

Ad

her

ence

to

hu

ma

n s

ca

le

Perm

eab

ilit

y

Vari

ety

Leg

ibil

ity

Ro

bu

stn

ess

Ric

hn

ess

Per

son

ali

zati

on

Ranganathan Street E D E C D D A E


Urban Environment

Characteristics

E D E D D D A E










entertainment).






rating of “E”, indicating that the stretch offers an inadequate choice of access,




161

meaning. The review of “Legibility” – “D” - reveals that the stretch fares

dismally in terms of location of nodes, landmarks, physical and visual



buildings to multiple uses are highlighted. The stretch receives a rating of “A”

for “Richness” in terms of sensory experiences with significant visual, aural

and kinetic diversity. In terms of “Personalisation” too, the stretch falls

woefully short in terms of enhancing the pedestrian environment through

personalization of personal as well as public space.

4.3.6 Pantheon Road

Background: Pantheon Road is the main artery of Egmore. It stretches

from the north east to the south west, and just a stone’s throw from the former end is

the Egmore Railway Station, with its main building done up in the striking Indo-

Saracenic style made famous by Robert Chisholm. Figure 4.22 displays the location

of Pantheon Road.

Figure 4.22 Map indicating the location of Pantheon Road


Pantheon

Road

162

There has been a dramatic change in the very essence of Egmore.

From being the area where the white and brown sahibs built their houses,

Egmore today is a bustling centre of commerce. Shopping malls and hotels

are continuously springing up, and the various malls especially, draw in the

city’s youth in flocks and hordes.

The presence of three sports complexes, the University Union, the

Corporation Stadium, the Rajarathinam Stadium, and three hospitals – the

Children’s, the Maternity and the Eye – has also resulted in hundreds of

outstation visitors thronging this area daily. Egmore also boasts of the city’s

second most important railway station.

The road has quite a few sites of historical significance. The road’s

name derives from the British Raj’s Pantheon that once stood there in the 18th

century, one that played host to different kinds of entertainment shows for the

British in the then Madras. Today, art galleries and museums occupy the

space where the Pantheon once stood. The thickly wooded enclave contains

the Government Museum, the National Art Gallery, the Contemporary Art

Gallery, the famous Connemara Library, and the more recent addition, the

Children's Museum.

The selected stretches and the corresponding street elevations are

displayed in Figure 4.23.

Issues concerning pedestrians: The construction of a vehicular

flyover has resulted in considerable reduction of the sidewalk width, while

encroachment by street furniture, hawkers, petty shops and beggars render the

sidewalk unusable on many stretches, as shown in Figure 4.24, Figure 4.25

and Figure 4.26. Parking of two-wheelers and even cars on the sidewalk

abutting commercial complexes has left the pedestrian with no other option,

but to vie with vehicles for space on the vehicular carriageway.

163

Figure 4.23 Street elevations of Pantheon Road and map indicating the

selected stretches


Figure 4.24 Insufficient sidewalk width forces the pedestrian onto

Pantheon road


164

Figure 4.25 Encroachment by vendors on the sidewalk of Pantheon Road


The junction of Montieth road and the space in front of the

Government Maternity Hospital are zones of stress, considering the high

pedestrian population.

Figure 4.26 Hawkers occupying the entire sidewalk width on Pantheon

Road



the Safety characteristics of Pantheon Road.

165


Pantheon Road

Street Pantheon Road

Parameter

Stretch

Level of interaction with vehicles and

Consideration for the vulnerable

pedestrian

Co-optex to Casa Major Road D

Casa Major Road to Museum D

Government Museum to Dr.Nair Road D


CharacteristicsD



Pantheon Road


Parameter

Stretch

Deg

ree

of

ob

stru

ctio

n

on

th

e s

idew

alk

s

Sid

ewalk

su

rface

co

nd

itio

ns

Deg

ree

of

con

flic

t at

cross

ings

Des

ign

pri

nci

ple

s

ad

op

ted

for

ped

estr

ian

secu

rity

Des

ign

pri

nci

ple

s

ad

op

ted

fo

r t

ra

ffic

ca

lmin

g

Co-optex to Casa Major

RoadD C E C E

Casa Major Road to

MuseumD C E C E

Government Museum to

Dr.Nair RoadC C E C E


Detailed Safety

Characteristics

D C E C E




166

vulnerable pedestrian, i.e. children, the elderly and the disabled is meagre or

nil.



rating of “D” for “Degree of obstruction on the sidewalks” because of

significant encroachment by street furniture, vendors, parking, and dumping

of building materials and other miscellaneous equipment. For “Sidewalk

Surface Conditions”, it received a rating of “C”. The absence of zebra

crossing patterns, refuge areas, pedestrian-operated signals, pedestrian phase

in signals and signage resulted in a rating of “E” for “Degree of conflict at

crossings”. In terms of “Pedestrian Security”, high levels of activity observed

at some places, adequately dense concentration of people and sufficient

illumination by high-level street lights earned the stretch a rating of “C”.

“Design principles for Traffic Calming” were almost negligible, resulting in a

rating of “E”.

The results of the evaluation of Comfort characteristics of Pantheon

Road are shown in Table 4.52 and Table 4.53.


Pantheon Road


Parameter

Stretch



Co-optex to Casa Major Road C

Casa Major Road to Museum C

Government Museum to Dr.Nair

RoadC


Comfort CharacteristicsC


167


of Pantheon Road


Parameter

Stretch

Protection

from

inclement

weather

Noise

Pollution

Air

Pollution

Facilitation

of allied

activities

Co-optex to Casa Major Road D E E C

Casa Major Road to

Museum11 AM C C/E E D

Casa Major Road to

Museum4 PM C A/E A/E D

Museum to Police

Comm. Office Road11 AM D/E C/E E C

Museum to Police

Comm. Office Road4 PM D/E A/E A/E C


Comfort CharacteristicsE E E D


The rating for Overall Comfort – “C” – indicates that in terms of









“E”. “Facilitation of Allied Activities” is just about adequate with no


shopping, conversing and schmoozing only at the expense of obstructing

other pedestrians. Consequently it earns a rating of “C”.


the Convenience characteristics of Pantheon Road.

168


of Pantheon Road


Parameter


Co-optex to Casa Major Road E

Casa Major Road to Museum A/E

Government Museum to Dr.Nair

RoadE





of Pantheon Road


Parameter

Stretch

Legibility of the

pedestrian

environment

Pedestrian

amenities

Pedestrian

crossings

Co-optex to Casa Major Road D E E

Casa Major Road to Museum D E E

Government Museum to

Dr.Nair RoadA/E E E


Convenience CharacteristicsE E E





evaluation of “Legibility of the pedestrian environment” shows, that though



inadequate. Consequently, it gets a rating of “D”. A complete absence of


169



signals causes the stretch to receive a rating of “E”.

The results of the evaluation of the Urban Environment

characteristics of Pantheon Road are shown in Table 4.56 and Table 4.57.


characteristics of Pantheon Road


Parameter

Stretch

Imageability and

Qualities of the street

Co-optex to Casa Major Road D

Casa Major Road to Government Museum C

Government Museum to Dr.Nair Road A/C/D





characteristics of Pantheon Road


Parameter

Strech

Ch

ara

cter

isti

cs o

f

bu

ild

ing

s

Ad

her

ence

to

hu

ma

n S

ca

le

Per

mea

bil

ity

Vari

ety

Leg

ibil

ity

Ro

bu

stn

ess

Ric

hn

ess

Per

son

ali

zati

on

Co-Optex to Casa Major Road E D D/E D A D E E

Casa Major Road toGovernment Museum

C D C A/B/C A C E E

Government Museum toDr.Nair Road

C D C B A C E E

Cumulative Rating of DetailedUrban EnvironmentCharacteristics

E D E D A D E E


170


Environment indicates that the stretch is inadequate, when assessed for



Qualities of the street (Street elements like Beginning, End and places of




entertainment).

As part of the evaluation of Detailed level characteristics, the





rating of “D/E”, indicating that the stretch offers an inadequate choice of

access, very few views of interior spaces and virtually no spaces which invite

the pedestrian into the built environment. The evaluation of “Variety” – “D” -


meaning. The review of “Legibility” – “A” - reveals that the stretch fares




buildings to multiple uses are highlighted. The stretch receives a rating of “E”

for “Richness” in terms of sensory experiences with nothing on offer for the




171

4.3.7 Rajaji Salai

Background: Rajaji Salai also known as First Line Beach is one of

the main arteries of George Town, as shown in Figure 4.27. George Town –

named after Fort St. George – became the nucleus around which the city of

Chennai (earlier known as Madras) grew.

Figure 4.27 Map indicating the location of Rajaji Salai


The area is famed for its landmark buildings like the High Court,

the Royapuram Station, the Harbour and numerous corporate offices on

N.S.C. Bose Road and Rajaji Salai. Rajaji Salai is the road that runs parallel

to the Chennai port. Starting from Parry’s corner it runs north towards

Royapuram. The Burma Bazaar, a long stretch of small shops numbering 300

in all and dealing in imported goods, runs from Parry’s Corner to the end of

the Beach Station. The Beach Station is the starting point for local trains

Rajaji Salai

172

plying within Chennai. Beyond the Beach station, the Chennai Port Trust and

its associated buildings line Rajaji Salai. The other side of the road is dotted

with office buildings like the Dare House, the State Bank of India, the

General Post Office, TIAM House, UTI House, the Chennai Collectorate and

Custom House. Figure 4.28 displays the selected stretches and the

corresponding street elevations.

Figure 4.28 Street elevations of Rajaji Salai and map indicating the land

use and selected stretches


173

Issues concerning pedestrians: The areas near the Burma Bazaar

and the Beach Station experience a lot of congestion due to the crowds

thronging the shops which line the sidewalk, and the commuters who

patronize the station and the adjacent bus stops, as seen in Figure 4.29. There

are wide sidewalks on both sides of the road, but encroachment by parking

and vendors, as shown in Figure 4.30, push the pedestrians onto the road.

Figure 4.29 Congestion near the Beach Station forces pedestrians onto

Rajaji Salai


Figure 4.30 Roadside eateries encroaching on the sidewalk of Rajaji Salai


174

The results of the evaluation of Safety characteristics of Rajaji Salai

are shown in Table 4.58 and Table 4.59.


Rajaji Salai

Street Rajaji Salai

Parameter

Stretch

Level of interaction with

vehicles and Consideration for

the vulnerable pedestrian

NSC Bose Road to Nalla Muthu Street D

Nalla Muthu Street to Narayanappa Street D

Narayanappa Street to Ebrahim Sahib Street D


CharacteristicsD



Rajaji Salai

Street Rajaji Salai

Parameter

Stretch

Deg

ree

of

ob

stru

ctio

n

on

th

e s

idew

alk

s

Sid

ew

alk

su

rfa

ce

co

nd

itio

ns

Deg

ree

of

con

flic

t at

cross

ings

Desi

gn

prin

cip

les

ad

op

ted

for

ped

estr

ian

secu

rity

Desi

gn

prin

cip

les

ad

op

ted

fo

r t

ra

ffic

ca

lmin

g

NSC Bose Road to Nalla Muthu

StreetC D E C E

Nalla Muthu Street to

Narayanappa StreetC C E C E

Narayanappa Street to Ebrahim

Sahib StreetC D E C E


Safety CharacteristicsC D E C E



encounter significant conflicts with vehicles and consideration for the

175

vulnerable pedestrian, i.e. children, the elderly and the disabled, is meagre or

nil.



rating of “C” for the “Degree of obstruction on the sidewalks”, because of

significant encroachments by street furniture, vendors and parking. For

“Sidewalk Surface Conditions”, it received a rating of “D”. The absence of

zebra crossing patterns, refuge areas, pedestrian-operated signals, pedestrian

phase in signals and signage, resulted in a rating of “E” for “Degree of

conflict at crossings”. In terms of “Pedestrian Security”, the high levels of

activity observed at some places, adequately dense concentration of people

and sufficient illumination by high-level street lights, earned the stretch a

rating of “C”. The “Design principles for Traffic Calming” were almost

negligible resulting in a rating of “E”.


the Comfort characteristics of Rajaji Salai.


Rajaji Salai

Street Rajaji Salai

Parameter

Stretch



NSC Bose Road to Nalla Muthu Street C

Nalla Muthu Street to Narayanappa Street C

Narayanappa Street to Ebrahim Sahib Street C


CharacteristicsC


176


of Rajaji Salai

Street Rajaji Salai

Parameter

Stretch

Protection

from

inclement

weather

Noise

Pollution

Air

Pollution

Facilitation

of allied

activities

NSC Bose Road to Nalla

Muthu StreetD E E E


Narayanappa StreetC E E C


Sahib StreetC E E C


Comfort CharacteristicsD E E E


The rating for Overall Comfort – “C” – indicates, that in terms of









“E”. “Facilitation of Allied Activities” is just about adequate with no


shopping, conversing and schmoozing, only at the expense of obstructing

other pedestrians. Consequently it earns a rating of “E”.

177


Rajaji Salai are shown in Table 4.62 and Table 4.63.


of Rajaji Salai

Street Rajaji Salai

Parameter


NSC Bose Road to Nalla Muthu Street D

Nalla Muthu Street to Narayanappa Street D

Narayanappa Street to Ebrahim Sahib Street E

Cumulative Rating of Overall Convenience

CharacteristicsE



of Rajaji Salai

Street Rajaji Salai

Parameter

Stretch

Legibility of

the pedestrian

environment

Pedestrian

amenities

Pedestrian

crossings

NSC Bose Road to Nalla

Muthu StreetB E E


Narayanappa StreetA E D


Sahib StreetD E D




178




evaluation of “Legibility of the pedestrian environment” shows, that though







signals causes the stretch to receive a rating of “E”.


the Urban Environment characteristics of Rajaji Salai.


characteristics of Rajaji Salai

Street Rajaji Salai

Parameter

Stretch

Imageability and Qualities of

the street

NSC Bose Road to Nalla Muthu Street B

Nalla Muthu Street to Narayanappa Street B

Narayanappa Street to Ebrahim Sahib Street B


Environment CharacteristicsB


179


characteristics of Rajaji Salai

Street Rajaji Salai

Parmeter

Strech Ch

ara

cter

isti

cs

of

bu

ild

ing

s

Ad

her

ence

to

hu

ma

n s

ca

le

Per

mea

bil

ity

Varie

ty

Leg

ibil

ity

Ro

bu

st-n

ess

Ric

hn

ess

Per

son

ali

zati

on

NSC Bose Road to Nalla Muthu

StreetD D C D B D E E


Narayanappa StreetD D D D B C E E


Sahib StreetD D E D B D E E


Urban Environment

Characteristics

D D E D B D E E


The rating of “B” for the Overall level characteristics of the Urban

Environment indicates that the stretch is inadequate, when assessed for







entertainment).


stretch gets a rating of “D” for “Characteristics of Buildings”, thus signifying




rating of “E”, indicating that the stretch offers an inadequate choice of access,

180




meaning. The review of “Legibility” – “B” - reveals that the stretch fares




buildings to multiple uses, are highlighted. The stretch receives a rating of

“E” for “Richness” in terms of sensory experiences with nothing on offer for

the olfactory, kinetic and tactile senses. In terms of “Personalisation” too, the



4.4 SUMMARY

This study has been carried out primarily to assess the problems afflicting

pedestrian environments. For testing the efficacy of the method, streets were

selected based on the observed pedestrian volume, potential pedestrian

generators, function, context and usage, and divided into different stretches

for a more comprehensive analysis. A comprehensive survey was carried out

with the help of the checklist at different times in the morning and evening.

The data obtained was collated and then weighed against the parameters of

the Overall and Detailed characteristics of Safety, Comfort, Convenience and

the Urban Environment. The appropriate grade is selected based on the

highest number of parameters satisfied.

The application of the method reveals a lot of shortcomings in the

pedestrian realm, many of which would not have been identified with

quantitative techniques.

The next chapter looks at the findings of the application and the

conclusions.

Documents

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