2 weeks Ago
Chennai: MTC bus stops and other public spaces in Chennai will soon be safer for women. The Greater Chennai Corporation is planning to build new bus stops in areas where they are required and refurbish older ones. It will improve lighting around bus stops, enhance pedestrian access and make infrastructure accessible for disabled people.
These changes are part of a project by the Gender and Policy Lab of the GCC aimed at making city safer for women. The project is based on a six-month study, which began in March 2024 and is nearing completion. Though the official report is yet to be released, the GCC has already started implementing some recommendations from the study.
The study examined infrastructure at 250 locations and 500 bus stops on 10 major routes frequented by 30 lakh women every month. Routes studied include 17-D (Koyambedu to Broadway), 102 K (Kannagi Nagar - Broadway), 119 (Guindy- Semmancheri), and 159 A (MGR Nagar - Tiruvottiyur). A 50-metre radius around each bus stop was studied during the evening and night hours, with a focus on improving lighting and addressing dead spaces behind bus stops.
The study's outcomes will also lead to enhanced pedestrian pathways, improved toilets, junctions and better last-mile infrastructure. "The idea is to make public spaces and mobility accessible and safer for women. Many women use public transport to reach their workplace, markets among other places.
This has increased after the free pink buses were rolled out. But often women feel unsafe at bus stops with poor infrastructure and lighting. We want to improve this," said an official.
Prasanna Gettu, co-founder of the International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care (PCVC), noted that improving lighting and ensuring a sustainable maintenance plan for bus stops and surrounding areas would be crucial to making the city safer for women..
