FOMRRA warns Radial Road residents against proposed Bus Rapid Transit System

The Federation of OMR Residents Associations (FOMRRA) has issued a warning to residents along the Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road against a newly proposed Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS). The group has urged local communities to closely scrutinize the project, calling it a failed model based on the experiences of several other major Indian cities.

The warning comes after C Joseph Vijay, during a recent review meeting, directed the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Authority (Cumta) to study the feasibility of the transit corridor. Cumta’s comprehensive mobility plan has recommended implementing the BRTS on three stretches, including the Outer Ring Road.

FOMRRA has asked Radial Road residents to examine the project parameters closely and make an informed decision. The federation pointed out that cities such as Pune, Delhi, and Visakhapatnam dismantled their BRTS corridors within two to five years of launching them.

The residents' association highlighted their own successful campaign between 2018 and 2019, when they stalled a similar BRTS proposal on Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR). During citizen consultations, FOMRRA opposed the OMR project due to design flaws, poor planning, and what they described as a "cut-copy-paste" detailed project report. They also argued that because the Metro Rail was already sanctioned for OMR, the BRTS would be a waste of money. That project was eventually withdrawn.

Cumta officials have also expressed reservations about the new proposal. Officials noted they are wary of motorists encroaching on dedicated BRTS lanes when regular lanes get congested, a recurring problem that has plagued similar transit systems across India. Cumta stated that these factors will be analysed before any final decision is taken.

FOMRRA added that even a simple web search reveals critical analyses of the BRTS model dating back to 2006, urging residents to look at the data before accepting the system.