Office Order No. 19/2012, Provision of Off Road Bus Bays

What the office order does

Office Order No. 19/2012, issued by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, Master Plan Unit on 28 November 2012, introduces guidelines for integrating public transport into layouts and neighbourhood developments in the Chennai Metropolitan Area. The guidelines apply during the design and approval of layouts and neighbourhood schemes.

The requirement followed a suggestion made at the first meeting of the Executive Committee of CUMTA, held on 16 July 2012 and 26 July 2012 under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to the Government of Tamil Nadu. The committee suggested that public transport should be integrated with area development by providing off road bus bays.

Who is affected

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority guidelines are relevant to:

• Applicants seeking approval for layouts in the Chennai Metropolitan Area.
• Promoters and professionals designing neighbourhood developments.
• Planning officials reviewing and approving layouts and neighbourhood schemes.
• Property buyers examining the road and public transport provisions in a proposed development.

The document addresses the approval of layouts and neighbourhood schemes. It does not state that every individual property owner must independently create a bus bay.

Key requirements

Office Order No. 19/2012 sets out the following provisions:

• Off road bus bays must be insisted upon when designing and approving layouts and neighbourhood developments.
• The requirement applies to roads with a width of 12 metres or more.
• Bus bays must be placed at equal intervals of 500 metres on qualifying roads.
• The stated purpose is to facilitate bus movement and access to public transport.
• The document treats 500 metres as the optimum walking distance for reaching a bus stop.
• The guidelines must be implemented when layouts and neighbourhood schemes are approved in the Chennai Metropolitan Area.
• The requirements took immediate effect from the order dated 28 November 2012.

Relationship with existing planning requirements

Office Order No. 19/2012 notes that the Development Regulations of the Second Master Plan for the Chennai Metropolitan Area already address road hierarchies, links to existing and proposed roads, circulation patterns, recreational spaces and sites for common amenities. The bus bay guidelines add public transport access to the matters considered when layouts and neighbourhood developments are designed and approved.