Felix John | Bicycle Mayor of Chennai

Working to make Chennai a safer, more cycle-friendly city 🚲🌆 | Active Mobility & Road Safety | Community leadership through data, design & collaboration | Art

[Felix John | Bicycle Mayor of Chennai @fmrock]

Have a look at #Chennai report - available in தமிழ் & English @csclofficial @chennaicorp @KN_NEHRU @Subramanian_ma @GSBediIAS @PriyarajanDMK @CAGChennai #Sustainable #Health #walking #cycling #ActiveTravel #LancetCities #HealthyCities @DrDeeptiAdlakha

[Carl Higgs @carlhiggs]

We produced 46 reports on indicators and policies for healthy and sustainable cities for 25 cities across 16 languages! Check them out, along with infographic scorecards for each city, at https://t.co/imv28VDeXE @LancetGH @billiegc, @gboeing, @DebSalvoD

[Soumya Swaminathan @doctorsoumya]

My interview with @IndiaToday on why we need a Covid like, all of government, Multi- sectoral urgent action on #AirPollution. Science based, public health oriented action is needed - a Swachh Vayu Abhiyaan. https://t.co/djlFFwgD3p

[Bhavreen Kandhari @BhavreenMK]

@KumarKunalmedia still at it in his battle with us on air pollution 👏👏👏

[Reclaim Chennai streets @reclaimchennai]

Car drivers are so close to understanding the root cause of congestion in our cities

[Felix John | Bicycle Mayor of Chennai @fmrock]

A crossing without a signal is a painted promise. Chennai has three junction plans covering 5, 105 and about 800 junctions, with no published list or design standard. My ask: fix one junction, publish the design, measure the result. #Chennai #RoadSafety

[Ullatchi Media @UllatchiMedia]

#Chennai has plans for 5 junctions. Also 105. Also 800. Three announcements. No published list. No design standard. No definition of success.

First half of 2026 more road deaths, fewer crashes.

@fmrock on what it would take to fix even one?
Read https://t.co/pcOHfGsqAi

[Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @MayorofLondon]

Oxford Street. Reimagined.

[Ingwar Perowanowitsch @Perowinger94]

Paris macht einfach weiter! Der Nachfolger von Anne Hidalgo und neue Bürgermeister Emmanuel Grégoire hat heute seine Fahrrad-Pläne für seine erste Amtszeit bis 2032 vorgestellt. Hier seine 5 wichtigsten Maßnahmen:

- 140 Kilometer an neuen Radwegen
- 220 Kilometer neue Fahrradstraßen in Einbahnstraßen
- 420 neue fahrradfreundliche und sichere Kreuzungen
- 200 Mio. Euro in den Ausbau der Radinfrastruktur
- Aufbau einer eigenen Polizeieinheit, um gegen motorisierte Gewalt gegenüber Fahrradfahrern vorzugehen🙏

So schön zu sehen wie in Paris der lebenswerte Umbau der Stadt unbeirrt vorangeht und wie die 🇫🇷 Hauptstadt immer mehr zu einer wunderbaren Fahrradstadt wird❤️

[Felix John | Bicycle Mayor of Chennai @fmrock]

A meaningful conversation on cycling, youth and our cities. 🚲
Grateful to meet Dr. @mansukhmandviya & share what Bicycle Mayors and #cycling communities are doing across our cities.
Thank you, Sir, for your patience, attention and support for our efforts.

[Felix John | Bicycle Mayor of Chennai @fmrock]

What should a city optimise for?

🛡️ Safety
❤️ Health
🚌 Mobility
🌿 Clean environment
🌧️ Resilience
🤝 Inclusion

A road, bus, drain or park is a means.

Better lives are the outcome.

#Cities #UrbanGovernance

[Felix John | Bicycle Mayor of Chennai @fmrock]

Activity ≠ Output ≠ Outcome ≠ Impact.

A city can redesign 20 dangerous junctions.

🚧But did speeds fall?
🚗 Did crash risk decrease?
🚶 Did fewer people get injured?

A completed project proves something happened.
An improved outcome proves it mattered.

Day 3/30 #Cities

[TfL @TfL]

Oxford Street is becoming traffic-free 🚶‍♂

From Monday 26 October, the section between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street will be traffic-free.

All traffic will be diverted from the evening of Sunday 25 October 🚗🚲🚌

Check your journey before you travel: https://t.co/FibFqdQ3PO

[Sadiq Khan @SadiqKhan]

NEW: Oxford Street will start to go traffic free from Monday 26 October.

Following strong support from Londoners and businesses - this will mark the start of our work to transform the nation's high street.

https://t.co/MuzYe3BNt5

[Felix John | Bicycle Mayor of Chennai @fmrock]

A city can complete 1,000 projects and still get worse.
🏗️ Roads built
🌳 Parks renovated
🌧️ Drains completed
But did:
🚗 Deaths fall?
🌫️ Air improve?
🚌 Commutes shorten?
🚶 Walking get safer?
Output ≠ Outcome.

What changed because the city acted?
Day 2/30
#Cities

[Felix John | Bicycle Mayor of Chennai @fmrock]

Companies measure outcomes: 📈 revenue, growth, retention.

Cities often measure activity: 🛣️ roads, 🏗️ projects, 📋 complaints.

Should cities measure:
🚶 Fewer deaths
🌿 Cleaner air
🌧️ Less flooding
🚌 Better mobility
Why manage companies by outcomes, but cities by activity?

[Ullatchi Media @UllatchiMedia]

#Chennai built a six-storey parking building in #PondyBazaar. The streets outside are still choked.

Dog Bites Man — the latest column by @fmrock
https://t.co/lCK2c5nXiP

@chennaicorp

[Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @MayorofLondon]

Cycling is a fantastic way to get around London, especially now that we've grown our Cycleways network five-fold.

To celebrate Car Free Day, @TfL is making it even cheaper and easier for more Londoners to explore our city by bike with this new Santander Cycles offer.

https://t.co/oamFOC5Wdz

[Ullatchi Media @UllatchiMedia]

Building a footpath is only half the job. What happens after?

Our latest Dog Bites Man by @fmrock column looks at Chennai’s footpaths and the gap between building infrastructure and keeping it usable.

Read the full column
https://t.co/xhb9OUVq7N

#Chennai #Ullatchi

[Felix John | Bicycle Mayor of Chennai @fmrock]

An old man stepped off the footpath into traffic. Not hurrying, the footpath was just gone.

Starting point for Dog Bites Man, my new column for @UllatchiMedia on Chennai mobility and infrastructure, every other Wednesday.

Live: https://t.co/BdFUPtp1TA

[Ullatchi Media @UllatchiMedia]

Chennai's missing footpaths, broken roads, and forgotten infrastructure happen so often nobody reports them anymore.

#Ullatchi's new column #DogBitesMan by @fmrock is about exactly that. Every other Wednesday.

Read it https://t.co/3oMGJvUUyx

[Chennai Updates @UpdatesChennai]

Chennai's Pedestrian Infra in one video. Among the worst in all major cities!

[CAG Chennai @CAGChennai]

2.9% of Chennai cycles every day. Not for sport, or leisure, but to get to work, school, markets, and home. 🚲 They ride through speeding traffic, broken roads, disappearing footpaths, and streets designed almost entirely for cars. (1/4) @fmrock @tweetenator @BYCSIndia

[Sivasubramaniam Jayaraman @JsivaUrbantranz]

Hon’ble CM Vijay, @CMOTamilnadu

Among the many things you spoke about in your emotional first speech after taking oath, it was encouraging to hear you emphasise #streets and #publictransport as priority focus areas and you will give personal attention to this . These are everyday issues that directly impact common people, yet they have often remained under-prioritised.

As #Chennai and #TamilNadu continue to grow, making our #cities livable cannot happen only through vehicle growth and road expansion. We need stronger focus on #walking, #cycling, #publictransport, #first and #last mile connectivity, and #cleanmobility. Some decisions may feel difficult in the short term, but they are necessary to build #healthier, #safer, and more #people-friendly cities.

Today, mobility is no longer only about #commuting from one place to another. The way people move is directly connected to #publichealth, mental well-being, air quality, and quality of life. When people walk more, cycle more, and use public transport, they are indirectly becoming more active, healthier, and connected to the city around them. Strong first and last mile connectivity can also make public transport more #practical, #accessible, and #attractive for everyday users.

You have always inspired people through #cycling and #fitness. Today, as the people’s leader, you have the ability to make #walking, #cycling, #bus use, and active mobility #aspirational for the #next generation ( you #Kutties , #Nanba -#Nanbies) . Tamil Nadu now needs you to become the #brand #ambassador for pedestrians, cyclists, public transport users, and the #vulnerable #communities who use our streets every day.

I think with your attention and leadership, we can soon make walking, cycling, public transport, first and last mile connectivity, and clean mobility the true #superstars of mobility in Tamil Nadu and we would love to see you using them with #people when ever you get time .

@actorvijay @CMOTamilnadu @arunraajkg @AadhavArjuna @MtcChennai @CumtaOfficial @cmrlofficial @chennaicorp @Guidance_TN @CMDA_Official @the_hindu @TOIIndiaNews