The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : City in dire need of pedestrian subways

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 05, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

City in dire need of pedestrian subways

By Our Staff Reporter

COIMBATORE, SEPT. 4. With signs of a pedestrian subway coming up at Gandhipuram, there is hope of a solution to the chaos at the crossing at the Dr. Nanjappa Road-Cross Cut Road junction.

However, stopping with one subway will amount to only a token gesture towards removing the plight of pedestrians who battle it out on every arterial road in the city.

Government nod

The Government recently cleared the Coimbatore Corporation's proposal for a subway at Gandhipuram at Rs.1.5 crores. It brought to an end years-long suspense over the project.

The subway was proposed in 1997 but the project was shelved and a foot-overbridge was built on the Dr. Nanjappa Road at the site that had been originally identified for the subway.

The Corporation's decision to opt for the bridge drew flak from the public but for some years it resisted the demand for the subway.

The continuing chaos at the junction with people preferring to dart across the road than make an arduous climb on the bridge forced a rethink on the civic body and a fresh proposal was drawn up for a subway.

However, one subway does not give enough reason for cheer across the city. Most busy commercial hubs witness the mad rush to cross roads unmindful of the risk of being hit by speeding vehicles. Some of these areas are Town Hall, Coimbatore Railway Junction and the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital.

It is felt that there is scope for subways only in these areas as other busy stretches such as the Oppanakara Street are too narrow. As in the case of Gandhipuram, the heavy traffic and few options for traffic diversion are discouraging any effort to contemplate more subways in the city.

For instance, the presence of three bus stands (one for mofussil and another for inter-State services) at Gandhipuram deterred any further progress in the project.

The high bridge that came up instead was found to be too steep for the physically challenged and the elderly.

This resulted in pedestrians crowding the Gandhipuram junction and hampering traffic flow into the Cross-Cut Road, which is a major commercial hub. Traffic police also find it difficult to drive people to the bridge when it has proved to be unfriendly to pedestrians. Now, the proposed four-way subway at this spot is expected to arm the police with enough reason to deter people from crossing the road. The pavement vendors will also be asked to set up shop in the subway to ensure that only pedestrians use footpaths.

A similar effort near the railway junction will also help eliminate risk of accidents that lurk on the Bank Road, especially during departure time of express trains. Passengers lugging heavy baggage cross the road when private and Government-owned buses speed through in a race to get to the next stop for more passengers.

A nightmare

With a row of bus stops at Town Hall and a steady pedestrian flow, the Big Bazaar Street is also in dire need of a subway. Crossing the road here is a nightmare. So is the case on the Tiruchi Road, where the hospital is located. Sick persons heading for the hospital or the bus stand across the road have a harrowing time.

With no traffic regulation at the spot, a visit to the hospital for treatment is fraught with the danger of injury. Besides, there are some schools on this stretch, situated a few yards from the hospital. Only a Pelican Crossing helps students get across safely. A subway here too is a long-felt need.

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