Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Project to improve pedestrian facilities

T. Nandakumar

Corporation study shows heavy pedestrian traffic

Thiruvananthapuram: The City Corporation is working on a major project to improve pedestrian facilities and provide off-street parking in commercial areas. According to a primary study conducted by the local body, apart from all the major road corridors in the inner and intermediate city areas, the locations of commercial, hospital and educational activities in the city indicated heavy pedestrian traffic for parallel and crossing movement.

Even the outer city road sections indicated considerable pedestrian traffic, particularly during peak hours. Critical sections with heavy pedestrian traffic include Chalai, Railway Station Road, VJT Hall, Secretariat, Power House Road, Palayam, East Fort and Cotton Hill School. Except a few sections, many of the roads do not have footpaths.

Improvements in pedestrian facilities include construction of footpaths, foot over bridges, subways, pedestrian road crossings and exclusive pedestrian pathways.

About 12 locations have been identified for providing pedestrian road crossing facilities. These include Thampanoor, East Fort, SMV School, Statue, Medical College, Pattom,

Kesavadasapuram, Cotton Hill, General Hospital Junction, Karamana, Vazhuthcaud and

Manacaud. The project component is estimated to cost Rs.72 crore.

The City Development Plan (CDP) outlines the absence of off-street parking facilities as a major problem in the city. Heavy parking demands on the major corridors has reduced the usage of carriageway, causing congestion.

The inability to arrange adequate parking space to meet the demand on the arterial roads within the city, in areas like Medical College, East Fort, the markets in Palayam, Chalai, Manacaud and Edappazhanji have resulted in the use of road space for parking. This has reduced the effective road width for traffic movement.

Major `parking demand corridors' in the city are at East Fort, Thampanoor, Statue, Vellayambalam, Sasthamangalam, Vazhuthacaud, Palayam, Pulimoodu, Overbridge, Power House Road, Museum, Medical College, Pattom, Peroorkada, Kesavadasapuram and Pazhavangadi.

Parking

The concentration of commercial and institutional activities along the MG Road between Palayam and East Fort has generated heavy on-street parking demand on this section and its connecting roads.

Some of the critical locations identified for construction of off-street parking facilities are

Palayam, Statue - Secretariat area, Vazhuthcaud, near Museum and Zoo, Ulloor - Medical College Hospital area, Peroorkada, East Fort - Chalai area, Thampanoor area and Vellayambalam - Sasthamangalam road. The outlay for the sub project is pegged at Rs.54 crore.

Grade separators

The study showed that in the Central Business area and places where major work centres are located, the pedestrian is in sharp conflict with vehicular traffic. The CDP proposes the construction of grade separators with private participation at least in some locations.

Studies carried out by various agencies have identified a few road intersections with heavy traffic volume.

Solutions like signalling have been counterproductive, leading to queuing up of vehicles especially at peak hours, disruption of traffic flow resulting in increase in accidents.

Road junctions identified for grade separators (flyovers or underpasses) are Pattom, PMG Junction, Medical College Junction, Vellayambalam, Sreekaryam, Ulloor and Peroorkada Junction. Widening and improvement of the Thampanoor flyover and the Pettah - Anayara road have also been proposed. The project cost was put at Rs.130 crore.

Mass transport

Another major proposal in the CDP was a Capital City region Mass Transport System featuring an improved bus system, introduction of high capacity bus services in select corridors, rail transport network linking selected areas and water transport facilities.

The document has also mooted the idea of constituting a regional transport authority with an integrated approach to planning, development and management of all these mass public transport systems.

The projects have been included in the City Development Plan submitted to the Union Government for assistance under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

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