A case for better roads
|
Kozhikode boasts a good road network, which, however, has become inadequate to meet the changing needs. BIJU GOVIND looks at the requirements of the city.
|
— Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup
Paths of progress: Kozhikode needs to develop a sustainable road network to meet the traffic requirements of the future.
Good roads are the lifeline of every city. Unfortunately, the road network in Kozhikode, as elsewhere, is getting congested with the rampant increase in number of vehicles. Added to this is the bad condition of roads.
Kozhikode boasts a good road network, which, however, has become inadequate to meet the changing needs. Three national highways pass through the district. National Highway 17, connecting Mumbai to Kochi, is the busiest. Others are National Highway 212
linking Kozhikode to Kollegal in Karnataka and National Highway 213 connecting Kozhikode to Palakkad. As much as 77 km of the national highways connect the city to Koyilandy and Vadakara towns.
Kozhikode also has State highways and major district and grama panchayat roads. The bypass from Ramanattukara to Malaparamba has lessened traffic in the city. The completion of its final reach from Malaparamba to Vengalam will ease congestion further.
The city and suburbs, however, need better quality roads. The existing roads have not been properly maintained owing to paucity of funds. Some of the roads have outdated standards and specifications. Unscientific methods of planning and prioritisation of maintenance work are another factor.
Recently, a government-constituted taskforce came out with a draft of the Kerala Road development Policy 2009- 2021. The draft, many say, will help the government achieve short- and long-term road development targets by 2021. The Union Ministry of Surface Transport and Highways has prepared a National Road Development Plan for 2001-2021.
Inadequacies in the project preparatory process, lengthy land acquisition procedures, mediocre construction technology and inadequate capabilities for monitoring and controlling assets have hampered road development. The lack of coordination among the Kerala State Electricity Board, the Kerala Water Authority and telecommunication companies has worsened the situation. Cities such as Kozhikode have been affected on account of this reason.
The taskforce, chaired by Arun Herur, Consulting Transport Planner, Bangalore, has stressed the need for a road development policy so that the government can meet the anticipated passenger and freight travel demand in the years ahead.
It has found that the overall quality of Public Works Department (PWD) roads is much below the prescribed standard set forth by the Indian Road Congress. The State has been incurring significant economic loss through increased vehicle operating costs and accidents.
The total length of roads within the State is reported to be 1,62,149 km. The PWD, local self-governments, the Irrigation Department, the electricity board and the Railways are the agencies that maintain roads in the State.
On an average, the PWD has been adding about 500 km of roads every year, which is three per cent of the road length. The road density in the State is 417 km per 100 sq.km, ahead of the national average of 100.39 km. The length of road per lakh population is 509.23 km, higher than the national average of 321.3 km, according to the draft.
The PWD roads constitute about 16 per cent of the total roads in the State. But these roads carry nearly 80 per cent of the road traffic. Since traffic is growing at around 10 per cent every year, the pressure on the PWD road network is considerable, studies say.
Following such studies, the taskforce has recommended several proposals. A major suggestion is to develop and improve the National Highway network in the State, in cooperation with the National Highways Authority of India and the Union Ministry of Surface Transport and Highways.
All the State highways should be converted into two-lane carriageways with paved shoulders and the pavement should be strengthened appropriately. About 10 per cent of the State highways need to be upgraded into four-lane divided carriageways and 10 per cent of the major district roads need to be upgraded into two-lane carriage way.
The taskforce has recommended that the government adopt the standards of the Indian Road Congress and the Union Ministry in the design and improvement of roads.
To address the problem encountered on urban links, it has suggested bypasses for all urban agglomerations with a population of over one lakh. The bypass from Ramanattukara to Malaparamba and the mini bypass from Meenchanda to Chungam in the city have helped to bring down traffic snarls. However, the existing urban links have not been transferred to the Corporation for maintenance and improvement. This is another suggestion from the taskforce.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Property Plus
Chennai
Hyderabad
Kochi
Malabar
Thiruvananthapuram
