Pedestrianisation drive gathers pace in Kochi.

The 1.15-km long Abraham Madamakkal Road that links High Court Junction and Goshree Junction is set to be widened into a four-lane road, with a wide footpath, as part of the ongoing pedestrianisation drive in the city.

The Rs.5.40-crore project, being taken up as part of the Smart City Mission, has been tendered and will be executed by Kochi Metro Rail Ltd. (KMRL). The project will throw open a road-cum-footpath corridor that will ensure streamlined and safe movement of vehicles and pedestrians.

Currently, motorists and pedestrians have to jostle for space in the corridor which is heavily encroached upon by fruit vendors. They even occupy pavements at High Court Junction where hundreds of Goshree islanders wait to board buses.

The narrow bridge on the stretch will be widened while a 2-metre wide footpath-cum-walkway will be built, as part of the initiative to encourage pedestrianisation and Non-Motorised Transport (NMT). As per the plan, the existing 11-metre tarred road will be widened to 16.20 metres, including a 1.20-metre central median. The footpaths will have planter bed and lights on the side.

Aimed at driving home the need for modern, clean public spaces, there will be garbage bins every few metres and also standardised kiosks that do not obstruct pedestrian movement. A commuter-friendly bus stop too will be built. Hardly anyone uses the two bus stops built in front of the Central Marine and Fisheries Research Institute by the PWD, since they are located away from the High Court Junction.

Bollards will separate the footpath from the tarred road while sign boards will guide motorists and pedestrians. A dedicated parking space too will be built. The new road corridor will also have utility ducts to lay power cables since electric posts are now located in the middle of the proposed walkway.

While the walkway built by KMRL at the southern end of Panampilly Nagar has been widely appreciated, two other similar initiatives are in different stages of processing.

Faced with stiff opposition from a few big businesses on M.G. Road, the metro agency might redraw its plan to hew out adequate space for pedestrians in the commercial hub, it is learnt.

The tender for building a walkway-cum-cycle track on Hospital Road is slated to be floated shortly. The aim is to provide a wide pedestrian corridor for bus and ferry commuters from Ernakulam Boat Jetty to the Kochi metro station on Maharaja’s College Ground. A 3-metre wide walkway will be built on the land abutting Ernakulam General Hospital, while another 3-metre wide cycle track has been envisaged on the other side of the road.

THE HINDU