KOCHI: Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has identified as many as seven priority non-motorised transport (NMT) corridors along the metro route for immediate improvement. It is based on the finding that NMT usage for first and last mile connectivity is expected to rise along these corridors.
Among the corridors included in the NMT master plan drawn up for the Kochi metro, based on the NMT need assessment report, are Aluva-Pulinchodu NMT corridor (3 km), Kaloor-Lisie road section (2.50 km), Muttom-Cusat-Kalamassery road section (4 km), Edappally Junction (1 km), Hospital Road (0.60 km), Shihab Thangal Road and South Panampilly Nagar Road (0.80 km), and Madhava Pharmacy Junction and SN Junction at Palarivattom.
“The roads will be considered for preparation of General Arrangement Drawings (GAD) and tender documents as part of the project. The selected corridors will provide a palette of typical GADs for various hierarchies of roads. This will facilitate the establishment of block cost estimates for tendering and construction of different hierarchies of roads,” the master plan said. It was further taken up with stakeholders to prioritise the corridors for immediate improvement.
The improvements suggested include retrofitting of streets to provide dedicated space for MNT, traffic calming, lane markings, and signs.
Meanwhile, the Kochi metro authorities said the proposals would be put into action on a priority basis, for which discussions were on with local self-government bodies.
Besides the priority NMT corridors, five more corridors have been identified for decongestion, and some typical high-level broad strategies have been proposed. Aluva Market Road, Edappally Raghavan Pillai Road, Deshabhimani Road, Chittoor Road, Jew Street, and Ernakulam Market Road are the corridors identified for decongestion.
In addition, immediate NMT connectivity improvement has also been proposed at Pulinchodu, Companypady, foot overbridge to Ambattukavu Kunnathery Road and Muttom station.
