Architects and urban planners have sought inclusion of passenger-centric and climate-resilient solutions for infrastructure projects in Kochi, especially in the context of the proposal to relocate the KSRTC bus station to Karikkamuri, and to build a commercial complex in its place.
Such projects entailing substantial public funds must not be stop-gap fixes, which abound in India. It is good that decision makers opted for an inter-modal hub at Vyttila — the Vyttila Mobility Hub (VMH) — away from the city hub and on the eastern side of the NH Bypass, over a decade ago, said Annet Bincy Edwin, urban planner-cum-consultant architect, who was associated with the smart city project in Shillong.
“Long-distance buses must be routed through the NH Bypass, so that they call at VMH and do not need to waste time and fuel commuting all the way through congested roads to Karikkamuri where the new bus station has been envisaged. Entry to the new facility could be limited to mofussil buses which operate to the suburbs and to city buses. This is because extremely narrow roads dominate the Karikkamuri area, and that leaves little space for manoeuvring vehicles. It is also prone to getting flooded, just like the premises of the existing bus station,” she said.
The ‘green corridor’ linking the Ernakulam Junction and Town railway stations too must be in sync with the aspirations of passengers and the public. Care must be taken so that the upcoming projects are futuristic, considering the manifold increase in the number of commuters expected in the coming decades. In addition, steps must be taken to ensure modern and user-friendly bus waiting sheds across the city and well-maintained toilet blocks in public spaces. Put short, the city’s identity and the habits of its populace must reflect in planning such urban infrastructure, Ms. Bincy observed.
Better Kochi Response Group (BKRG) president S. Gopakumar, who designed open spaces like DH Ground, sought shifting of the entire KSRTC bus station to VMH, which has a total of 25 acres. “The hub must thus be the transfer / changeover point for commuters who wish to board or alight buses. What is the need for people living in residential areas located mostly in the eastern side of the city to commute all the way through the congested commercial hub on the western side?” he asked.
“The KSRTC-owned prime land at Karikkamuri can well be leased out as a public, commercial space. But care must be taken to prevent a situation like at the Thampanoor bus station in Thiruvananthapuram, where vast commercial space is idling for want of patronage,” he said.
Vyttila fiasco
Similarly, urban and traffic planners must be roped in for infra projects, so that they do not end up like the ill-conceived flyover at Vyttila. Traffic snarls would not have occurred beneath the flyover if the structure had been extended southward and northward by around 100 metres. This would have enabled readying of a pair of U-turns on either side for vehicles in the east-west direction, Mr. Gopakumar said.
