A comprehensive mobility plan would soon be drafted for the textile hub of Tirupur and its adjoining areas, with heavy emphasis on improving public transport and pedestrian facilities over the course of the next five years.
With the World Bank recently approving a $ 400 million grant to develop Vellore and Erode as model cities, and the Union government in the process of rolling out the Smart City initiative, the State government is keen to set the ball rolling on several pending urban development initiatives, a senior government official said.
Mobility plans have already been developed for Coimbatore and Salem, and all the 11 municipal corporations in the State would have similar city-specific plans in phases, the official said. There would significant emphasis on pedestrian infrastructure and bus rapid transport systems in all tier-II cities, the official added.
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In the case of Tirupur, the Directorate of Town and Country Planning has invited consultants to conduct a detailed study and come up with proposals. “These initiatives are largely being driven by the need to access Central government funding, such as through the proposed new Smart City initiative. Having a plan on what needs to be done is essential. The State should be in a position to predict what has to be in place 10 years from now,” a well-placed source said.
Some of the points of enquiry in Tirupur would be the feasibility of constructing high-quality pedestrian footpaths on all roads with a width of over 15 metres, bus fleet expansion and dedicated lanes, and the introduction of infrastructure to promote use of bicycles as a mode of transport.