A developed country is
not a place where the poor have cars, it's where the rich use public
transportation - Mayor of Bogota
This blog is about a good initiative in another
part of the country. Its about a walking mall project in MG Road, Kochi,
Kerala.
MG Road is the busiest commercial road in Kochi, the commercial capital of Kerala. It houses
numerous and famous textile, jewelry showrooms and hotels. It is the pride of
Kochi city. KMRL (Kochi Metro Rail Ltd), the SPV formed for
implementing the Kochi metro project is taking up many new initiatives in the city
for developing a comprehensive multimodal transportation system. One such initiative is the walking mall for MG
Road.
The Proposal: The plan put
forth by KMRL is to make MG Road (from Madhava Pharmacy Junction to Jos Juntionn) one way
with vehicles permitted only in south- north direction. Chittor road will be
used for the opposite direction traffic. Vehicles will be limited to one side
of the road and the remaining space will be planned for pedestrian and non
motorized movement. Walkways, cycle tracks, food kiosks, street furniture and
trees are also planned. The pedestrian zone will run along the eastern side
half the way, while it shifts side and occupy the western side for the other
half. The plan also aims to develop multi-tier parking lots on a public–private
partnership basis.
How it works around the globe:
Cities
around the globe have met increasing traffic and transportation demands through
efficient public transportation and non motorized transportation. It is one of
the signs for a mature and livable city. In all the developed cities, more than
50% people use public transport: Reason being it’s made highly expensive to use
the private vehicles (congestion taxes, parking taxes etc) PLUS good public
transportation system is in place.
City of
New York is a good example. It is distinguished from other US cities for its
low personal automobile ownership and high public transportation. More than 50%
commute to work via public transportation and almost 10% via walking. This has
made the city the most energy efficient city in the US. Broadway in New York is a major
commercial street which saw huge transformation from a car intensive street to
a pedestrian friendly street. Broadway was congested with vehicles, narrow
pedestrian walkways resulting in unpleasant working and shopping environment
until New York department of transportation decided to reconfigure it into a
pedestrian friendly street. In one of the most dramatic changes to the
corridor, Broadway was completely closed to vehicle traffic at Times Square and
Herald Square, which created room for new pedestrian plazas and spaces, and
allowed for longer signal times for vehicles at the adjacent avenues. It was
found that the project improved the traffic flow, increased safety and brought
in more business to the area.
Why it works for Kochi:
Kochi
is the commercial centre of Kerala along with being a famous tourist centre. Given
the fact that Kochi is one of the Indian cities with best public transport
(bus) systems, it is imperative to take more actions towards making
transportation sustainable and the city livable. MG road project should not be viewed
just as a transport project in fact it is also a city rejuvenation project.
Once
completed, Kochi metro will further add on to the public transportation
facilities. Having good public transport, it is ideal to put in place
policies/plans to move people from private vehicles to public vehicles. And
yes, policies should be such that using private vehicles should be made
difficult and only then people will shift to public vehicles. MG Rd is now facing
stiff competition from other commercial centres in the north and is now
the best time for the transformation of
the area to assign new functions to it. The new project would bring back the
focus to MG Rd and bring more people and business to it.
It is
argued by those against the plan that making MG Rd one way will reduce the
business and commerce in the area. The argument itself is fallacious as seen that wherever such transformations
have happened, it has attracted more people and more business. One such example
from India is Mall Road, Shimla, a completely pedestrian street, running as a good
commercial road as well as tourist centre. Copenhagen has a large downtown which is car
free shopping area which is heavily used. Camden high street, London
is another example.
Other than reducing congestion and rejuvenating
the area, there are more benefits in the long run.
a) Environment benefits: Reduction in air pollution, increased energy efficiency, reduction in carbon footprint
b) Economic: Reduction in travel time, Reduction in travel cost. Increased revenue from commerce and tourism
c) Commercial: Increased business
d)Tourism: Increased tourists, a main tourism attraction centre.
a) Environment benefits: Reduction in air pollution, increased energy efficiency, reduction in carbon footprint
b) Economic: Reduction in travel time, Reduction in travel cost. Increased revenue from commerce and tourism
c) Commercial: Increased business
d)Tourism: Increased tourists, a main tourism attraction centre.
Idea is good – Way forward??
Having
supported the idea, I am concerned whether adequate studies are done to asses
the carrying capacities of Chittor Rd and TD Rd. Also the MG road
transformation should not be just for itself, but also include side streets and the area
around it to suit the overall plan. This should be linked with the water metro
project and there should be facilities for people who get down at the Boat
jetty to cycle or use metro to reach MG Rd, Marine drive and other centers
around. A tourism corridor could be planned linking these. Adequate parking
facilities need to be allocated near the metro stations and area around for
efficient execution of the plan. Also providing proper drainage facilities (taking
into account the slope, rainfall) should be the first step for the walking mall
project.
Parisar’s ‘Understanding the flyover
phenomenon’ brings out some interesting facts on how the cycle city Pune became 2 wheeler city and perception of people on
flyovers with over 68% percent thinking flyovers signify
development!
ROAD WIDENING is never a solution to the increasing
traffic; neither is FLYOVERS! Public transportation and Non motorized Transportation
is the way to go!
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