Executive Summary - Sports Kerala · Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final...

Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report

(i)

Executive Summary

Background

Cities are rapidly becoming the engines of economic growth all over the developing

world. In India, though only about 30% of the national population resides in urban

areas, they generate over 60% of the GDP. Recent rapid urban development in India has

resulted in transport problems, such as traffic congestion and an increase in traffic

accidents in all the cities/towns. Although the state governments and the local

administrations have made substantial efforts to improve urban transport, problems

have been exacerbated by the rapidly increasing number of private vehicles.

A highly efficient transport system, which offers easy access to jobs, education,

healthcare and other needs, is essential. To ensure mobility for all, cities need to develop

a comprehensive urban transport strategy. Under the present scenario, urban transport

projects are prepared and implemented in a piece meal manner and generally not

integrated with land use pattern. Some cities do prepare urban transport master plan by

conducting traffic and transportation studies, but such plans mainly focus on vehicle

movement and do not pay enough attention to the mobility of people and goods. The

major emphasis in these plans remains on extensive infrastructure development such as

road network, flyovers, improvement of road geometry, regulatory measures etc. The

mobility of people as a whole is not addressed appropriately.

It is important to prepare long-term strategic plans focused on mobility of people as a

basis for developing cost-effective and equitable urban transport measures with an

appropriate and consistent methodology, in line with the National Urban Transport

Policy (NUTP). Accordingly, the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) encourages

cities/towns to prepare “Comprehensive Mobility Plans” (CMPs) as part of long-term

urban transport strategy providing for a sustainable improvement of people’s mobility.

Need for comprehensive mobility plan

Transportation being the backbone of all urban development activities, inadequately

envisioned, or poorly delivered, can stunt the growth of a region for centuries. Any

unplanned city suffers primarily from a lack of a proper land use and transport system.

Increasing urbanization leads to haphazard increase in travel demand in the cities. Now,


(ii)

any urban transport system has five basic stakeholders: Consumers (the user of the

system), Environment, City Authorities, the Producers/ Manufacturers (the drivers of

local urban economy) and the Region surrounding the city. Increasing usage of the

automobile eventually results in congestion, which creates varying dimensions of

problems for different stakeholders of the system. The consumer suffers from increased

travel time and the urban environment suffers from pollution. The city authorities suffer

from an inefficient usage of the transport system supply and face with the only prospect

of increased investment on transport systems (which in most cases goes on increasing

and widening the existing road network to alleviate congestion). Absence of suitable

infrastructure and system for freight drives up the production cost of manufacturers. The

region suffers from obstacles to regional traffic that has to invariably negotiate with the

local urban traffic and congestion.

Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) is a technical document containing short, medium

and long term schemes and action programs for the mobility of people and goods with

emphasis on mass transport system in an urban area. National Urban Transport Policy

2014 is the guiding principle in the preparation of CMP. This plan is a prerequisite for

availing financial grant for major schemes from Ministry of Urban Development,

Government of India.

The document is prepared in consultation with various stakeholders like people’s

representatives and officials involved in development of transport sector like City

Corporation, PWD, NHAI, KSTP, NWAI, KRFB, Police, Town Planning, Water Authority,

Electricity Board, premier academic institutions, Pollution control board etc.

In this context, the Kerala Rapid Transit Corporation Limited (KRTL) has awarded

National Transportation Planning and research Centre, an assignment to carry out a

Comprehensive Mobility Plan study for Thiruvananthapuram City.

Objective of the Study

The objective of the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) is to develop a comprehensive

plan for sustainable urban transport in Thiruvananthapuram city over a period of 20

years.


(iii)

• To understand the present day travel characteristics and forecast them for the

horizon year(s);

• To develop a transportation vision and goal for desirable urban development of

the city;

• Study on service level bench marks for the city of Thiruvananthapuram.

• To identify specific land use and transport strategies and measures to be

implemented for a span of 20 years or more;

• To prepare an implementation program of proposed strategies and measures

along with their cost estimates.

Scope of the Study:

• Review past studies, reports and plans which are related to traffic and

transportation issues in Kozhikode such as City Development Plan (CDP),

Comprehensive Traffic and Transport Study (CTTS) and Master Plan etc.

• Define objectives of the Mobility Plan and demarcate the planning area and

planning period (horizon year) of the Mobility Plan.

• Establish the Demand-Supply gap in transportation needs and infrastructure

over the planning period.

• Assessment of existing problems and issues related to mobility of people and

goods within the study area.

• Define Mobility Vision and Goals for the study area and identify strategies and

Action Plan for achieving the Vision.

• Identify and prioritize projects and policy measures that the city authorities

would need to implement as part of the Mobility Plan.

• Preparation of a Mobility Plan Implementation Program after consultation with

the stakeholders

• Suggest Institutional Arrangement

Study Area:

Thiruvananthapuram, also known as Trivandrum, is one of the major cities in Kerala

State and derives its importance being the capital city of the State. It is located on the

west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland. The study area –

Thiruvananthapuram Study Area (TSA) - consists of Thiruvananthapuram Municipal

Corporation, Neyyattinkara Municipality and eight adjoining panchayats viz.


(iv)

Mangalapuram, Andoorkonam, Vilappil, Vilavoorkal, Pallichal, Kalliyoor, Venganoor,

Balaramapuram. The population of the study area is estimated at 13.3 lakhs residing in

373.96 sq km of area as per 2011 census

Thiruvananthapuram city derives its importance from the following diverse functions

and activities performed within the city and its environs.

State capital with all top level decision making authorities located in the city

As a city of higher learning – with the existence of a large number of

educational institutions of advanced studies and Central and State level

research institutions

As a world tourism destination with famed Kovalam Beach, backwaters,

heritage areas/buildings, forest, ecotourism and unspoilt mountain resort of

Ponmudi

World health tourism destination with ayurvedic spas and health clinics,

providing traditional holistic health care with modern comforts and ambience

IT hub with techno park, the first IT Park in India employing more than

40,000 and poised for further growth with employment potential of more

than one lakh

Bio360 – Life Science Park: Kerala’s first of its kind park intends to

facilitate the Bio-IT and Nano technology sectors in India.

A number of research institutions including Space Research Centre (VSSC /

ISRO), Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment

employing many scientists and supporting personnel

Abundance of health care facilities in both government and private sector

attracting thousands of visitors both from within and outside the country.

The future prospects of Thiruvananthapuram include Tourism (medical and

eco-tourism), civil aviation and air-cargo, commercial activity through

upcoming port (at Vizhinjam), software development parks, media and the

arts, etc.

Data Collection and Survey Findings:

For compiling necessary data inputs for the study, extensive traffic studies were carried

out in the study region as detailed below;


(v)

Sl. No. Surveys Timing No. of Locations

1 Household interview survey 10,980

2 Road inventory Major arterials, sub

arterials covering about 100

km 3 Screen line volume count 16 hours 19 locations

4 Volume count and road side

interview

at cordon

24

hours 19 locations

5 Classified turning volume

counts –junctions 8 hours 46 locations

6 Pedestrian volume counts

(Mid blocks) 12 hours 30 locations

7 NMT opinion survey (Cycle

and Pedestrian) 100 samples

8 Bus occupancy survey at

screen lines 50 locations

9 Speed and delay survey Major corridors covering

about 50 Km

10 Parking survey – on street 12 hours 25 locations

11 Parking survey – off street 12 hours 25 locations

12

Intercity & local bus

passenger count OD for both

boarding and alighting

passengers

8 hours 50 stops

20 samples in each bus stop

13 Bus & rail Terminal in and

out count

survey

8 hours 8 locations

14 Vehicle operator surveys –

taxi, auto, goods vehicles 100 samples

15 Opinion survey from bus and

rail

commuters

100 samples

Traffic and Travel Characteristics:

(i) Speed and delay: Average journey speed in the city on the major travel

corridors is found to be 25 kmph.

(ii) Traffic flows at screen line locations: Uppidamoodu and Overbridge

ROB had the highest traffic volume of 63,000 each during the 16 hour period

between 6.00 AM and 10.00 PM, followed by 47,000 PCU at Karamana

Bridge, 40,000 PCU at Thampanoor ROB and 37,000 PCU at Petta ROB.


(vi)

(iii) Occupancy: Average peak hour occupancy of bus was found out to be 41,

that of car 2.03, auto 1.60 and two wheeler 1.22.

(iv) Traffic flows at Outer cordon locations: Out of 1.78 lakh vehicles traffic

through the 19 outer cordon locations, two locations on NH 66 and two

locations on SHs together accounted for more than 44% of the total vehicular

traffic.

(v) Traffic flow at intersections: Out of the 56 major intersections in the

study area, the highest volume of peak hour movements was observed at

Pattom Jn (>8,000 PCU). Kesavadasapuram had traffic volume between

7,000 and 8,000 PCU. 11 intersections had traffic volume between 6,000-

7,000 and nine between 5,000 and 6,000 PCU.

(vi) aHousehold characteristics:

a) Vehicle ownership: 77% of the households in the study area owned a

two wheeler, while 36% of the households owned a car.

b) Distance to bus stops: 39% of the households had the bus stop within

half a kilometre from their residence, followed by 13% between 0.5km and

2km and the remaining 48 % had their bus stops at a distance of more

than 2km

c) Modal split: 45% of the residents used personal modes of vehicles

including car and two wheeler for meeting their trip purposes, followed by

43% using public transport services including educational and

institutional buses, 4% using IPT modes. Only seven per cent used non-

motorized modes of traffic.

d) Trip purpose: 31% of the residents made their trips for work purpose,

followed by 14% for education purpose, 3% for medical purpose and 1%

for social and recreation purposes.

e) Travel time: 10% of the work trips were performed with a travel time of

less than 15minutes.

f) Trip length: Average trip length of resident population was 7.55 km and

it varied from 9.57 km in the case of car to 7.69 in the case of two wheeler.

g) Per capita trip rate: A total of 14.14 lakh trips were made by the

resident population of Thiruvananthapuram study area with a per capita

trip rate of 1.06.


(vii)

(vii) Parking accumulation and duration: MG road had the highest parking

accumulation of 3,830 vehicles, followed by Pattom-Kesavadasapuram road

with 826 vehicles and Thampanoor-Vellayambalam road with 370 vehicles.

The peak parking accumulation was found to be at 11 am in the morning.

More than 78% of the vehicles were parked less than half an hour at the

selected locations.

(viii) Pedestrian lateral movements: Heavy peak hour lateral movements of

about 7,000 were observed between Chalakkuzhy-Kesavadasapuram,

followed by 4,300 between Pazhavangadi-Mele Pazhavangadi section of MG

road, 3,700 between LMS and Palayam, and 3,500 between Sreekumar

Theatre and Thampanoor.

Pedestrian cross movements: The highest cross movements of 3,538

pedestrians were found across East Fort arm of Overbdige Jn, followed by

Chalai arm of East Fort Jn with 3,001 movements and Padmanabha theatre

arm of East Fort with 2,500 movements.

(ix) Width of roads in the study area: More than 50 per cent of the roads in

the study area have less than 10m ROW and 41 per cent have ROW between

10 and 20m. Only nine per cent of the roads have ROW above 20m.

(x) Public transport network: 77 per cent of the roads (410km) in the study

area have public transport services operated by either KSRTC or private

buses.

(xi) Street lighting: Most of the major roads especially in the CBD areas have

street lighting provided on either side of the roads. Quality of street lighting

was found to more than 8 in the case of 46% of the selected roads.

(xii) Non-motorized transport:

a) Foot Paths: Only 60% of the major road corridors within the CBD areas

of the city have footpath. However, of the 534 km of roads in the study

area, for which detailed roads inventory was carried out, only 10% of the

roads have footpath width more than 1.2m on both sides.

b) Cycle track: Cycle track is not available in any of the major corridors in

Thiruvananthapuram city.

(xiii) Safety: 4,000 accidents involving about 4,600 causalities have been

reported in Thiruvananthapuram city in 2013 with an increase of 25 percent


(viii)

over the previous year. Fatal accidents constituted about 10 percent of the

total accidents in the year 2013.

(xiv) Modal split of goods traffic: A total of 10,690 goods vehicles were found

to be involved in carrying goods traffic to and from the study region,

consisting of 4,701 trucks, 3,580 mini-trucks and 3,039 goods autos. The

quantum of goods traffic handled by these goods vehicles was about 22,500

tons.

Existing level of service (Service level benchmarks):

No Bench mark Overall

LOS Inference as per MoUD Guidelines

1

Public

Transport

Facilities

2

The City has transportation system which is

mainly operated by KSRTC buses, may need

considerable improvements in terms of supply

of buses and coverage as some parts of the city

are not served by it. The schedule of the City

services available may need improvements.

2

Pedestrian

infrastructure

facilities

3

The city has pedestrian facilities which may

need considerable improvements. The

pedestrian facilities at intersections,

availability of footpath etc needs

improvements as many parts of the city are not

served by it.

3 NMT Facilities 4 The city lacks adequate NMT facilities.

4 Level of usage of

ITS facilities 4 The city lacks adequate ITS facilities.

5

Travel speed

(Motorized and

Mass transit)

2

Small increase in flow may cause substantial

increases in approach delay and hence

decrease in arterial speed

6 Availability of

Parking places 4

The city authorities need to initiate immediate

actions with respect to providing paid parking

spaces and demand management for parking

7 Road safety 3

Need considerable improvements in road

design and available road infrastructure,

traffic management and in other such

reasons which significantly contribute to

road safety

8 Pollution levels 1 Level of pollution in the city is very low.


(ix)

No Bench mark Overall

LOS Inference as per MoUD Guidelines

9

Integrated land

use Transport

system

3 The coherence between city structure and

public transport system is less.

10

Financial

sustainability of

public transport

3

The public transport of the city is financially

sustainable but needs considerable

improvements

Vision Statement:

The Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) vision for transport in Thiruvananthapuram

ensures that the city will have a planned, best performing transport system(s) that

addresses the needs and concerns of the city. Accordingly, the transport vision for

Thiruvananthapuram can be defined as: “To ensure that Thiruvananthapuram will have

a systematically planned urban transport system for the mobility of people and goods

that is safe, efficient, economical and sustainable, which aims to support economic

development while improving livability”.

Goals:

To ensure proper Mobility solutions for Thiruvananthapuram that are sustainable and in

conformity with sustainable mobility, following Goals have been formulated:

Goal 1: Ensure that the urban road structure is organized and suited to the land use.

Goal 2: Develop public transit system(s) in conformity with the land use that is

accessible, economical, efficient and effective for the urban movement.

Goal 3: Ensure safety and mobility of pedestrians and cyclists by designing streets

and areas there by making Thiruvananthapuram more desirable and livable city.

Goal 4: Develop Traffic Management and Engineering solutions that increase

safety and optimize efficiency of the Network.

Goal 5: Ensure that the goods movement in the region is organized and does not

interfere with people movement.

Benchmarks: Benchmarks are performance indicators of various existing

transportation parameters. Currently, these indicators are at unsustainable levels, and it


(x)

becomes necessary to set desirable targets in this study. Accordingly, desirable targets to

be achieved for Thiruvananthapuram are presented below.

Index Description Formulation Existin

g

Targe

t

Average Speed

of Network

Average running

speed (kmph)

Average Running

Speed for all vehicles

24 30

Modal share of PT

motorized

Modal share Public Transport

Trips/Total Study

Area Trips

40% 60%

Modal Share of

NMT

Modal share NMT Trips/Total

Trips

5% 20%

Accessibility Percentage of work

trips with Travel

Time <15min

(Work trips with

Travel Time less than

15 min/ Total Trips)

8% 40

Bus Supply

(Thiruvananthapur

am City)

Buses per Lakh

Population

(Bus Fleet in

Nos.)/Population in

Nos.)X100000

650 850

Walkability Availability &

Usability of Foot

paths

(Footpath Length in

Km/Road length in

Km)x100

10% 50%

Cyclability Availability &

Usability of Cycle

Tracks

(Cycle track Length in

Km/Road length in

Km)x100

0% 100%

Fatality (2012) Fatal accidents No of fatalities/lakh

population

9.59 0

Scenarios: Having set the goals, objectives and the SMHS Principles to be looked in to,

the next task in the CMP study is the formulation of mobility strategies based on various

scenarios. Following are the different scenarios tested in the model.

Do Nothing Scenario– Without any Development

Business As Usual Scenario (BAU) – Considering Sanctioned Projects

Do Everything Scenario

a) Bus Augmentation with BAU Scenario


(xi)

b) Higher Order Mass Transit Systems + (a)

Mobility Improvement Measures:

a) Integrated Land Use and Urban Transport Strategy: The structure and

shape of the transport network is dependent on land use. Land use and the

network strategy must go hand in hand. As land use cannot happen as planned, if

there is no connectivity. This strategy should focus on accessibility, connectivity,

mixed land use developments to minimize vehicle trips, encourage transit

oriented development, and the long term transport strategy be framed around the

structural form of urban growth envisaged. One of the strategies integrating land

use and transport that can be adopted for Thiruvananthapuram is the Transit

Oriented Development (TOD) strategy. This concept can be applied along the

major identified mobility corridors that have the potential to carry higher order

mass transit systems.

b) Public Transport Improvement Plan: In case of do-nothing scenario, the

public transport share in Thiruvananthapuram would fall to about 31% by 2024

and 22% by 2034. One of the goals identified as part of the vision is to increase

the public transport share from 40% to 60% by the horizon year. For this

purpose, augmentation of Bus System should be considered, before embarking on

capital intensive system(s). Bus systems alone may not be able to meet the

desired goal and on key corridors (mobility corridors) a case exists for installing a

higher order mass transit system namely BRT or a Light Rail System.

(i) Bus Augmentation: As part of the public transport strategy, the fleet size

is estimated based on Rule of thumb – 50 buses per lakh population. To meet

the demand, the city currently needs almost 668 buses, considering 13.36

lakh as present urban population. Similarly, the city may need almost 880

buses in 2034. In order to limit the adverse impacts of pollutants emanating

from the KSRTC buses, it is proposed to provide the buses with alternate fuel

like LNG/ CNG.

(ii) Higher Order Public Transport Strategy: Higher Order Public

Transport refers to the Rapid Transit Systems including Bus Rapid Transit

(BRT), Monorail, LRT, Commuter Rail, Metro, Personal Rapid Transit (PRT)

System etc. The higher order system selection is based on the Passengers per


(xii)

Hour per Direction (PPHPD), cost and feasibility of implementation, along

with other parameters. The output of transport model has highlighted major

corridors which need to be well thought-out for selecting higher order public

transport system in Thiruvananthapuram.

PPHPD on Major Corridors in Thiruvananthapuram in 2024 & 2034

Sl.

No. Road Name Corridor

PPHPD-

2024

PPHPD-

2034

1 NH 66 Bypass Kazhakkoottam to Chakkai 2,000 2,800

Chakkai to Thiruvallam 3,000 3,500

Thiruvallam to Vizhinjam 800 1,000

2 NH-66 Mangalapuram to

Kazhakkoottam

5,000 6,000

Kazhakkoottam to

Kesavadasapuram

10,500 12,000

Kesavadasapuram to

Thampanoor

11,500 14,500

Thampanoor to Pappanamcode 9,000 10,000

Pappanamcode to Neyyattinkara 6,000 6,700

3 MC Road Kesavadasapuram to Vattappara 2,700 3,300

4 Nedumangad

Rd

Thampanoor to Karakulam 2,000 2,800

5 Malayinkeezh

Rd

Palayam to Peyad 2,000 2,600

The estimated PPHPD numbers for the horizon year indicate that the city of

Thiruvananthapuram does not warrant a “Heavy Rail” System at least till

2034. Being the capital city and in view of the fast developments in the IT

sector and also the recent developments like Vizhinjam transshipment

terminal, the preferred MRTS should have sufficient reserve capacity to

handle the traffic during its service life.

Light rail system: A lighter form of elevated metro system with

smaller size coaches will cater to the projected traffic demands with


(xiii)

sufficient reserve capacity so that the chosen system will be able to

cater to the traffic demand during its service life. Such a system will be

ideal for Pallippuram – Neyyattinkara corridor.

Bus Rapid Transit System Corridors: The rest of the mobility

corridors can have BRT system and High Density Bus Corridor, as

evident from the lesser PPHPD numbers. Once, better facilities and

higher comfort levels are provided by the BRT system, major shift

from private transport to BRTS is expected to happen that will reduce

congestion on the roadways significantly. The BRT system can be the

feeder system for the proposed light rail on the designated corridor.

The local buses, in turn, can act as feeders to the BRTS buses. 34 kms

of mobility corridors are proposed for BRT system as given below.

Road From To km

1 MC Road Kesavadasapuram Vattappara 10.00

2 Nedumangad Road Thampanoor Karakulam 12.00

3 Malayinkeezh Road Thampanoor Malayinkeezh 12.00

Personal Rapid Transit System: Personal Rapid Transit System

(PRT) is proposed in selected routes of Thiruvananthapuram City. The

PRT system uses small, automated pod-cars with battery operations

running on elevated guide-way along the selected travel corridors of

the city. Each pod will carry up to six passengers which will carry them

point to point along the identified routes, at an average speed up 40

km/hour. Considering the needs for first mile/ last mile connectivity

to Medical College from the proposed mobility corridor running along

Pallippuram- Kazhakkoottam- Kesavadasapuram- Palayam-

Thampanoor- Neyyattinkara, a PRT system is proposed from Pattom

to Medical College to Ulloor with an extension from Medical College

to RCC for a length of 3.5km.It is also proposed to provide PRT system

from proposed Kazhakkoottam LRT station to Technopark campus for

a length of about 1km.

Sub-urban rail system: A sub urban rail system from

Thiruvananthapuram to Chengannoor for a distance of 126 km is


(xiv)

proposed as part of improving public transport in the city. The

proposed rail system is expected to provide adequate connectivity to

inter-city passengers commuting to and from the capital city of

Thiruvananthapuram. The rail system will optimally utilize the

existing broad gauge double line railway section between the two

stations and operate rapid rail transit/ EMU/ MEMU and inter-city

train service at headway of 30 minutes..

c) Modal Integration: Any public transit system is incomplete without

intermodal integration. Intermodal integration is crucial for success of

multimodal transport system. Intermodal integration involves integration of

Public transit systems, feeder networks; NMT facilities and IPT routes.

(i) Traffic and Transit Management Centres: In order to achieve the

modal integration, the concept of developing Traffic and Transit Management

Centres (TTMC) is recommended at several critical locations in

Thiruvananthapuram. The proposed TTMC locations are given below:

Technopark

Vattappara

Vattiyoorkavu

Malayinkeezhu

Balaramapuram

Eanchakkal

Veli

Chala (Long distance Volvo bus operating centre)

(ii) Multi Modal Mobility Hub: The Multi Modal Transport (MMT) Hub is a

principal focal point that links all public transportation services of the city

together at a single facility, thereby encouraging increased use of public

transportation services as well as transit oriented developments. Eanchakkal

is proposed as a preferred location for MMTH in view of its close proximity to

different modes of transport - road (NH bypass), railway line (Kochu Veli

Railway station), water (Paravathi Puthanar canal) and air

(Thiruvananthapuram International Airport).


(xv)

(iii) Integrated fare system:The share of public transport may further improve

with the integrated fare system which comprise single ticketing facility for all

public transport modes. The same can be extended to Mutilevel Parking at

Transfer Stations to promote modal shift from private vehicles to public

transport. The fare can be revised on periodic basis considering Demand

Management to improve system efficency and the system operational charges

including fluctuations in the market rates of fuel.

d) Road Network Development Plan: The city clearly indicates the radial road

network development.

(i) Mobility corridors: As a part of this strategy, it has been proposed that

some corridors will act as Mobility Corridors in the city. These corridors

should be considered with desired and dedicated Public Transport Systems.

Proposed Mobility Corridors in Thiruvananthapuram

Sl.

No. Corridors From To

Length

Km)

1 NH-66 Mangalapuram Neyyattinkara 40

2 NH-66 Bypass Kazhakkoottam Vizhinjam 25

3 MC Road Kesavadasapuram Mannanthala 5

4 Nedumangad Road Thampanoor Peroorkada 8

5 Vattiyoorkavu

Road LMS

Vattiyoorkavu 5

6 Peyad Road Karamana Peyad 8

7 Kovalam Road Over Bridge NH Bypass 5

8 Airport Road Palayam Airport 8

Total 104

(ii) Construction of Ring Roads: Two ring roads are proposed as part of the

study viz. one inner ring road and one outer ring road.

Outer ring road: As part of study, an Outer Ring Road from

Vizhinjam to Mangalapuram via Balaramapuram, Vilappilsala,

Aruvikkara, Vattappara, Ayiroopara, Mangalapuram is proposed for

bypassing all the regional traffic which is at present passing through


(xvi)

the city. The total length of the proposed Outer Ring Road is about

47kms.

Inner Ring Road: As part of study, an Inner Ring Road from Vettu

Road, Kattaikonam, Chengottukonam, Njandoorkonam,

Powdikonam, Mannanthala, Vazhayila, Nettayam, Vattiyoorkavu,

Peyad, Malayinkeezh, Pravachambalam, Thiruvallam is proposed for

bypassing all the regional traffic which is at present passing through

the city. The total length of the proposed Outer Ring Road is about 52

kms.

(iii) Elevated Road: As part of the study, an elevated 4-lane road is proposed

between Kazhakkoottam and Eanchakkal. The proposed road can bypass the

through traffic, without merging with techno park traffic. Also this elevated

road can ease the traffic at Kazhakkoottam Junction, Venpalavattom Junction

and Eanchakkal Junction. The approximate length of the proposed Elevated

Corridor is about 13.5kms.

(iv) Flyovers: Road intersections are major points of traffic bottlenecks in a

transportation system. In Thiruvananthapuram, there are several

intersections, where such grade separated cross- over become inescapable.

The locations where flyovers are proposed are;

Pattom

Ulloor

Sreekaryam

Kazhakkoottam

Thampanoor

Peroorkada

(v) Widening of roads: The following roads are under various stages of

widening or to be taken up for widening immediately.

(i) Widening of NH 66 between Karamana and Vazhimukku to four lane

standard is in progress

(ii) Widening of NH bypass between Kazhakkoottam and Mukkola to four

lane standard – The work is in progress


(xvii)

(iii)Widening of Kesavadasapuram – Kazhakkoottam road to 24m wide

four lane road with flyovers at Sreekaryam and Ulloor – the work is to

start immediately

In addition to the above, roads measuring 101km are proposed for widening

to four-lane standard.

e) Development Plan for Inland waterways: Development of Paravathy-

Puthanar Canal (17km), and the following are proposed for navigation and

tourism purpose.

Kovalam to Thiruvallam bridge (Karamana river) - 2.3 km

Thiruvallam to Karamana bridge (Karamana river) - 7.2 km

Akkulam to Kadinamkulam kayal - 5.7 km.

f) Development Plan for railways: The following proposals are recommended

for railway development in the city considering the traffic potential.

(i) Doubling and electrification of rail line between Thiruvananthapuram

and Nagercoil for a length of 70km

(ii) Introducing rapid rail transit/ EMU/ MEMU and inter-city train

services between Thiruvananthapuram and Chengannoor (126km)

(iii)Construction of railway line from Nemom to Vizhinjam

g) NMT facility improvement plan:

(i) Provision of footpaths: It is proposed that the following roads measuring

90km in length with high pedestrian activities need to be provided with

footpath.

NH 66: Amaravila to Karamana

NH 66: Ulloor to Korani

NH bypass

Karamana to Thirumala

Vazhapilly to Kaithamukku

Pallimukku to Kumarapuram to Medical College

Peroorkada to Vazhayila

Pallimukku to Airport

Attakulangara to Thiruvallam


(xviii)

Kazhakkoottam to Technopark

Kochu Veli to Anayara Bypass Jn

Killippalam to Thampanoor

Thampanoor to Thykkadu

(ii) Development of pedestrian grade-separated facilities: A review of

the past studies and pedestrian crossing demand was utilized in identifying

prima facie a few selective locations where grade-separated crossing facilities

are warranted.

Foot Over Bridges: Pedestrian foot overbridges are recommended at the

following six locations in Thiruvananthapuram City:

Overbridge Junction

Statue

Palayam – VJT Hall

St Mary’s School, Pattom

Vazhuthakkad

Technopark

Medical College

Skywalks: In order to facilitate hassle free movements of pedestrians,

certain pedestrian activity areas are proposed to be connected by skywalk

facilities. The locations proposed for skywalks are

Sl. No. Location Length (km)

1 KSRTC-Railway station 0.30

2 Railway station-Chalai-East Fort 0.70

Total 1.00

(iii) Canal walk: A number of canals are flowing through the central area of

Thiruvananthapuram city which were once used for transportation of goods

and passengers. Major canals are the Parvathy Puthanar canal, Amayizhanjan

Thodu and Ulloor Thodu. Proposals are formulated for using the canal for

pedestrian movements.

Jogger’s path along Parvathy Puthanar canal: A Jogger’s path is

proposed along 16.5-km stretch of Parvathy Puthanar, a man-made canal


(xix)

flowing down the middle of Thiruvananthapuram and it will connect three

important tourist centres -- the Akkulam tourist village, Veli tourist village on

the northern side and Kovalam beach towards the south. The jogger’s path

will provide a fresh air to the crowded population of the city in addition to

giving a fillip to the tourism industry.

Beautification of canals: Beatification of canals are proposed for Ulloor

Thodu (3.94km), Pattom Thodu (4.00km) and Amayizhanjan Thodu

(5.58km) which pass through Edavacode, Ulloor, Kannamoola, Nellikuzhi

and merges with Aakkulam lake. A part of the canal branches off to East Fort.

With the beautification of the canals, there will be an improved environment

for pedestrians in the city.

(iv) Provision of bi-cycle lanes: Bicycle streets of 2 m width may be provided

on either side of the road. It should be segregated from the main carriage-way

and must be near pedestrian facility. Roads where cycle tracks are

recommenced include:

Sl. No. Name of road

Length

(km)

1 NH bypass from Kazhakkoottam to Kovalam 22.68

2 MC road: Kesavadasapuram to Mannanthala 5.31

3 SC Bose Jn to Sasthamangalam 2.63

4 Thampanoor to Kowdiar via Vazhuthakkad 4.31

5

Pattom to Kochu Veli Railway station via

Murinjapalam, Kumarapuram, Venpalavattom 6.44

6 Kazhakkoottam Railway station to Technopark 1.00

Total 42.37

Bicycle on rent: Networking of bicycle shops for rent is proposed for

Thiruvananthapuram city. By networking, it implies setting up of shops at

important places and connecting them through a network. Accordingly, a

person who takes a bicycle from a shop can leave it at any other shop after

use. For using the services, a prospective bicycle renter has to register himself

at any of the shops or through internet. Potential locations for cycle


(xx)

networking shops include; major transport terminals like Thampanoor, East

Fort, hospitals, and workplaces like Secretariat, Technopark, etc.

(v) Pedestrianization in core area: In Thiruvananthapuram city certain

areas and streets are to be pedestrianized completely for better safety and for

better Walkability. On these areas only bicycles are allowed. The areas

identified are:

Sl. No. Name of road Length

(km)

1 Chalai Road - Killippalam to Gandhi Park 0.90

2 Temple Road 1 - Entrance from East Fort 0.30

3 Temple Road 2 - RTO office to Ramachandra 0.50

4

Temple Road 3 - By the northern side of

Padmatheertha Kulam 0.50

Total 2.20

h) Freight Movement Plan: Freight movement in a city is an inevitable process

of trade and economy. The transportation of freight is fundamental to the quality

of life in Thiruvananthapuram, because these services play a critical role in the

regional economy. The potential locations for truck terminals are listed below

Chalai (Mini)

Balaramapuram

Vizhinjam

Eanchakkal

Mangalapuram

i) Mobility /Travel Demand Management Measures: Mobility Management

(also called Transportation Demand Management or TDM) is a general term for

strategies that result in more efficient use of transportation resources, as opposed

to increasing transportation system supply by expanding roads, parking facilities,

airports and other motor vehicle facilities.

(i) Pavement markings and signage: In general, it was observed that the

traffic signs are found wanting in Thiruvananthapuram. It is recommended


(xxi)

that proper signs be installed at appropriate locations. Road markings and

signs are proposed for 228kms of roads in Thiruvananthapuram City.

(ii) Junction improvement & redesign: Road intersections present safety

problems as accident rates are usually higher at intersections than at other

sections of the road. As such, it is very critical that the intersections be

properly designed. 23 intersections are proposed for improvements to

smoothen the flow of traffic and reduce traffic conflicts. The intersections

proposed for improvement are given below;

Petta

Maruthankuz

hy

Vattiyoorkavu

Nettayam

Jacobs

Jagathy

Thirumala

Peyad

Attakulangara

Manakkadu

Ambalathara

Mettukkada

Vizhinjam

Kumarapuram

Kannamoola

Pongummood

u

Valiyathura

Choorakkattupalaya

m

Sreekandeswaram

Vazhappilly

Kaithamukku

Medical College

Kuravankonam

(iii) Provision of Bus shelters: Many of the bus stops are located close to

major junctions and no recessed bus bays exist. 495 bus shelters are proposed

for the study area with modern amenities like solar paneled roof, lighting,

seating arrangements, information system, drinking water, WiFi facilities etc.

(iv) Street lighting: Inadequate street lighting to some extent increase the

incidence of accidents. Also pedestrian movements are facilitated by

provision of street lighting during night time. It is recommended that solar

powered LED street lighting system be used in the roads within the city

boundaries and major mobility corridors of the study area. Street lighting is

proposed for 218km of roads, of which on four-lane divided roads (37kms),

the lamps are proposed to be installed in the central median and on other

roads (181km) on one side of the road.

(v) Parking management:

Paid on-street parking: The following roads measuring 24.8 km are

proposed for paid on street parking


(xxii)

Multi-Level Car Parking (MLCP): MLCPs are proposed at nine locations

in the city.

Chalai KSRTC depot

Fort Near Transport Bhavan

Palayam Connemara market

Central Railway station

Statue

Medical college

Pattom

Ayurveda college

Killippalam Tamil school

Shared parking Shared parking is proposed at 11 locations in the city.

Swathi Thirunal Sangeetha

Sabha

Ajantha Theatre

Dhanya Remya Theatre

S L Theatre

Bishop Periera Hall

VJT Hall

Public Library

Pattom LIC compound

Museum Compound

Peripheral parking: Peripheral parking lots are proposed at four locations

in the outer cordon of the city.

Kaniyapuram

Thykkodu

Paruthippara

Vazhayila

Vattiyoorkavu

Thirumala

Pappanamcode

Sl.

No. Name of road stretch

Length

(km)

1 MG road: East Fort to LMS 2.96

2 NH 66: Killippalam to Kaimanam 2.54

3 Thampanoor to General Hospital via Palayam 3.03

4 NH 66: Plamoodu to Kesavadasapuram 1.97

5 MC road: Kesavadasapuram to Mannanthala 5.31

6 Thykkadu to Vellayambalam to Peroorkada 5.18

7 Vellayambalam to Sasthamangalam 1.08

8 Pattom to Ulloor via Medical College 2.77

Total 24.84


(xxiii)

(vi) One-way operations: One way road operations are very helpful in

increasing the roadway capacity and reducing the intersection conflicts

paving the way for reduced delay to traffic and increased safety. The following

roads are proposed as one-way streets in Thiruvananthapuram city taking

into consideration the narrow width of road and the needs of pedestrians to

walk freely without getting into conflict with vehicular traffic.

(i) Thampanoor area

(ii) Ayurveda college area

(iii)East Fort area

(vii) Pedestrian crossings / signals: On the mobility corridors specifically at

busy intersections and mid-block bus stops (at public transit corridors),

pedestrian foot-over-bridges or subways would be required.

(viii) Signal coordination & optimization: When properly used, traffic

control signals are valuable devices for the control of vehicular and

pedestrian traffic. All the signalized junctions located along the MG road are

proposed to be synchronized for better control of traffic. The signalized

junctions are shown in d below;

Pazhavangadi Jn (newly

proposed)

Overbridge Jn

Ayurveda college

Pulimoodu

Statue South Gate

Statue

Statue North gate

VJT Jn

Palayam

War memorial

LMS

(ix) Application of ITS: Intelligent transport system is proposed in the

following areas for Thiruvananthapuram city.

Traffic Management Centre (TMC)

Traffic Incidence Management (TIM)

Development of Cordon zones

GPS Based Intelligent Tracking System


(xxiv)

(x) Shared ride: Shared ride or rideshare is a feasible option towards faster,

greener and more affordable commute. Rideshare facility is basically meant

for potential commuters on fixed routes on a regular basis.

Implementation Program:

(i) Project cost: The projects identified in the earlier section are divided into three

categories based on the urgency and duration of the implementation viz short,

medium and long term.

(ii) Short term projects: The overall short term project cost is estimated to be 279

crores. All junction improvement schemes, footpath implementation, cycle track

network development, removal of encroachment will fall into this category.

(iii) Medium term projects: Construction of Ring Road, Radial Roads, Elevated

Road, Truck Terminals, TTMC, off-street parking / multistory parking will fall

under medium term projects. The approximate cost of medium term projects is

2,023Crores.

(iv) Long term projects: The long term projects will cost around 12,644crores

which mainly comprise Rapid Transit Systems including LRT, BRT and PRT.

(v) Total costs: The total cost of the proposed project is around 14,946crores. It is

important to highlight that the CMP serves only to identify schemes and once

these schemes are detailed for feasibility and engineering purpose, some of these

costs may vary.

(vi) Project Phasing: The projects proposed are to be implemented in three phases.

Phase 1 - To be implemented during 2015-2018 @ Rs4,722 crores

Phase 2 - To be implemented during 2019-2024 @ Rs 8,261 crores

Phase 3 - To be implemented during 2025-2034 @ Rs 1,963 crores

Institutional Aspects:

Transport being a highly multidisciplinary activity will need a central coordination to

ensure that all the strategies are simultaneously progressed to yield the desired result.

There is hence a need to establish a committee or an organization on the lines of UMTA

that would be responsible for the overall planning and coordination of the transport

initiatives of the region. In this regard, we propose an Urban Transport Committee that

is to be chaired by the District Collector. This Committee would involve the key


(xxv)

stakeholders in the form of Chairman of TRIDA along with the City Municipal

Commissioner.

Anticipated Effectiveness of CMP:

The anticipated effectiveness of the Comprehensive MobilityPlan with respect to the

various scenarios is presented below:

Scenario

Private

vehicle

share

(%)

IPT

Share

(%)

PT

Share

(%)

Emission

in Tons/

day

Speed

(in

Kmph)

Base Year 50 10 40 737 24

Do Nothing -2034 64 14 22 1,464 22

Highway

Improvements+

Bus Augmentation+

Mass Transit system 39 8 53 832 26

Date post:	13-Aug-2020
Category:	Documents
Upload:	others
View:	17 times
Download:	1 times

Executive Summary - Sports Kerala · Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final...

Documents