City skywalks still on paper

KOCHI: Three years after the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (Natpac) proposed constructing a series of skywalks at various crowded spots in the city the project has failed to take off despite the traffic chaos. The proposal was submitted to the Kochi corporation and the town planning department in 2013 after Natpac conducted an intensive research to make the city pedestrian-friendly.
The study called for constructing skywalks connecting Vytilla mobility hub to Vytilla Junction, High Court Boat Jetty to Madhava Pharmacy near the proposed metro station, Ernakulam Boat Jetty to Maharaja's College, Kaloor Bus Stand to the proposed metro station at Kaloor and Ernakulam North Station to the proposed metro station near Lisie Hospital.
"The study was conducted in the wake of increasing pedestrian fatalities. Considering the progress of infrastructure development in the city, a failure to create pedestrian-friendly streets will only aggravate the woes of pedestrians," said Natpac director B G Sreedevi.
According to the study, the crossing connecting Vyttila Junction and Vyttila mobility hub records the highest pedestrian traffic in Kochi followed by the one linking Ernakulam Boat Jetty to the Maharaja's College.
During peak time, pedestrian traffic at Vyttila touches 2,774 people an hour while the crossing to Maharaja's College from the Ernakulam Boat Jetty has pedestrian counts as high as 2,300. The pedestrian traffic is likely to have almost doubled now when compared to 2013 when the study was conducted.
According to a NCRB report, 779 pedestrian deaths were recorded in Kerala in 2014. Of this, a large share occurred in Ernakulam.
"The town and country planning department is only a research and planning wing of the government. We don't have any plan funds. The local body is entitled to initiate follow-up procedures," said senior town planner C J Paulose.
Chairperson of the standing committee for town planning, Kochi corporation, Shiny Mathew said the panel was in favour of pedestrian-friendly infrastructure in Kochi. "As far as I know, no such reports have been received at the town planning section of the corporation. However, if the report was found to be beneficial to the public we will implement it on an emergency basis," she said.