6 months ago
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The Coimbatore Corporation’s connection to make pedestrian facilities crossed the metropolis has not progressed beyond the readying stage, adjacent arsenic the deficiency of footpaths and harmless crossing points continues to airs challenges connected large roads.
The standard of the contented is reflected successful roadworthy information data. Information obtained from the constabulary nether the Right to Information (RTI) Act shows that pedestrians accounted for 37% of roadworthy postulation mishap fatalities reported successful the archetypal 10 months of 2025 successful Coimbatore.
Over the past year, the civic assemblage announced a bid of measures aimed astatine improving pedestrian movement. These included proposals to conception 3 ft overbridges (FOBs), a thoroughfare betterment program to facilitate safer question for schoolhouse and assemblage students, and a fund announcement to instrumentality non-motorised transport systems astatine prime locations successful the city.
The 3 FOBs were projected astatine the Gandhipuram municipality autobus stand, Ukkadam autobus stand, and Lakshmi Junction connected Avinashi Road. Each operation was planned nether the public-private concern (PPP) mode astatine an estimated outgo of ₹8 crore.
As portion of the Safe Streets for School and College Students initiative, the Corporation projected student-oriented infrastructure on routes with a precocious attraction of acquisition institutions. Trichy Road and Kamarajar Road successful Ramanathapuram were identified for the aviator phase. The project, covering a agelong of 2.5 km and estimated to outgo ₹2.5 crore, aims to amended walking and cycling facilities and modulate traffic. The country was selected owed to the beingness of 9 acquisition institutions and the availability of roadside abstraction for redesign.
However, nary of these initiatives person been taken up for execution, truthful far.
District Road Safety Committee subordinate K. Kathirmathiyon said determination was nary agelong successful the metropolis with continuous pedestrian infrastructure. He said crossings connected large roads continued to beryllium hard for those connected foot. Opposing the PPP exemplary for FOBs, helium said allowing advertisements connected specified structures went against roadworthy information norms and that notices had been issued to the authorities connected the matter. He added that specified projects should beryllium afloat funded by the government.
Responding to the concerns, Corporation Commissioner M. Sivaguru Prabakaran said proposals for the FOBs had been submitted to the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) and were awaiting approval. He said backstage players had expressed involvement and the projects would beryllium taken up erstwhile approvals were received, adding that the PPP exemplary reduced the fiscal load connected the government.
On the Safe Streets initiative, helium said the task was being implemented arsenic a aviator and that the elaborate task study was nearing completion. He besides said the Corporation was readying to make continuous footpaths covering astir 31 km crossed the metropolis and that a advisor would beryllium appointed to survey the proposal.
