Kerala's metro city Kochi crawls 9 kmph in peak hour traffic

Signifying the need to put more thought into improving basic infrastructure in Kochi, a survey done as part of the comprehensive mobility plan has revealed that several parts of the city and its suburbs crawl at a snail's pace during peak hours.

Infopark-Thengode road has recorded the slowest peak hour traffic among major corridors in Kochi, according to the draft Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP), released by KMRL (Kochi Metro Rail Ltd). The distance of this road is 1.84 km and the traffic crawls during peak hours here at 9.22 km/hr. Even in the off-peak hours, the speed improves to 11.64 km/hr.

The average journey speed during peak hours in the Central Business District (CBD) is 19.5 kmph, while it is observed to be about 28 km/ph in non-core areas. The 3.94 km-long Banerji Road comes second with a peak hour traffic of 12.8 km/hr.

A total of 42 major corridors were chosen for the study of peak hour and off-peak hour traffic and speed. As many as six stretches recorded peak hour traffic of 15 km/hr or less -- Sahodaran Ayyappan Road, Infopark Expressway, Ernakulam Thekkady Road, MG Road-Madhava Pharmacy Jn to Pallimukku, Infopark Thengode road and Banerjee road.

The Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) recommended by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) is a long-term vision for desirable mobility patterns in the city and provides comprehensive and integrated transportation strategies and policy measures. KMRL has appointed Urban Mass Transit Company (UMTC) to prepare a plan to provide comprehensive transportation strategies and policy measures for Kochi.

The study area comprises the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) area and the Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA) area spread over 732 sq km. The study area consists of the Kochi Municipal Corporation, nine municipalities and 29 panchayats.

The highest peak hour delay has been recorded on NH66-Cheranallur-North Paravoor road (12.82 mts) and Banerjee road (10.25 mts). The highest delay of 14-15 mts was observed on NH 544 and NH 66, the report noted.

Palarivattom, Vyttila, Maradu, Edapally and near Aluva Metro Station Junctions recorded the highest traffic volumes at the intersection. This indicates high traffic volumes in the core city area and there is a need to address and decongest the core area. About 60 per cent of the vehicle composition at intersections is constituted by two-wheelers and about 27 per cent is constituted by car. Palarivattam has the highest traffic volume during peak hours – 19,969 vehicles.

A study on public transportation passenger volume notes that major transportation terminals in Kochi recorded a daily footfall of 68,000 passengers. Ernakulam Junction Railway Station and Aluva Railway Station are the major railway stations with high passenger footfalls.

The primary survey assessment shows a daily footfall of nearly 16,000 passengers at the major bus stops in the study area with an average passenger occupancy of 35 persons per bus. High Court Bus Stop has the highest footfall (2,085) due to its proximity to activity centres, as well as being a major transfer point for people travelling from the northern Goshree islands followed by Civil Station, Kakkanad.