Draft master plan 2040 calls for upgradation of traffic infra

Thiruvananthapuram: The average travel speed in the city is 25 kmph during peak hours, says the study and analysis report on traffic and transportation prepared as part of a draft master plan 2040. The document says the slow speed during peak hours indicates that travel conditions in the city were below normal, but have not reached the saturation level.
The traffic characteristics of the city were assessed under the study and analysis section to comprehend the problems concerning traffic movement and to understand the need for organizing the same efficiently and economically. The study covered the volume of traffic plying through selected screen line locations, major outer cordon locations of the city, mid-block locations and important intersections, and their capacity utilization concerning road capacity.
The study and analysis indicate that the traffic has exceeded the design capacity in most of the roads/intersections warranting upgradation of transport infrastructure.
As part of the study, traffic movement data during morning/evening peak hours at 52 major intersections were estimated for the year 2020, and the highest volume of peak hour movements was observed at Pattom junction, higher than 10,000 PCU (passenger car units) followed by Kesavadasapuram junction (between 9,000 and 10,000). Six intersections had traffic volumes between 8,000 and 9,000 PCU. Data projection for mid-block locations for 2020 shows the road section between Palayam and Overbridge had the highest traffic volume of traffic in the city roads with 70,000 PCU followed by Karamana and Pappanamcode with 52,431 PCU.
Traffic management experts opine that while the city has well-developed roads, but parking on the kerb is a major factor that leads to congestion and slow movement of traffic. This is also being pointed out in the report. It notes that parking on the curb of the road has become a common phenomenon in city roads. “In the absence of off-street parking facilities, there is an increase in on-street parking activities which hinder the traffic movement,” the report says.
Peak parking accumulation on major city roads in 2018 prepared as part of draft parking policy shows that heavy accumulation of parking was observed at Attakulangara - Killipalam- Karamana section, MG road between LMS and Manakkad, Plamoodu - Pattom - Kesavadasapuram, Vellayambalam- Sasthamangalam, Chalai market road, Pattom -Murinjapalam-Medical college road and Medical college - Ulloor road.
As per the report based on the parking duration of vehicles on major roads, three fourth of the vehicles were parked for a duration of less than half an hour. About 11% of vehicles were parked for 30-60 minutes, and only 15% of the vehicles were parked for more than one hour.