Coimbatores roads lack provisions for secure pedestrian crossing

The demand for extra pedestrian crossings on Avinashi Road after the current inauguration of the GD Naidu flyover in Coimbatore metropolis is rising louder.

V. Eswaran, president of Marumalarchi Makkal Iyyakkam, stated the ten.1-km flyover constructed at ₹1,756 crore is deliberate just for motorists and never for pedestrians. “Has anybody seen how tough it’s for kids, girls, and the aged to cross the highway?” he requested.

Coimbatore metropolis has a number of U-turns and barrier partitions are constructed throughout roads. Without site visitors alerts, pedestrians battle to cross the highway, he identified.

The variety of pedestrians killed in accidents on Indian roads in 2023 was 35,221, which is 20 % of the overall accident deaths. Pedestrians make up 35 % of Indian highway customers. Even those that journey on autos cross the highway sooner or later.

Pedestrians’ accidents should not primarily because of negligence of the highway customers, however due to the negligence of the federal government officers and the administration too because the wants of the pedestrians should not considered.

In an order on highway security, the Supreme Court stated in October this 12 months that the governments ought to plan for pedestrian security.

According to the Indian Road Congress norms (IRC 103-2012), a secure pedestrian crossing must be supplied at each 150 metres in industrial areas and at each 250 metres in residential areas. Based on this, it may be estimated that Coimbatore wants 300 secure pedestrian crossings or pedestrian alerts. According to a Right to Information (RTI) reply that he obtained, there are simply 14 pedestrian alerts within the metropolis, which is lower than the variety of bridges and flyovers, Mr. Eswaran stated.

Even in Guwahati in Assam, there are overpasses with escalators. In Coimbatore, there isn’t a such facility at Gandhipuram Railway Station, Ukkadam, or Singanallur.

“Pedestrian overpasses with escalators and pedestrian alerts must be put in at extra locations in Coimbatore metropolis,” he stated

“We request the Coimbatore Corporation to right away develop infrastructure for pedestrians to cross the highway safely as per the rules of Indian Road Congress IRC 300-2012,” Mr. Eswaran added.