KOCHI: Kochi is set to become a more pedestrian-friendly city with the corporation’s ‘Walkable Kochi’ initiative. The project — to solve pedestrian problems in the city, declutter walkways, and implement safer walking facilities — is being launched in association with the Indian-arm of German company GIZ, as part of its Sustainable Urban Mobility - Air quality, Climate Action, Accessibility (SUM-ACA) project.
The project has been designed as a solution to the long-time nightmare of navigating a city whose footpaths overflow with illegally parked vehicles, encroachments by street vendors, dumped waste and dislocated and broken drainage slabs.
The project is being implemented with the help of the Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development (C-HED). Audits will be conducted in all 74 wards of the corporation to analyse the feasibility of implementing facilities that would encourage walking — including better footpaths, more foot over-bridges, zebra lines, and other facilities.
The first phase of the project includes identifying ‘priority’ zones in the city. The current state of footpaths, crossings, and other pedestrian facilities would be analysed and mapped with the help of the public audit, that is being implemented via a mobile phone-based application.
The information will be published on the C-HED website in the third phase and projects would be formulated based on the information in the fourth phase.
Accidents due to poor walkways and open drains have become an increasing concern in many parts of the city. “Busy areas of the city with less pedestrian-friendly facilities such as Ernakulam boat jetty area, Vyttila mobility hub, Ernakulam Town and Ernakulam Jn railway stations, and Fort Kochi would be the primary ‘priority’ areas of the project.
We aim to integrate all the individual projects of the corporation into one umbrella project that would ensure the holistic development of the city,” said Dr R Rajan, director of C-HED.
“As part of the project, the city will get more pedestrian-friendly, easy, secure and disabled-friendly infrastructural facilities,” said Kochi mayor M Anilkumar, as he launched the project on Wednesday. Field analysis and project surveys will begin soon.