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Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
(i)
Executive Summary
Background
Cities are rapidly becoming the engines of economic growth all over the developing
world. In India, though only about 30% of the national population resides in urban
areas, they generate over 60% of the GDP. Recent rapid urban development in India has
resulted in transport problems, such as traffic congestion and an increase in traffic
accidents in all the cities/towns. Although the state governments and the local
administrations have made substantial efforts to improve urban transport, problems
have been exacerbated by the rapidly increasing number of private vehicles.
A highly efficient transport system, which offers easy access to jobs, education,
healthcare and other needs, is essential. To ensure mobility for all, cities need to develop
a comprehensive urban transport strategy. Under the present scenario, urban transport
projects are prepared and implemented in a piece meal manner and generally not
integrated with land use pattern. Some cities do prepare urban transport master plan by
conducting traffic and transportation studies, but such plans mainly focus on vehicle
movement and do not pay enough attention to the mobility of people and goods. The
major emphasis in these plans remains on extensive infrastructure development such as
road network, flyovers, improvement of road geometry, regulatory measures etc. The
mobility of people as a whole is not addressed appropriately.
It is important to prepare long-term strategic plans focused on mobility of people as a
basis for developing cost-effective and equitable urban transport measures with an
appropriate and consistent methodology, in line with the National Urban Transport
Policy (NUTP). Accordingly, the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) encourages
cities/towns to prepare “Comprehensive Mobility Plans” (CMPs) as part of long-term
urban transport strategy providing for a sustainable improvement of people’s mobility.
Need for comprehensive mobility plan
Transportation being the backbone of all urban development activities, inadequately
envisioned, or poorly delivered, can stunt the growth of a region for centuries. Any
unplanned city suffers primarily from a lack of a proper land use and transport system.
Increasing urbanization leads to haphazard increase in travel demand in the cities. Now,
Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
(ii)
any urban transport system has five basic stakeholders: Consumers (the user of the
system), Environment, City Authorities, the Producers/ Manufacturers (the drivers of
local urban economy) and the Region surrounding the city. Increasing usage of the
automobile eventually results in congestion, which creates varying dimensions of
problems for different stakeholders of the system. The consumer suffers from increased
travel time and the urban environment suffers from pollution. The city authorities suffer
from an inefficient usage of the transport system supply and face with the only prospect
of increased investment on transport systems (which in most cases goes on increasing
and widening the existing road network to alleviate congestion). Absence of suitable
infrastructure and system for freight drives up the production cost of manufacturers. The
region suffers from obstacles to regional traffic that has to invariably negotiate with the
local urban traffic and congestion.
Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) is a technical document containing short, medium
and long term schemes and action programs for the mobility of people and goods with
emphasis on mass transport system in an urban area. National Urban Transport Policy
2014 is the guiding principle in the preparation of CMP. This plan is a prerequisite for
availing financial grant for major schemes from Ministry of Urban Development,
Government of India.
The document is prepared in consultation with various stakeholders like people’s
representatives and officials involved in development of transport sector like City
Corporation, PWD, NHAI, KSTP, NWAI, KRFB, Police, Town Planning, Water Authority,
Electricity Board, premier academic institutions, Pollution control board etc.
In this context, the Kerala Rapid Transit Corporation Limited (KRTL) has awarded
National Transportation Planning and research Centre, an assignment to carry out a
Comprehensive Mobility Plan study for Thiruvananthapuram City.
Objective of the Study
The objective of the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) is to develop a comprehensive
plan for sustainable urban transport in Thiruvananthapuram city over a period of 20
years.
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• To understand the present day travel characteristics and forecast them for the
horizon year(s);
• To develop a transportation vision and goal for desirable urban development of
the city;
• Study on service level bench marks for the city of Thiruvananthapuram.
• To identify specific land use and transport strategies and measures to be
implemented for a span of 20 years or more;
• To prepare an implementation program of proposed strategies and measures
along with their cost estimates.
Scope of the Study:
• Review past studies, reports and plans which are related to traffic and
transportation issues in Kozhikode such as City Development Plan (CDP),
Comprehensive Traffic and Transport Study (CTTS) and Master Plan etc.
• Define objectives of the Mobility Plan and demarcate the planning area and
planning period (horizon year) of the Mobility Plan.
• Establish the Demand-Supply gap in transportation needs and infrastructure
over the planning period.
• Assessment of existing problems and issues related to mobility of people and
goods within the study area.
• Define Mobility Vision and Goals for the study area and identify strategies and
Action Plan for achieving the Vision.
• Identify and prioritize projects and policy measures that the city authorities
would need to implement as part of the Mobility Plan.
• Preparation of a Mobility Plan Implementation Program after consultation with
the stakeholders
• Suggest Institutional Arrangement
Study Area:
Thiruvananthapuram, also known as Trivandrum, is one of the major cities in Kerala
State and derives its importance being the capital city of the State. It is located on the
west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland. The study area –
Thiruvananthapuram Study Area (TSA) - consists of Thiruvananthapuram Municipal
Corporation, Neyyattinkara Municipality and eight adjoining panchayats viz.
Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
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Mangalapuram, Andoorkonam, Vilappil, Vilavoorkal, Pallichal, Kalliyoor, Venganoor,
Balaramapuram. The population of the study area is estimated at 13.3 lakhs residing in
373.96 sq km of area as per 2011 census
Thiruvananthapuram city derives its importance from the following diverse functions
and activities performed within the city and its environs.
State capital with all top level decision making authorities located in the city
As a city of higher learning – with the existence of a large number of
educational institutions of advanced studies and Central and State level
research institutions
As a world tourism destination with famed Kovalam Beach, backwaters,
heritage areas/buildings, forest, ecotourism and unspoilt mountain resort of
Ponmudi
World health tourism destination with ayurvedic spas and health clinics,
providing traditional holistic health care with modern comforts and ambience
IT hub with techno park, the first IT Park in India employing more than
40,000 and poised for further growth with employment potential of more
than one lakh
Bio360 – Life Science Park: Kerala’s first of its kind park intends to
facilitate the Bio-IT and Nano technology sectors in India.
A number of research institutions including Space Research Centre (VSSC /
ISRO), Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment
employing many scientists and supporting personnel
Abundance of health care facilities in both government and private sector
attracting thousands of visitors both from within and outside the country.
The future prospects of Thiruvananthapuram include Tourism (medical and
eco-tourism), civil aviation and air-cargo, commercial activity through
upcoming port (at Vizhinjam), software development parks, media and the
arts, etc.
Data Collection and Survey Findings:
For compiling necessary data inputs for the study, extensive traffic studies were carried
out in the study region as detailed below;
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Sl. No. Surveys Timing No. of Locations
1 Household interview survey 10,980
2 Road inventory Major arterials, sub
arterials covering about 100
km 3 Screen line volume count 16 hours 19 locations
4 Volume count and road side
interview
at cordon
24
hours 19 locations
5 Classified turning volume
counts –junctions 8 hours 46 locations
6 Pedestrian volume counts
(Mid blocks) 12 hours 30 locations
7 NMT opinion survey (Cycle
and Pedestrian) 100 samples
8 Bus occupancy survey at
screen lines 50 locations
9 Speed and delay survey Major corridors covering
about 50 Km
10 Parking survey – on street 12 hours 25 locations
11 Parking survey – off street 12 hours 25 locations
12
Intercity & local bus
passenger count OD for both
boarding and alighting
passengers
8 hours 50 stops
20 samples in each bus stop
13 Bus & rail Terminal in and
out count
survey
8 hours 8 locations
14 Vehicle operator surveys –
taxi, auto, goods vehicles 100 samples
15 Opinion survey from bus and
rail
commuters
100 samples
Traffic and Travel Characteristics:
(i) Speed and delay: Average journey speed in the city on the major travel
corridors is found to be 25 kmph.
(ii) Traffic flows at screen line locations: Uppidamoodu and Overbridge
ROB had the highest traffic volume of 63,000 each during the 16 hour period
between 6.00 AM and 10.00 PM, followed by 47,000 PCU at Karamana
Bridge, 40,000 PCU at Thampanoor ROB and 37,000 PCU at Petta ROB.
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(iii) Occupancy: Average peak hour occupancy of bus was found out to be 41,
that of car 2.03, auto 1.60 and two wheeler 1.22.
(iv) Traffic flows at Outer cordon locations: Out of 1.78 lakh vehicles traffic
through the 19 outer cordon locations, two locations on NH 66 and two
locations on SHs together accounted for more than 44% of the total vehicular
traffic.
(v) Traffic flow at intersections: Out of the 56 major intersections in the
study area, the highest volume of peak hour movements was observed at
Pattom Jn (>8,000 PCU). Kesavadasapuram had traffic volume between
7,000 and 8,000 PCU. 11 intersections had traffic volume between 6,000-
7,000 and nine between 5,000 and 6,000 PCU.
(vi) aHousehold characteristics:
a) Vehicle ownership: 77% of the households in the study area owned a
two wheeler, while 36% of the households owned a car.
b) Distance to bus stops: 39% of the households had the bus stop within
half a kilometre from their residence, followed by 13% between 0.5km and
2km and the remaining 48 % had their bus stops at a distance of more
than 2km
c) Modal split: 45% of the residents used personal modes of vehicles
including car and two wheeler for meeting their trip purposes, followed by
43% using public transport services including educational and
institutional buses, 4% using IPT modes. Only seven per cent used non-
motorized modes of traffic.
d) Trip purpose: 31% of the residents made their trips for work purpose,
followed by 14% for education purpose, 3% for medical purpose and 1%
for social and recreation purposes.
e) Travel time: 10% of the work trips were performed with a travel time of
less than 15minutes.
f) Trip length: Average trip length of resident population was 7.55 km and
it varied from 9.57 km in the case of car to 7.69 in the case of two wheeler.
g) Per capita trip rate: A total of 14.14 lakh trips were made by the
resident population of Thiruvananthapuram study area with a per capita
trip rate of 1.06.
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(vii) Parking accumulation and duration: MG road had the highest parking
accumulation of 3,830 vehicles, followed by Pattom-Kesavadasapuram road
with 826 vehicles and Thampanoor-Vellayambalam road with 370 vehicles.
The peak parking accumulation was found to be at 11 am in the morning.
More than 78% of the vehicles were parked less than half an hour at the
selected locations.
(viii) Pedestrian lateral movements: Heavy peak hour lateral movements of
about 7,000 were observed between Chalakkuzhy-Kesavadasapuram,
followed by 4,300 between Pazhavangadi-Mele Pazhavangadi section of MG
road, 3,700 between LMS and Palayam, and 3,500 between Sreekumar
Theatre and Thampanoor.
Pedestrian cross movements: The highest cross movements of 3,538
pedestrians were found across East Fort arm of Overbdige Jn, followed by
Chalai arm of East Fort Jn with 3,001 movements and Padmanabha theatre
arm of East Fort with 2,500 movements.
(ix) Width of roads in the study area: More than 50 per cent of the roads in
the study area have less than 10m ROW and 41 per cent have ROW between
10 and 20m. Only nine per cent of the roads have ROW above 20m.
(x) Public transport network: 77 per cent of the roads (410km) in the study
area have public transport services operated by either KSRTC or private
buses.
(xi) Street lighting: Most of the major roads especially in the CBD areas have
street lighting provided on either side of the roads. Quality of street lighting
was found to more than 8 in the case of 46% of the selected roads.
(xii) Non-motorized transport:
a) Foot Paths: Only 60% of the major road corridors within the CBD areas
of the city have footpath. However, of the 534 km of roads in the study
area, for which detailed roads inventory was carried out, only 10% of the
roads have footpath width more than 1.2m on both sides.
b) Cycle track: Cycle track is not available in any of the major corridors in
Thiruvananthapuram city.
(xiii) Safety: 4,000 accidents involving about 4,600 causalities have been
reported in Thiruvananthapuram city in 2013 with an increase of 25 percent
Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
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over the previous year. Fatal accidents constituted about 10 percent of the
total accidents in the year 2013.
(xiv) Modal split of goods traffic: A total of 10,690 goods vehicles were found
to be involved in carrying goods traffic to and from the study region,
consisting of 4,701 trucks, 3,580 mini-trucks and 3,039 goods autos. The
quantum of goods traffic handled by these goods vehicles was about 22,500
tons.
Existing level of service (Service level benchmarks):
No Bench mark Overall
LOS Inference as per MoUD Guidelines
1
Public
Transport
Facilities
2
The City has transportation system which is
mainly operated by KSRTC buses, may need
considerable improvements in terms of supply
of buses and coverage as some parts of the city
are not served by it. The schedule of the City
services available may need improvements.
2
Pedestrian
infrastructure
facilities
3
The city has pedestrian facilities which may
need considerable improvements. The
pedestrian facilities at intersections,
availability of footpath etc needs
improvements as many parts of the city are not
served by it.
3 NMT Facilities 4 The city lacks adequate NMT facilities.
4 Level of usage of
ITS facilities 4 The city lacks adequate ITS facilities.
5
Travel speed
(Motorized and
Mass transit)
2
Small increase in flow may cause substantial
increases in approach delay and hence
decrease in arterial speed
6 Availability of
Parking places 4
The city authorities need to initiate immediate
actions with respect to providing paid parking
spaces and demand management for parking
7 Road safety 3
Need considerable improvements in road
design and available road infrastructure,
traffic management and in other such
reasons which significantly contribute to
road safety
8 Pollution levels 1 Level of pollution in the city is very low.
Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
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No Bench mark Overall
LOS Inference as per MoUD Guidelines
9
Integrated land
use Transport
system
3 The coherence between city structure and
public transport system is less.
10
Financial
sustainability of
public transport
3
The public transport of the city is financially
sustainable but needs considerable
improvements
Vision Statement:
The Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) vision for transport in Thiruvananthapuram
ensures that the city will have a planned, best performing transport system(s) that
addresses the needs and concerns of the city. Accordingly, the transport vision for
Thiruvananthapuram can be defined as: “To ensure that Thiruvananthapuram will have
a systematically planned urban transport system for the mobility of people and goods
that is safe, efficient, economical and sustainable, which aims to support economic
development while improving livability”.
Goals:
To ensure proper Mobility solutions for Thiruvananthapuram that are sustainable and in
conformity with sustainable mobility, following Goals have been formulated:
Goal 1: Ensure that the urban road structure is organized and suited to the land use.
Goal 2: Develop public transit system(s) in conformity with the land use that is
accessible, economical, efficient and effective for the urban movement.
Goal 3: Ensure safety and mobility of pedestrians and cyclists by designing streets
and areas there by making Thiruvananthapuram more desirable and livable city.
Goal 4: Develop Traffic Management and Engineering solutions that increase
safety and optimize efficiency of the Network.
Goal 5: Ensure that the goods movement in the region is organized and does not
interfere with people movement.
Benchmarks: Benchmarks are performance indicators of various existing
transportation parameters. Currently, these indicators are at unsustainable levels, and it
Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
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becomes necessary to set desirable targets in this study. Accordingly, desirable targets to
be achieved for Thiruvananthapuram are presented below.
Index Description Formulation Existin
g
Targe
t
Average Speed
of Network
Average running
speed (kmph)
Average Running
Speed for all vehicles
24 30
Modal share of PT
motorized
Modal share Public Transport
Trips/Total Study
Area Trips
40% 60%
Modal Share of
NMT
Modal share NMT Trips/Total
Trips
5% 20%
Accessibility Percentage of work
trips with Travel
Time <15min
(Work trips with
Travel Time less than
15 min/ Total Trips)
8% 40
Bus Supply
(Thiruvananthapur
am City)
Buses per Lakh
Population
(Bus Fleet in
Nos.)/Population in
Nos.)X100000
650 850
Walkability Availability &
Usability of Foot
paths
(Footpath Length in
Km/Road length in
Km)x100
10% 50%
Cyclability Availability &
Usability of Cycle
Tracks
(Cycle track Length in
Km/Road length in
Km)x100
0% 100%
Fatality (2012) Fatal accidents No of fatalities/lakh
population
9.59 0
Scenarios: Having set the goals, objectives and the SMHS Principles to be looked in to,
the next task in the CMP study is the formulation of mobility strategies based on various
scenarios. Following are the different scenarios tested in the model.
Do Nothing Scenario– Without any Development
Business As Usual Scenario (BAU) – Considering Sanctioned Projects
Do Everything Scenario
a) Bus Augmentation with BAU Scenario
Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
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b) Higher Order Mass Transit Systems + (a)
Mobility Improvement Measures:
a) Integrated Land Use and Urban Transport Strategy: The structure and
shape of the transport network is dependent on land use. Land use and the
network strategy must go hand in hand. As land use cannot happen as planned, if
there is no connectivity. This strategy should focus on accessibility, connectivity,
mixed land use developments to minimize vehicle trips, encourage transit
oriented development, and the long term transport strategy be framed around the
structural form of urban growth envisaged. One of the strategies integrating land
use and transport that can be adopted for Thiruvananthapuram is the Transit
Oriented Development (TOD) strategy. This concept can be applied along the
major identified mobility corridors that have the potential to carry higher order
mass transit systems.
b) Public Transport Improvement Plan: In case of do-nothing scenario, the
public transport share in Thiruvananthapuram would fall to about 31% by 2024
and 22% by 2034. One of the goals identified as part of the vision is to increase
the public transport share from 40% to 60% by the horizon year. For this
purpose, augmentation of Bus System should be considered, before embarking on
capital intensive system(s). Bus systems alone may not be able to meet the
desired goal and on key corridors (mobility corridors) a case exists for installing a
higher order mass transit system namely BRT or a Light Rail System.
(i) Bus Augmentation: As part of the public transport strategy, the fleet size
is estimated based on Rule of thumb – 50 buses per lakh population. To meet
the demand, the city currently needs almost 668 buses, considering 13.36
lakh as present urban population. Similarly, the city may need almost 880
buses in 2034. In order to limit the adverse impacts of pollutants emanating
from the KSRTC buses, it is proposed to provide the buses with alternate fuel
like LNG/ CNG.
(ii) Higher Order Public Transport Strategy: Higher Order Public
Transport refers to the Rapid Transit Systems including Bus Rapid Transit
(BRT), Monorail, LRT, Commuter Rail, Metro, Personal Rapid Transit (PRT)
System etc. The higher order system selection is based on the Passengers per
Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
(xii)
Hour per Direction (PPHPD), cost and feasibility of implementation, along
with other parameters. The output of transport model has highlighted major
corridors which need to be well thought-out for selecting higher order public
transport system in Thiruvananthapuram.
PPHPD on Major Corridors in Thiruvananthapuram in 2024 & 2034
Sl.
No. Road Name Corridor
PPHPD-
2024
PPHPD-
2034
1 NH 66 Bypass Kazhakkoottam to Chakkai 2,000 2,800
Chakkai to Thiruvallam 3,000 3,500
Thiruvallam to Vizhinjam 800 1,000
2 NH-66 Mangalapuram to
Kazhakkoottam
5,000 6,000
Kazhakkoottam to
Kesavadasapuram
10,500 12,000
Kesavadasapuram to
Thampanoor
11,500 14,500
Thampanoor to Pappanamcode 9,000 10,000
Pappanamcode to Neyyattinkara 6,000 6,700
3 MC Road Kesavadasapuram to Vattappara 2,700 3,300
4 Nedumangad
Rd
Thampanoor to Karakulam 2,000 2,800
5 Malayinkeezh
Rd
Palayam to Peyad 2,000 2,600
The estimated PPHPD numbers for the horizon year indicate that the city of
Thiruvananthapuram does not warrant a “Heavy Rail” System at least till
2034. Being the capital city and in view of the fast developments in the IT
sector and also the recent developments like Vizhinjam transshipment
terminal, the preferred MRTS should have sufficient reserve capacity to
handle the traffic during its service life.
Light rail system: A lighter form of elevated metro system with
smaller size coaches will cater to the projected traffic demands with
Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
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sufficient reserve capacity so that the chosen system will be able to
cater to the traffic demand during its service life. Such a system will be
ideal for Pallippuram – Neyyattinkara corridor.
Bus Rapid Transit System Corridors: The rest of the mobility
corridors can have BRT system and High Density Bus Corridor, as
evident from the lesser PPHPD numbers. Once, better facilities and
higher comfort levels are provided by the BRT system, major shift
from private transport to BRTS is expected to happen that will reduce
congestion on the roadways significantly. The BRT system can be the
feeder system for the proposed light rail on the designated corridor.
The local buses, in turn, can act as feeders to the BRTS buses. 34 kms
of mobility corridors are proposed for BRT system as given below.
Road From To km
1 MC Road Kesavadasapuram Vattappara 10.00
2 Nedumangad Road Thampanoor Karakulam 12.00
3 Malayinkeezh Road Thampanoor Malayinkeezh 12.00
Personal Rapid Transit System: Personal Rapid Transit System
(PRT) is proposed in selected routes of Thiruvananthapuram City. The
PRT system uses small, automated pod-cars with battery operations
running on elevated guide-way along the selected travel corridors of
the city. Each pod will carry up to six passengers which will carry them
point to point along the identified routes, at an average speed up 40
km/hour. Considering the needs for first mile/ last mile connectivity
to Medical College from the proposed mobility corridor running along
Pallippuram- Kazhakkoottam- Kesavadasapuram- Palayam-
Thampanoor- Neyyattinkara, a PRT system is proposed from Pattom
to Medical College to Ulloor with an extension from Medical College
to RCC for a length of 3.5km.It is also proposed to provide PRT system
from proposed Kazhakkoottam LRT station to Technopark campus for
a length of about 1km.
Sub-urban rail system: A sub urban rail system from
Thiruvananthapuram to Chengannoor for a distance of 126 km is
Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
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proposed as part of improving public transport in the city. The
proposed rail system is expected to provide adequate connectivity to
inter-city passengers commuting to and from the capital city of
Thiruvananthapuram. The rail system will optimally utilize the
existing broad gauge double line railway section between the two
stations and operate rapid rail transit/ EMU/ MEMU and inter-city
train service at headway of 30 minutes..
c) Modal Integration: Any public transit system is incomplete without
intermodal integration. Intermodal integration is crucial for success of
multimodal transport system. Intermodal integration involves integration of
Public transit systems, feeder networks; NMT facilities and IPT routes.
(i) Traffic and Transit Management Centres: In order to achieve the
modal integration, the concept of developing Traffic and Transit Management
Centres (TTMC) is recommended at several critical locations in
Thiruvananthapuram. The proposed TTMC locations are given below:
Technopark
Vattappara
Vattiyoorkavu
Malayinkeezhu
Balaramapuram
Eanchakkal
Veli
Chala (Long distance Volvo bus operating centre)
(ii) Multi Modal Mobility Hub: The Multi Modal Transport (MMT) Hub is a
principal focal point that links all public transportation services of the city
together at a single facility, thereby encouraging increased use of public
transportation services as well as transit oriented developments. Eanchakkal
is proposed as a preferred location for MMTH in view of its close proximity to
different modes of transport - road (NH bypass), railway line (Kochu Veli
Railway station), water (Paravathi Puthanar canal) and air
(Thiruvananthapuram International Airport).
Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
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(iii) Integrated fare system:The share of public transport may further improve
with the integrated fare system which comprise single ticketing facility for all
public transport modes. The same can be extended to Mutilevel Parking at
Transfer Stations to promote modal shift from private vehicles to public
transport. The fare can be revised on periodic basis considering Demand
Management to improve system efficency and the system operational charges
including fluctuations in the market rates of fuel.
d) Road Network Development Plan: The city clearly indicates the radial road
network development.
(i) Mobility corridors: As a part of this strategy, it has been proposed that
some corridors will act as Mobility Corridors in the city. These corridors
should be considered with desired and dedicated Public Transport Systems.
Proposed Mobility Corridors in Thiruvananthapuram
Sl.
No. Corridors From To
Length
Km)
1 NH-66 Mangalapuram Neyyattinkara 40
2 NH-66 Bypass Kazhakkoottam Vizhinjam 25
3 MC Road Kesavadasapuram Mannanthala 5
4 Nedumangad Road Thampanoor Peroorkada 8
5 Vattiyoorkavu
Road LMS
Vattiyoorkavu 5
6 Peyad Road Karamana Peyad 8
7 Kovalam Road Over Bridge NH Bypass 5
8 Airport Road Palayam Airport 8
Total 104
(ii) Construction of Ring Roads: Two ring roads are proposed as part of the
study viz. one inner ring road and one outer ring road.
Outer ring road: As part of study, an Outer Ring Road from
Vizhinjam to Mangalapuram via Balaramapuram, Vilappilsala,
Aruvikkara, Vattappara, Ayiroopara, Mangalapuram is proposed for
bypassing all the regional traffic which is at present passing through
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the city. The total length of the proposed Outer Ring Road is about
47kms.
Inner Ring Road: As part of study, an Inner Ring Road from Vettu
Road, Kattaikonam, Chengottukonam, Njandoorkonam,
Powdikonam, Mannanthala, Vazhayila, Nettayam, Vattiyoorkavu,
Peyad, Malayinkeezh, Pravachambalam, Thiruvallam is proposed for
bypassing all the regional traffic which is at present passing through
the city. The total length of the proposed Outer Ring Road is about 52
kms.
(iii) Elevated Road: As part of the study, an elevated 4-lane road is proposed
between Kazhakkoottam and Eanchakkal. The proposed road can bypass the
through traffic, without merging with techno park traffic. Also this elevated
road can ease the traffic at Kazhakkoottam Junction, Venpalavattom Junction
and Eanchakkal Junction. The approximate length of the proposed Elevated
Corridor is about 13.5kms.
(iv) Flyovers: Road intersections are major points of traffic bottlenecks in a
transportation system. In Thiruvananthapuram, there are several
intersections, where such grade separated cross- over become inescapable.
The locations where flyovers are proposed are;
Pattom
Ulloor
Sreekaryam
Kazhakkoottam
Thampanoor
Peroorkada
(v) Widening of roads: The following roads are under various stages of
widening or to be taken up for widening immediately.
(i) Widening of NH 66 between Karamana and Vazhimukku to four lane
standard is in progress
(ii) Widening of NH bypass between Kazhakkoottam and Mukkola to four
lane standard – The work is in progress
Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
(xvii)
(iii)Widening of Kesavadasapuram – Kazhakkoottam road to 24m wide
four lane road with flyovers at Sreekaryam and Ulloor – the work is to
start immediately
In addition to the above, roads measuring 101km are proposed for widening
to four-lane standard.
e) Development Plan for Inland waterways: Development of Paravathy-
Puthanar Canal (17km), and the following are proposed for navigation and
tourism purpose.
Kovalam to Thiruvallam bridge (Karamana river) - 2.3 km
Thiruvallam to Karamana bridge (Karamana river) - 7.2 km
Akkulam to Kadinamkulam kayal - 5.7 km.
f) Development Plan for railways: The following proposals are recommended
for railway development in the city considering the traffic potential.
(i) Doubling and electrification of rail line between Thiruvananthapuram
and Nagercoil for a length of 70km
(ii) Introducing rapid rail transit/ EMU/ MEMU and inter-city train
services between Thiruvananthapuram and Chengannoor (126km)
(iii)Construction of railway line from Nemom to Vizhinjam
g) NMT facility improvement plan:
(i) Provision of footpaths: It is proposed that the following roads measuring
90km in length with high pedestrian activities need to be provided with
footpath.
NH 66: Amaravila to Karamana
NH 66: Ulloor to Korani
NH bypass
Karamana to Thirumala
Vazhapilly to Kaithamukku
Pallimukku to Kumarapuram to Medical College
Peroorkada to Vazhayila
Pallimukku to Airport
Attakulangara to Thiruvallam
Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
(xviii)
Kazhakkoottam to Technopark
Kochu Veli to Anayara Bypass Jn
Killippalam to Thampanoor
Thampanoor to Thykkadu
(ii) Development of pedestrian grade-separated facilities: A review of
the past studies and pedestrian crossing demand was utilized in identifying
prima facie a few selective locations where grade-separated crossing facilities
are warranted.
Foot Over Bridges: Pedestrian foot overbridges are recommended at the
following six locations in Thiruvananthapuram City:
Overbridge Junction
Statue
Palayam – VJT Hall
St Mary’s School, Pattom
Vazhuthakkad
Technopark
Medical College
Skywalks: In order to facilitate hassle free movements of pedestrians,
certain pedestrian activity areas are proposed to be connected by skywalk
facilities. The locations proposed for skywalks are
Sl. No. Location Length (km)
1 KSRTC-Railway station 0.30
2 Railway station-Chalai-East Fort 0.70
Total 1.00
(iii) Canal walk: A number of canals are flowing through the central area of
Thiruvananthapuram city which were once used for transportation of goods
and passengers. Major canals are the Parvathy Puthanar canal, Amayizhanjan
Thodu and Ulloor Thodu. Proposals are formulated for using the canal for
pedestrian movements.
Jogger’s path along Parvathy Puthanar canal: A Jogger’s path is
proposed along 16.5-km stretch of Parvathy Puthanar, a man-made canal
Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
(xix)
flowing down the middle of Thiruvananthapuram and it will connect three
important tourist centres -- the Akkulam tourist village, Veli tourist village on
the northern side and Kovalam beach towards the south. The jogger’s path
will provide a fresh air to the crowded population of the city in addition to
giving a fillip to the tourism industry.
Beautification of canals: Beatification of canals are proposed for Ulloor
Thodu (3.94km), Pattom Thodu (4.00km) and Amayizhanjan Thodu
(5.58km) which pass through Edavacode, Ulloor, Kannamoola, Nellikuzhi
and merges with Aakkulam lake. A part of the canal branches off to East Fort.
With the beautification of the canals, there will be an improved environment
for pedestrians in the city.
(iv) Provision of bi-cycle lanes: Bicycle streets of 2 m width may be provided
on either side of the road. It should be segregated from the main carriage-way
and must be near pedestrian facility. Roads where cycle tracks are
recommenced include:
Sl. No. Name of road
Length
(km)
1 NH bypass from Kazhakkoottam to Kovalam 22.68
2 MC road: Kesavadasapuram to Mannanthala 5.31
3 SC Bose Jn to Sasthamangalam 2.63
4 Thampanoor to Kowdiar via Vazhuthakkad 4.31
5
Pattom to Kochu Veli Railway station via
Murinjapalam, Kumarapuram, Venpalavattom 6.44
6 Kazhakkoottam Railway station to Technopark 1.00
Total 42.37
Bicycle on rent: Networking of bicycle shops for rent is proposed for
Thiruvananthapuram city. By networking, it implies setting up of shops at
important places and connecting them through a network. Accordingly, a
person who takes a bicycle from a shop can leave it at any other shop after
use. For using the services, a prospective bicycle renter has to register himself
at any of the shops or through internet. Potential locations for cycle
Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
(xx)
networking shops include; major transport terminals like Thampanoor, East
Fort, hospitals, and workplaces like Secretariat, Technopark, etc.
(v) Pedestrianization in core area: In Thiruvananthapuram city certain
areas and streets are to be pedestrianized completely for better safety and for
better Walkability. On these areas only bicycles are allowed. The areas
identified are:
Sl. No. Name of road Length
(km)
1 Chalai Road - Killippalam to Gandhi Park 0.90
2 Temple Road 1 - Entrance from East Fort 0.30
3 Temple Road 2 - RTO office to Ramachandra 0.50
4
Temple Road 3 - By the northern side of
Padmatheertha Kulam 0.50
Total 2.20
h) Freight Movement Plan: Freight movement in a city is an inevitable process
of trade and economy. The transportation of freight is fundamental to the quality
of life in Thiruvananthapuram, because these services play a critical role in the
regional economy. The potential locations for truck terminals are listed below
Chalai (Mini)
Balaramapuram
Vizhinjam
Eanchakkal
Mangalapuram
i) Mobility /Travel Demand Management Measures: Mobility Management
(also called Transportation Demand Management or TDM) is a general term for
strategies that result in more efficient use of transportation resources, as opposed
to increasing transportation system supply by expanding roads, parking facilities,
airports and other motor vehicle facilities.
(i) Pavement markings and signage: In general, it was observed that the
traffic signs are found wanting in Thiruvananthapuram. It is recommended
Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
(xxi)
that proper signs be installed at appropriate locations. Road markings and
signs are proposed for 228kms of roads in Thiruvananthapuram City.
(ii) Junction improvement & redesign: Road intersections present safety
problems as accident rates are usually higher at intersections than at other
sections of the road. As such, it is very critical that the intersections be
properly designed. 23 intersections are proposed for improvements to
smoothen the flow of traffic and reduce traffic conflicts. The intersections
proposed for improvement are given below;
Petta
Maruthankuz
hy
Vattiyoorkavu
Nettayam
Jacobs
Jagathy
Thirumala
Peyad
Attakulangara
Manakkadu
Ambalathara
Mettukkada
Vizhinjam
Kumarapuram
Kannamoola
Pongummood
u
Valiyathura
Choorakkattupalaya
m
Sreekandeswaram
Vazhappilly
Kaithamukku
Medical College
Kuravankonam
(iii) Provision of Bus shelters: Many of the bus stops are located close to
major junctions and no recessed bus bays exist. 495 bus shelters are proposed
for the study area with modern amenities like solar paneled roof, lighting,
seating arrangements, information system, drinking water, WiFi facilities etc.
(iv) Street lighting: Inadequate street lighting to some extent increase the
incidence of accidents. Also pedestrian movements are facilitated by
provision of street lighting during night time. It is recommended that solar
powered LED street lighting system be used in the roads within the city
boundaries and major mobility corridors of the study area. Street lighting is
proposed for 218km of roads, of which on four-lane divided roads (37kms),
the lamps are proposed to be installed in the central median and on other
roads (181km) on one side of the road.
(v) Parking management:
Paid on-street parking: The following roads measuring 24.8 km are
proposed for paid on street parking
Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
(xxii)
Multi-Level Car Parking (MLCP): MLCPs are proposed at nine locations
in the city.
Chalai KSRTC depot
Fort Near Transport Bhavan
Palayam Connemara market
Central Railway station
Statue
Medical college
Pattom
Ayurveda college
Killippalam Tamil school
Shared parking Shared parking is proposed at 11 locations in the city.
Swathi Thirunal Sangeetha
Sabha
Ajantha Theatre
Dhanya Remya Theatre
S L Theatre
Bishop Periera Hall
VJT Hall
Public Library
Pattom LIC compound
Museum Compound
Peripheral parking: Peripheral parking lots are proposed at four locations
in the outer cordon of the city.
Kaniyapuram
Thykkodu
Paruthippara
Vazhayila
Vattiyoorkavu
Thirumala
Pappanamcode
Sl.
No. Name of road stretch
Length
(km)
1 MG road: East Fort to LMS 2.96
2 NH 66: Killippalam to Kaimanam 2.54
3 Thampanoor to General Hospital via Palayam 3.03
4 NH 66: Plamoodu to Kesavadasapuram 1.97
5 MC road: Kesavadasapuram to Mannanthala 5.31
6 Thykkadu to Vellayambalam to Peroorkada 5.18
7 Vellayambalam to Sasthamangalam 1.08
8 Pattom to Ulloor via Medical College 2.77
Total 24.84
Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
(xxiii)
(vi) One-way operations: One way road operations are very helpful in
increasing the roadway capacity and reducing the intersection conflicts
paving the way for reduced delay to traffic and increased safety. The following
roads are proposed as one-way streets in Thiruvananthapuram city taking
into consideration the narrow width of road and the needs of pedestrians to
walk freely without getting into conflict with vehicular traffic.
(i) Thampanoor area
(ii) Ayurveda college area
(iii)East Fort area
(vii) Pedestrian crossings / signals: On the mobility corridors specifically at
busy intersections and mid-block bus stops (at public transit corridors),
pedestrian foot-over-bridges or subways would be required.
(viii) Signal coordination & optimization: When properly used, traffic
control signals are valuable devices for the control of vehicular and
pedestrian traffic. All the signalized junctions located along the MG road are
proposed to be synchronized for better control of traffic. The signalized
junctions are shown in d below;
Pazhavangadi Jn (newly
proposed)
Overbridge Jn
Ayurveda college
Pulimoodu
Statue South Gate
Statue
Statue North gate
VJT Jn
Palayam
War memorial
LMS
(ix) Application of ITS: Intelligent transport system is proposed in the
following areas for Thiruvananthapuram city.
Traffic Management Centre (TMC)
Traffic Incidence Management (TIM)
Development of Cordon zones
GPS Based Intelligent Tracking System
Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
(xxiv)
(x) Shared ride: Shared ride or rideshare is a feasible option towards faster,
greener and more affordable commute. Rideshare facility is basically meant
for potential commuters on fixed routes on a regular basis.
Implementation Program:
(i) Project cost: The projects identified in the earlier section are divided into three
categories based on the urgency and duration of the implementation viz short,
medium and long term.
(ii) Short term projects: The overall short term project cost is estimated to be 279
crores. All junction improvement schemes, footpath implementation, cycle track
network development, removal of encroachment will fall into this category.
(iii) Medium term projects: Construction of Ring Road, Radial Roads, Elevated
Road, Truck Terminals, TTMC, off-street parking / multistory parking will fall
under medium term projects. The approximate cost of medium term projects is
2,023Crores.
(iv) Long term projects: The long term projects will cost around 12,644crores
which mainly comprise Rapid Transit Systems including LRT, BRT and PRT.
(v) Total costs: The total cost of the proposed project is around 14,946crores. It is
important to highlight that the CMP serves only to identify schemes and once
these schemes are detailed for feasibility and engineering purpose, some of these
costs may vary.
(vi) Project Phasing: The projects proposed are to be implemented in three phases.
Phase 1 - To be implemented during 2015-2018 @ Rs4,722 crores
Phase 2 - To be implemented during 2019-2024 @ Rs 8,261 crores
Phase 3 - To be implemented during 2025-2034 @ Rs 1,963 crores
Institutional Aspects:
Transport being a highly multidisciplinary activity will need a central coordination to
ensure that all the strategies are simultaneously progressed to yield the desired result.
There is hence a need to establish a committee or an organization on the lines of UMTA
that would be responsible for the overall planning and coordination of the transport
initiatives of the region. In this regard, we propose an Urban Transport Committee that
is to be chaired by the District Collector. This Committee would involve the key
Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Thiruvananthapuram –Final Report
(xxv)
stakeholders in the form of Chairman of TRIDA along with the City Municipal
Commissioner.
Anticipated Effectiveness of CMP:
The anticipated effectiveness of the Comprehensive MobilityPlan with respect to the
various scenarios is presented below:
Scenario
Private
vehicle
share
(%)
IPT
Share
(%)
PT
Share
(%)
Emission
in Tons/
day
Speed
(in
Kmph)
Base Year 50 10 40 737 24
Do Nothing -2034 64 14 22 1,464 22
Highway
Improvements+
Bus Augmentation+
Mass Transit system 39 8 53 832 26