HOT TOPICS

SPOTLIGHT AGENCIES

Flyovers are not solutions

0

mrmaulik - 16 June, 2009 | Traffic | Review | entropy | Ahmedabad | Flyovers and underpasses

One fine morning in Times of India I read Ahmedabad Municipal Corportions's Commissioner declared seven flyovers in his current financial Budget. It was surprised by facts that out of these all, only  for two junctions some traffic surveys and feasibility report were prepared and review by Engineering Department of Corporation. Traffic is nearby 10000PCU (as per IRC standard to proposed grade separated facility for intersections) for only three junctions. Point is not to discuss why than flyover proposed for remaining four junctions? but  we need to think - really, is flyover the only solution for traffic management?

Please check in your city following details for the locations where flyover/under bridge for vehicular are proposed!

  1. Is there any encroachment \ Hawkers occupying space of intersection ?
  2. Is there any unauthorised religious structure which lead us to spent huge amount of money for these construction?
  3. Any building / structures / private property force local body for not implementing there TP schemes?
  4. Direction of flyover (paralal or across major road) proposed is realistic? or other direction of flyover is better?
  5. Any parallel road / intersection can able to take load of traffic ?

Above points we need to ask in INDIA only, where flyovers are proposed based on political pressure, or without technical review. Now look into some other technical points which can help to reduce traffic problems such as..

  • Area traffic Control System.
  • Traffic Management for Major Road Network
  • Intersection geometric Design
  • TSM & TDM techniques.

I dont want to say that don't construction flyover ever .. it can not be avoided but can be delayed which will really brings harmony in city traffic..

[Note from Admin: We would soon be setting up a separate Ahmedabad site on Praja. Apologies that your post has to sit on Bangalore/Mumbai sub-site right right now]

COMMENTS

flyovers

mrmaulik - 18 June, 2009 - 13:25

FLyovers proposed in Ahmedabad for following intersections.

  1. ISCON
  2. JAMLPUR
  3. SONI NI CHALI
  4. THAKKARBAPA NAGAR
  5. ISANPUR
  6. CTM MILL
  7. JASHODANAGAR 
ISCON intersection is on National Highway 8C, meets 40m wide road of Ahmedabad city. NH width is 60m and having 7.5m wide service road additional both the side. (means total RoW of 75M). NH 8C is nowadays function as Major Arterial of city rather than NH. All four corners of intersections have mix landuse. Two malls one with multiplex on two corners, one large commercial centre and one ISCON Temple on remaining two corners. Existing design is with large size rotary and signals too (signal which are not working since long or neither put for operation by police dept)
NH devision proposed  Flyover along NH to proivde better mobility to NH traffic (real sence city traffic only). Traffic volume is 6600PCU during peak hrs. means do not need flyover as per IRC recommandation. Now argument is traffic chaos specially during weekends. Questions is why there is a chaos? reasons are
  1. Two corners (covered by mall/multiplex) have large nos of vehicles parked outside means on service road and carriaeway of junction.
  2. During all sunday evening devotrs of Loard krishna park there vehicles on road which make left turn extremly difficult around rotary of intersection.
  3. Hawkers & baggers (thanks to temple) occupy about 50% of space of this corner of temple.
  4. Private Bus Operators have there stops in one corner of road, resulting difficulty in left turn and reduced width for straight traffic of NH.
Ahmedabad Muncipal corporation & CIty Traffic Policy do not removing this obstecals & our NH Authority wants to give faster speed to there traffic ..as out come FLYOVER at ISCON circle.

JAMALPUR intersection is a five arm intersection where one 36M wide road (major road- from paldi to ST terminus) meets 30M wide road (Danilimda-Danapith)  and fifth arm having row of 24M.  This intersection is 400m away from end of River Bridge (Sardar Bridge-connecting east west part of Ahmedabad on Paldi ST terminus arm). Total traffic volume s about 9500PCU means near by to 10000PCU as per IRC requirements.  Chaos at intersections is due to following reasons. 
  1. TP implementation of 24M RoW for fifth arm not done due to unknown reasons.
  2. 36M wide major corridor is fully paved with bitumen surface having 18 m on either side (about 5 lanes +footpath) but more than 10-12 m width is occupy by flowers/vegitable vendors as APMC is in one corner of this 36M wide Road.
  3. Maximum Nos of Buses are playing on this 36m wide road as it ends at ST terminus of City. No thaught has been given to dirvert some routes of Northen/eastern side of states from other depots which can be located on uter ring road. 
Approach of jamalpur flyover will ends near river bridge with a gap between (brige approach and flyover approach) of 150m or evenless. What a roller coster ride will be given to max. amount of traffic.

I think above two cases are eye catching for city planner and mainly for citizen. as Government will spend about 50crores for these two flyovers.


GYAN FOR PRAJA for intersection geometry and TDM will be also provided.



welcome to praja

silkboard - 16 June, 2009 - 17:41

Mr Maulik, welcome to Praja.

We have discussed and understood the subject in context of Bangalore. And what you refer to "harmony" in city traffic, we have coined a term (borrowed from thermodynamics) for it as well - "entropy".

Look forward to hearing specific examples from Ahmedabad from you, and may be some gyaan on intersection goemetric design, or TDM techniques.

PRAJA.IN COMMENT GUIDELINES

Posting Guidelines apply for comments as well. No foul language, hate mongering or personal attacks. If criticizing third person or an authority, you must be fact based, as constructive as possible, and use gentle words. Avoid going off-topic no matter how nice your comment is. Moderators reserve the right to either edit or simply delete comments that don't meet these guidelines. If you are nice enough to realize you violated the guidelines, please save Moderators some time by editing and fixing yourself. Thanks!