Roads of Coimbatore have become increasingly unsafe

COIMBATORE: The arterial roads of Coimbatore, where thousands of vehicles jostle for space, have become increasingly unsafe for daily commuters and motorists.

Nevertheless, a spate of accidents proves the growing crisis, while underscoring the urgent need for a Metro train for people to switch over to a mass transport system of mobility.

According to data by Coimbatore city police, the city has recorded a total of 892 accidents till September this year, in which 232 accidents were fatal and 680 were non-fatal. Among the lives lost, 76 are pedestrians. Even though fatal accidents have come down marginally from 251, as compared to last year, the situation continues to remain worrisome.

“Metro Rail is not just an infrastructure project, but is the foundation of clean mobility, urban de-congestion and low-carbon economic growth. Every year of delay may push both Coimbatore and Madurai into deeper traffic gridlock, vehicular pollution and wasteful fuel consumption. As Metros can carry thousands of passengers, the two cities can shift up to 50,000 commuters per day from using individual vehicles,” said Karthikeya Sivasenapathy, secretary of DMK’s environment wing.

Pointing out that further delays may have serious implications on environmental sustainability, public health and the nation’s commitments under the global climate agreement, Sivasenapathy urged the central government to approve this project with utmost importance.

Experts and civic planners say the city’s industrial and IT sectors, too, have expanded dramatically.

“Lakhs of workers, students and people spend longer for their commute, unlike a decade back in Coimbatore. Such industrial growth has definitely put immense pressure on the city’s transport network,” said J James of Tamil Nadu Association of Cottage and Micro Enterprises (TACT)

CHRONOLOGY

2010: The Central government proposes a Metro for Tier II Coimbatore city. The then state government instead suggested a monorail

2013: ‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan’s survey confirms Metro as viable

2017: Metro plan revived, and CMRL was assigned to create DPR

2023: DPR submitted to the State government proposes two main corridors on Avinashi Road and Sathyamangalam Road. Corridor I: Ukkadam to Neelambur (20.4 km); 2) Corridor 2: Coimbatore junction to Vaiyampalayam (14.4 km)

2024: CMRL estimates the cost of phase I at 10,740 crore and announces preliminary work in 2025

2025: Metro project turned down by the central government, citing the city’s population