SMART ERODE

FLY OVER near ERODE G H

A   good number of well meaning folks believe  that  the about to be built  4 DIRECTION FLY OVER near ERODE G.H will reduce the traffic congestion there.

But, their hope is based on mirage and illusion.

Because , despite numerous fly overs built  in CHENNAI and else where,  we have never seen easy and smooth passage of vehicles in congested urban centres.

The solution lies in reduction in number of vehicles and people  coming over there.

People are not coming there by choice.

They are forced to come through that congested place.

Then, what to do to solve this congestion?

We can do certain things with out single paisa investment. However, we need to do a lot of changes in our every day life.

1.      We should  motivate  educational  Institutions, public libraries to  evolve suitable timings for hassle free transport.

  By opening one hour earlier, the peak hour traffic jams can be managed in most of the
cases.

                           Let us consider the opening   of  the educational institutions by 07.00 a.m. onwards  ( well before morning peak hours ).

  They can complete the classes conveniently,  before the evening peak hours, say by  02.00 p.m. onwards

. If  second shift is considered, it can commence by 11.30 a.m. onwards. ( well after morning peak hours)
They can conclude the classes by 06.00 p.m. onwards

2.      Open   the Banks and financial institutions    ( and if possible  govt  offices  too  ) one hour earlier  and close them too one hour earlier. Their actual numbers may not be very large, but their influence is tremendous .

3.      Just like Railway  booking offices  and Head post offices, the public contact points of at least a few  Banks  &  financial institutions   and govt  offices  can work  7 days  a week (362  days) . Non policy issues, routine services  ( paying electricity bills, municipal taxes, getting a demand draft, registering birth /death  etc.)

4.      Charge  parking fees for all  MOTORISED TRANSPORT  vehicles  in  main public  roads according to their occupying space and time   ( Let us give the contract to local  body elected representatives  and their associates, so that they can earn their money legally)

5.      Encourage the usage of the CAUVERY  RIVER BARRAGE BRIDGES by providing    licenses / permits to Govt & Private bus / minibus / College Bus  operators. .  In fact they are the essential factors in our ring road concepts.

6.      Permit, develop, initiate, encourage  Bye – Pass services (  both  mofussil  & town buses).  Look at the   CONTINUING success of the age old ERODE GH – SPB colony  town bus service  and the  SALEM – COIMBATOE, SALEM – TIRUPUR mofussil  services )

7.      Provide Stoppages for some more trains  at SANKAGIRI, KODUMUDI, PERUNDURAI / ENGUR railway stations

8.      Provide  a stoppage for the YERCAUD  EXPRESS at CAUVERY R.S ( PALLIPALYAM / SPB and the neighbourhood area residents  will also be happy)

9.      As an aside, Permitting AUTO STANDS,  BUS STOPS, MINI BUS TERMINUS, SHARE AUTO
STAND, Two Wheeler parkings,  car parkings,  and   ATMs of BANKS at  the Railway Colony side of the   ERODE Railway Junction  will reduce the congestion at the  front side  and will generate
revenue for the railways without single paise investment.

.

Things to do with minimum investment  and maximum benefit.

First, relocate the BUS STAND to city outskirts.

Second, complete  the RING ROAD.

Third invest more in the IRTT medical college and hospitals   

 Finally, develop  the neighbourhood small towns’  Govt Hospitals, Primary Health Centres,  BUS STANDS, Whole Sale Markets of agricultural produces ( Chithode, Kavindapadi, Chennimalai, Kodumudi, Pallipalayam, Thindal, Perundurai etc) 

Ofcourse , the above remedies are applicable  universally.

Why not  ERODE   take a pioneering lead  in this generic problem of growing urban space ? 

>  Effective and Efficient  use of existing resources    in the    SALEM DIVISION  OF THE RAILWAY SYSTEM .

1.      In the Railway Colony side of the   ERODE Railway Station,
Permitting AUTO STANDS,  BUS STOPS, MINI BUS TERMINUS, SHARE AUTO
STAND, Two Wheeler parkings,  car parkings,  and   ATMs of BANKS  will
reduce the congestion at the station front side  and will generate
revenue for the railways without single paise investment.

Above all it will reduce the potential for accidents at station entry/exit.

2.       The   ERODE – COIMBATORE  passenger  train     leaves   ERODE BY
7.00AM AND RETURNS BY 8,30 PM AFTER MAKING TWO SHUTTLE TRIPS.  It can
very well be extended to SALEM  by starting it at  SALEM by 5.30 am
and terminating there by 10.00pm.    It will help both Tirupur  &
COIMBATORE bound PASSENGERS  from SALEM onwards and vice versa.
Further it will make the small railway stations more active with
regular  passengers  (Industrial workers , students , and  small scale
vendors )

3.  Similarly,  SALEM -     YESHVANTPUR    passenger train  can very
well start at ERODE  BY 4.30 AM  and terminated  by 11.00pm (It does
not involve any additional expenditure, no new space requirement ; 2
new   passenger services for  ERODE – SALEM SEGMENT)

4. The poorly patronised   ERODE – SALEM   segment of ERODE – METTUR
DAM        can be withdrawn  and it can serve as    METTUR DAM –SALEM
– VRIDDHACHALAM- CUDDALORE – METTUR DAM   operation. (Puducherry,
Chidambaram  passengers will also  use it will be near to them:
ofcourse NEYVELI  and Saint Ramalingasami’s Vadalore too )  Passengers
 from Erode onwards    can still use it by boarding the Erode –
Yeswantpur  passenger train.


5. The   ERODE  - TRICHY  passenger train  can easily  be extended
to Tanjaviur  by  starting it at Erode an hour earlier.    Further ,
by clubbing     NAGAPATTINAM / NAGORE/ ANNAI VELANKANNI./ KARIKAL  bound
services  with this ERODE – TRICHY train we can integrate seamlessly
the  WESTERN DISTRICTS  WITH EASTERN DISTRICTS  . Tourism  will
flourish. All religious pilgrims  {Hindus, Muslims, Christians )  will
bless the RAILWAYS with revenue.

6.  Erode – Tirunelveli   passenger service can be extended up  to
Trichendur. (  Let us get the benefit of the UNIGAUGE  SYSTEM:  Let us
get rid of the shackles of long gone METRE GAUGE )

7. ERODE –  JOLARPETTAI  SERVICE can be extended up to THIRUPATHI  


KINLY READ ON.

BYE-PASSING of the Coimbatore junction by long haul trains  and  the
railways proposal   for  DOUBLING THE IRUGUR - POTHANUR single
railway line is generating strong opposition from a  influential
section of people.

With due respects to them ,  I would like to  draw your attention to
the possible benefits  of the above plans.



Not long ago GANDHIPURAM is the only destination for all city buses,
mofussil buses, THIRUVALLVAR STATE EXPRESS BUSES and expensive but
comfortable OMNI buses. It was convenient to all stakeholders;
travelling public and their friends and relatives  who are sending
them off  / receiving them, both public and private bus operators and
their staff, Taxi / Auto drivers,  traders, lodging and boarding
houses ; almost all.


Then the Ukkadam, Singanallur, Mettupalayam mofussil bus stands  and
the OMNI bus stand near GP / ELLEN HOSPITALS were came into service.
Perhaps some more mofussil  bus stands may come up on AVINASHI ROAD (
peelamedu / kalapatti / CODDISIA )  and SATHY ROAD ( ganapathy). All
these new developments are not convenient to all sections of people.
Still we accepted it because of the inevitability of the change
necessitated by ever increasing crowd.


If we use same logic, then we will not only accept  but whole
heartedly welcome the   BYE-PASSING of the Coimbatore junction by long
haul trains  and  the railways proposal   for  DOUBLING THE IRUGUR -
POTHANUR single  railway line.


No TIER II city is so endowed with a super most energy efficient form
of Transport which is already available in our  Coimbatore. An MRTS

of ready availability !
 To realize this potential, We must get away from the mind set of
Gandhipuram, RS puram, Race course centered city growth. Let us think
of Avinashi to Mettupalayam, Sathy to Pollachi, and Palakadu to
Somanur as part of Coimbatore Mega city
 We must treat Pothanur Railway Junction as  THE COIMBATORE DISTRICT
 ( or)  GREATER COIMBATORE DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY JUNCTION for all the
Traffic passing through Coimbatore (Tirupur to Palakad and beyond
Traffic).   What is the point in   routing these long haul trains
through Singanallur, peelamedu etc.  to Coimbatore city junction
(without any stoppages  enroute ) consuming fuel, space, time  (of
both passengers and railways ) without any tangible / intangible
benefit to the common city folks, except the harassing / harassed
shopkeepers and the taxi / auto operators.
Frankly speaking, What is our problem with the Pothanur Railway
Junction? Lack of connectivity,  is it not?  It is not at all a
problem : rather it is a golden opportunity to   develop  a new  Bus
terminus near Pothanur Junction  with town buses,  mini buses, share
autos, ordinary autos, call taxies etc.  for the hassle free travel of
railway passengers boarding / alighting at pothanur. In effect , we
will have a satellite railway junction immediately  without any mega
investment.
 Thus freed railway line capacity between Irugur and Coimbatore
Junction via Singanallur and Peelamedu can be used for city commuter
traffic. THIS WILL BENEFIT ALL COIMBATOREANS (RESIDENTS AND VISITORS)
 It is not that we should abandon the Coimbatore junction. Rather, we
must make it more passenger friendly and congestion free for
Coimbatore city folks. Let us be very clear that all the trains
originating and terminating at Coimbatore junction should continue to
do so. Further, all the Coimbatore bound trains must stop at Irugur,
Singanallur, Peelamedu, Coimbatore North and some more stations/halts
to be created in proximity with Avinashi road (near CIT / CMC /
CODDISIA / IT PARKS), Avaram palayam Road ( near Sri Ramakrishna
Hospital),   Sathy Road (near Aswin Hospitals / Textool)  and a few
more if demand is there. In effect, it will make a significant segment
of the Coimbatore city roads free from traffic congestion. Especially,
it will make the Coimbatore junction    people friendly  and crowds
will be manageable. Also it will improve the connectivity and thereby
increase the  value of the residential / commercial / industrial
properties along the IRUGUR-PEELAMEDU-North Coimbatore railway line.
It will benefit not only the Coimbatore citizens but also the
frequently visiting populations from Palladam, Tirupur, Erode and
Salem, Palakadu, Mettupalayam etc, too.  And some more COIMBATORE
terminating  trains (both from Tirupur and Palakkadu ) can be extended
up to Mettupalayam so that we can reduce the enormous road traffic in
the Mettupalayam High way.  By applying the same principle, we can
serve commuters from Pollachi side too,  once the gauge conversion is
completed.

Perhaps,  Railway administration can discuss these ideas in
appropriate forums. { Coimbatore city corporation,  District
Administration, Railway  user groups, Educational Institutions, Trade
unions, CII and the likes, media (both print and electronic )
CODDISSIA, SIMA, SITRA etc.etc }