Chandigarh: Tribune flyover is not a long-term and sustainable traffic solution, says former UT Chief Architect

Sumit Kaur said that no regional planning had been undertaken for the proposed flyover.




While strongly opposing the Tribune flyover, Former UT Chief Architect Sumit Kaur said that it is not sustainable and long term solution for the city’s traffic.

“The proposal to construct a flyover is a piecemeal infrastructure development, antithetical to the idea of a planned city like Chandigarh that has in place a notified Chandigarh Master Plan 2031 for the sustainable development of the city. The proposal of the flyover has, however, ignored the recommendations of the exhaustive CMP and is not a sustainable and long term solution to address traffic congestion, said Kaur, while adding, “The proposal will adversely impact Chandigarh’s Enlisted Heritage, its urban design and environment. Moreover it will become a hurdle in the implementation of any public transportation in future.”

The former Chief architect said that the proposal is not in sync with the CMP vision and the National Urban Transport Policy .

“The Chandigarh Master Plan 2031 has aligned its vision for traffic and transportation to the National Urban Transport Policy that advocates a people centric well contained city with an efficient people-friendly transport system, minimum travel time and maximum safety and comfort that aims at reducing dependence on cars, with widespread use of non-motorised modes and mass rapid transit system. It was also envisioned to bring the city closer to Le Corbusiers Dream, ‘One day people will come to Chandigarh to see the park wherein one does not see the automobile, where one sees nature’. The proposal of the flyover on the contrary is car centric and not in sync with the CMP vision and the National Urban Transport Policy ,” Kaur added.

The former Chief Architect said that no regional planning had been undertaken for the proposed flyover. While specifying the adverse affects of the flyover, she said that the “Flyover will intercept heritage vistas”, and added, “It is pertinent to bring out that the height of the proposed Tribune flyover as reported is 11 metres above ground and running perpendicular to the backdrop of the Shivalik Hills, which will intercept the intangible Heritage Vistas and adversely impact the urban design and the man-cosmos relationship.”

She further added that that Tribune flyover planning is also a land use violation. “It is now a well researched and established fact across the world that flyovers are an outdated idea and fail to provide any long term or a holistic solution to the issues of road congestion.” she said.

Cities like Seoul, San Francisco,Toronto built flyovers between 1950 and 1980, only to pull them down later to make space for people. Flyovers do not reduce the congestion but merely pushes the traffic congestion to the next traffic intersection. It has also been found that the construction of flyover leads to an increase in private vehicle travel as it attracts latent demand for more private vehicles by creating an impression of reduced congestion for a short while, and reduces the use of public transport and non-motorised transport.

While talking about solutions if any, she said, that a ring road in coordination with the neighbouring towns, as proposed in the CMP to divert through traffic, should be planned.

She also said that the fleet of local public buses should be strengthened to improve frequency and reliability and last mile connectivity should be planned with feeder buses, pedestrians and cyclists.

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