The city will have more model roads, thanks to Coimbatore
Corporation’s decision to develop roads in wards that are covered under
the Smart Cities’ Area Based Development (ABD) component.

Spread
over 17 sq.km., the ABD component covers Ward 23 (R.S. Puram), Ward 24
(R.S. Puram and Gandhi Park), Ward 25 (Devangapet), Ward 73
(Ramanathapuram), Ward 74 (Ramanathapuram), Ward 77 (Chokkampudur),
areas that abut River Noyyal and its tanks in the western part of the
city.

Sources say that the Corporation will soon appoint a
consultant with the mandate to do a geo-spatial study of the area to
study the length and width of arterial, feeder and narrow roads, the
width of pavements, if any, obstructions such as trees and pillar boxes.
At present, the Corporation has zeroed in on five consultants, who will
bid competitively to take up the study.

Based on the study, the
Corporation will appoint an architect or panel of architects to redesign
the streets, just as it did while implementing the Model Road project
on D.B. Road and T.V. Samy Street in R.S. Puram.

While
the arterial roads in the ABD wards will have pedestrian pathways and
exclusive bicycle tracks, the narrower roads will see only traffic
calming and pedestrian safety measures.

The sources say that this
will take about a month and thereafter the designing work will begin.
The actual implementation is at least a few months away.

The
Corporation will use the funds under the Smart Cities project. The move
is expected to benefit over 1.50 lakh people who live in wards in the
ABD area.

At present, the Corporation is implementing the Model
Road project on the aforementioned streets in R.S. Puram and plans to
implement it on NSR Road, Sanganoor Road, Masakalipalayam Road and Race
Course.