Chandigarh to build 2 green corridors along Patiala ki Rao, N-Choe

Chandigarh, December 20

To promote cycling and walking, the UT Administration will soon construct two green corridors in the city.

A meeting was held today under the Chairmanship of UT Adviser Dharam Pal with regard to 11 longitudinal green corridors for non-motorised transport (NMT) in view of the provisions of the Chandigarh Master Plan-2031.

A presentation in this regard was made by the Department of Urban Planning, Chandigarh Administration. It was deliberated that use of NMT in the city needed to be strengthened taking into consideration the environmental considerations and segregation of vehicular and non-motorised traffic. With the provision of such green corridors cyclists would feel safe as these would connect to their workspaces, shopping centres and residences.

The special provisions are being made for pedestrians and cyclists in the city as per the original plan wherein the 7V road network was designed for safe movement of pedestrians and V8 roads were subsequently built as cycle tracks along major roads.

The pedestrians and cycles were to move along city greens intercepting vehicular roads for seamless connectivity. The Chandigarh Master Plan 2031 strives to motivate the citizens of Chandigarh for using cycle as a preferred mode of transport. The use of bicycle is a healthy mode of transport for shorter distances and for reducing the car use and carbon emissions in the city.

In the first phase, Corridor No.1 (along the Patiala ki Rao) with an approximate length of 9 km and Corridor No. 5 (along N-Choe) with a length of 8 km will be constructed.

The Adviser directed the officers concerned to implement the project on priority in a phased manner for all 11 vertical green corridors. The Engineering Department has to provide the technical feasibility of these corridors in coordination with the Forest Department.

In its recently submitted report, Rail India Technical and Economic Service Limited had also recommended that though Chandigarh has a dedicated 210-km cycle track network and a public bike-sharing system, it needs to integrate the two to encourage more people to switch to cycling. The report had stated that 40% of Chandigarh residents were not satisfied with the facilities provided for NMT, such as walking and cycling.

Phase 1 of non-motorised transport project

In the first phase of the project, Corridor No.1 (along the Patiala ki Rao) with an approximate length of 9 km and Corridor No. 5 (along N-Choe, in picture above) with a length of 8 km will be constructed. An official said the first phase (60 km) was likely to be completed within a year.