Assessment of non-motorized transit green corridor, Jabalpur, M.P.

Abstract

Non-Motorized Transit, or NMT, is a mode of transportation that allows solely pedestrian and non-vehicular travel. Such a network is proposed to be created in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, and Jabalpur Smart City Limited (JSCL) has constructed first for a stretch of 1.2 km on OmtiNala, from the Bus Stand to Madan Mahal. The project's goal is to change OmtiNala from a neighborhood with abandoned, unused dumping grounds into one that is more environmentally and culturally sensitive, as well as pedestrian and bicycle-friendly, while taking into account the needs of all street users. This study aims to assess the impact of the newly developed NMT corridor phase-1on several factors like trip purpose, travel time by walk or cycle, examination of infrastructure, facilities, design, construction, implementation process, environmental aspects, land use, etc. The study also discusses the traffic and transportation issues and the current non-motorized scenario in the city. Primary and secondary surveys were conducted to assess the impact of the corridor on identified parameters (utilization, mobility, land value, ambiance, and level of service). The survey findings (land use, corridor inventory, trip profile, user perspective, and stakeholder discussions) highlight that the developed NMT – Phase – 1 corridor has enormous potential to attract NMT users. At present, the corridor is being used by pedestrians and mostly used this corridor for recreational purposes. It has been observed that the corridor is not open for bicycle and wheelchair users at present and there is a dead-end at the Bus Stand side of the corridor. It will attract bicycle and wheelchair users as well as more pedestrians if the opening at the Bus Stand side is integrated with the existing road and the subsequent phases of the NMT corridor for their smooth flow. Also, other issues that need attention in terms of design and infrastructural development, operation and management framework, etc. are discussed to enhance the usage of this corridor