Coimbatore: The civic body is all set to increase the number of non-motorized tracks in the city soon in an apparent bid to control air pollution and curb road accidents by promoting low carbon comprehensive mobility plan.It is to be noted that Coimbatore is one among the three cities in the country selected for implementing integrated sustainable urban transport system in the first phase of smart city project. The remaining two cities are Kochi and Bhuvaneshwar.“Presently, the city doesn’t have any defined non-motorized tracks. Our plan is to set up such tracks in all the 100 wards,” said a corporation official, who didn’t want to be named, adding, “We have also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the German company Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH to obtain technical assistance in this regard.”The German firm would assist the civic body to identify feasible locations to set up non-motorized tracks. The company, the official said, was presently studying the region and it was expected to submit its recommendations within a year.“We will implement the project based on the recommendations of the German firm, which will be paid consultant charges. The cost of the project will also be estimated based on its recommendations,” the official said.Explaining that both cycling track and pedestrian pathway, each three meters wide, would be set up along each side of 30-metre wide roads to be identified during the study, the official said they would acquire land for tracks if roads were less than 30 meters wide.The tracks would be set up in such a way that pedestrians and cyclists would not clash with speeding vehicles, the official said. The move would help reduce congestion and accidents in the city.The civic body also unveiled the plans give preference to commercial, industrial and residential hubs to implement the project. “As the hubs are separated by a few kilometres, creating tracks to connect them will make the public prefer non-motorized transportation to speeding vehicles,” the official said.Apart from this, the civic body would also set up non-motorized tracks for 33km along lakes under the smart city mission project.

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