Annexure No. 6

Traffic Impact Assessment for Prakrriti Apartments Edachira,

Green Vista Infrastructure Projects G-159, Panampilly Nagar, ,

May 2018

Traffic Impact Assessment Prakrriti Apartment Complex

List of Tables

Table 1: Prakrriti Apartments – Blocks & Apartments ...... 3 Table 2: Classified Traffic Volume on Link between Infopark and Edachira Junction ...... 8 Table 3 Volume Capacity Ratio on Link Road between Infopark and Edachira Junction ...... 9 Table 4: Classified Traffic Volume on Vayanasala Road ...... 10 Table 5 Volume-Capacity Ratio on Vayanasala Road in Peak ...... 11 Table 6: Classified Traffic Volume on the Village Road on the side of the project ...... 11 Table 7 Volume Capacity Ratio on Village Road in Peak ...... 12 Table 8: Classified Traffic Volume on Access Gates 1 & 2 ...... 13 Table 9 Additional Traffic Generated from the Development ...... 14 Table 10 Increased Peak Traffic on Vayanasala Road ...... 15 Table 11 Increased Peak Traffic in link road from Edachira to Infopark ...... 15

List of Figures

Figure 1 Master Plan of Prakrriti Apartments in Edachira...... 5 Figure 2: Location map of Prakrriti Apartments along with other Features in the Vicinity ...... 5 Figure 3 Road Network in the area ...... 6 Figure 4 Route Map of the Metro Rail Phase 2...... 7 Figure 5 Access to the proposed project ...... 7 Figure 6: Traffic Survey Locations ...... 8 Figure 7 Traffic Variation over the day on Link road between Infopark and Edachira Junction ...... 9 Figure 8 Traffic Variation over the day on Vayanasala Road ...... 10 Figure 9: Percentage Composition of Vehicles on Vayanasala Road ...... 11 Figure 10: Percentage Composition of vehicles on Village Road ...... 12 Figure 11 Major Residential Properties in the area ...... 13 Figure 12: Possible Solution(one way system) to Manage Traffic ...... 16

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Traffic Impact Assessment Prakrriti Apartment Complex

1. Traffic Impact Study – Need & Methodology

The goal of a Traffic Impact Assessment Study (TIAS) is to assess the potential impact of Traffic generated by a proposed development or redevelopment and to identify the roadway improvements required to ensure that the road network will operate safely and efficiently for its future.

A TIAS is an important part of the development review and approval process. A TIAS will assist the trustee developers and planners to evaluate the impact caused due to generated and attracted traffic operations within the immediate area of the development and in some cases within the overall transportation network infrastructure. It will also help to ascertain the impact the existing road network and traffic demand will cause on the proposed development.

The Traffic Impact Assessment study benefits the decision makers in following ways.

 Providing decision makers with a basis on which to assess transportation implications of proposed development applications;

 Providing a rational basis on which to evaluate if the type and scale of the development is appropriate for a particular site and what improvements may be necessary, on and/or off of the site, to provide for safe and efficient traffic flow;

 Providing a basis for assessing existing or future localized transportation system deficiencies which should be improved;

 Addressing transportation-related issues associated with development proposals that may be of concern to neighbouring residents, businesses and property owners; and

 Providing a basis for negotiations for improvements and funding participation in conjunction

2. Project Background

M/s Green Vistas Infrastructure Projects is developing Prakrriti apartments in Edachira junction in Kakkanad in Ernakulam. The apartment is being developed in 5 blocks – of which Block 1 is completed and is occupied. Block 2 is also completed and a few apartments are already occupied. Block 3 is in completion stage – flooring, plastering and fittings are to be completed and apartments would be ready for handing over. Block 4 and Block 5 are yet to be constructed. The stage of construction of the apartments and the number of apartments in each block is provided in Table 1. A master plan of the project is provided in Figure 1.

Table 1: Prakrriti Apartments – Blocks & Apartments

Block Number of Stage of Construction Number Apartments 1 120 Completed. Handed over. 2 120 Completed. Handed over. 3 97 In Final Stages of Construction. 4 97 Just started. Expected to be completed by 2022. 5 66 Yet to start. Expected to be completed by 2025. Total 500

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Traffic Impact Assessment Prakrriti Apartment Complex

Kakkanad is a major industrial and residential region in the city of in Kerala, India. It is situated in the eastern part of the city and houses the Cochin Special Economic Zone, Infopark, Smart City and KINFRA Export Promotion Industrial Park. It is also the administrative headquarters of the District of Ernakulam (of which the city of Kochi forms a part). Being the administrative hub of , Kakkanad is home for several state as well as central government offices namely, the Civil Station (hosting The District Collectorate, The RTO etc.), the District Panchayat office, the Airman Selection Board, Siksha Bhavan (office of the Central HRD Ministry), Kendriya Shram Sadan (office of the Regional Labour Commissioner) etc.

The project is located in Kakkanad, very near Edachira junction on the road connecting Edachira junction and Kakkanad Pallikara Road – called as Vayanasala Road. The apartment is about 750 m from the Infopark Main Road. Kochi Smart City is about 1.8 Km from the property. Main attraction of the apartment is its location with easy access to the offices in Infopark and Smart city. A base map of the area showing the project location along with other main attractions in the area is provided in Figure 1.

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Traffic Impact Assessment Prakrriti Apartment Complex

Figure 1 Master Plan of Prakrriti Apartments in Edachira

Figure 2: Location map of Prakrriti Apartments along with other Features in the Vicinity

3. Road Network in the Area

The national highways passing through Kochi are, NH 17- Panvel to Kanyakumari (New No: NH 66), NH 47- Salem Ernakulam (New No NH 544), NH47A-kundanoor to Willington Island (New No: 966B), NH 47C- International Container Terminal Road from Kalamaserry to Bolgatty (New No: 966A) and NH49 –Dhanushkodi to Cochin( New No: 85). These highways connect the city with other major cities in Kerala and India. The state highways in the city are SH 66- Thopumpady to Alappuzha, SH15- Ettumanoor to Thripunithura, SH41- to Thekkady, SH 16- to Munnar, SH1- MC Road to Thiruvananthapuram to and SH 63- -Munnambam.

Main connectivity to Kakkanad is through SH 41 – Palarivattom Thekkady Road – which joins NH544 (Ernakulam – Salem Road) at HMT junction. To access the project vehicles have to take Seaport – Airport road from SH 41 and then take access road to Infopark/Smart City. Info park road is a two lane road, while Sea Port – Ariport Road and SH41 are four lane divided roads. Road from Info park to Edachira (Link Road) and Vayanasala Road are intermediate lane roads. The broad road network in the area is shown in Figure 3.

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Traffic Impact Assessment Prakrriti Apartment Complex

Figure 3 Road Network in the area

4. Public Transport Access to Kakkanad/Project site

Prevalent mode of Public transport in Kochi is private bus. As per the surveys conducted by Rail Ltd. (KMRL) in 2015 - 49% of the trips in the city are undertaken by bus. Kakkanad has frequent bus services to all parts of Ernakulam and to Aluva to the north. Bus service is available from Edachira junction to Vyttilla, Kalamasserey, Rail terminals in the city and to MG Road (the main commercial and shopping area in the city). Residents can easily access any point in the city through buses.

Kochi is the only city in Kerala where a suburban rail system is available. The first phase of the metro connects Aluva and Petta. This line does not connect Kakkanad. Second phase of the Metro is planned to connect Kakkanad and Info City to JLN Stadium. Once this route is operational the residents will have access to areas in the city connected by the Metro. The route map of the Metro Phase II is provided in Figure 4.

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Traffic Impact Assessment Prakrriti Apartment Complex

Figure 4 Route Map of the Metro Rail Phase 2 5. Access Road to the Project

The only access road to the Project is through Vayanasala Road from Edachira Junction. This road is a connector road with 4.7 m wide black top and 1.3m and 2.3 m earthen shoulders on either side. For analysis purposes it can be taken as an intermediate lane road with earthen shoulders. Access to Block 3 and Block 5 of the property is from a gate on a side road that starts from Vayanasala Road and leads to Mar Thoma Public school. This road is a single lane road with earthen shoulders on either side. Access to the proposed project is shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5 Access to the proposed project

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Traffic Impact Assessment Prakrriti Apartment Complex

6. Current Traffic Scenario in the Access Roads

Traffic surveys were conducted on Vayanasala Road and Infopark road link between Edachira and Infopark junction. Traffic on the side road that leads to the Gate providing access to Block 3 and Block 5 was also covered. Surveys were conducted on a normal working day 10th of May 2018 – Thursday from 8.00 AM to 8.00 PM. The traffic survey locations are provided in Figure 6.

Figure 6: Traffic Survey Locations

Traffic Volume on Link between Infopark and Edachira Junction:Link road between Infopark and Edachira Junction is an Intermediate lane with earthen shoulders. The Peak traffic on this road is seen in the morning peak hour between 9AM to 10AM. Classified traffic volume on the link road between Infopark and Edachira junction is given in Table 2. Percentage composition on the link road between Infopark and Edachira junction is shown in Figure 7. The Volume-Capacity ratio during the peak hour is given in Table 3

Table 2: Classified Traffic Volume on Link between Infopark and Edachira Junction

Time/Mode Cars Two Wheelers Auto Rickshaws Buses LCV Trucks TOTAL PCU 8AM-9AM 311 629 72 9 41 0 1062 1007 9AM-10AM 518 692 73 9 32 0 1324 1250 10AM-11AM 312 394 112 9 25 0 852 889 11AM-12PM 249 287 67 0 14 3 620 626 12PM-1PM 260 286 81 2 23 0 652 675 1PM-2PM 241 259 83 2 8 0 593 618 2PM-3PM 220 313 60 3 25 3 624 625 3PM-4PM 177 240 50 3 23 3 496 505 4PM-5PM 182 256 123 4 28 0 593 671 5PM-6PM 307 453 110 4 32 0 906 924 6PM-7PM 376 430 115 0 22 0 943 962 7PM-8PM 341 327 74 0 27 0 769 775 TOTAL 3494 4566 1020 45 300 9 9434 9526

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Traffic Impact Assessment Prakrriti Apartment Complex

Figure 7 Traffic Variation over the day on Link road between Infopark and Edachira Junction

Table 3 Volume Capacity Ratio on Link Road between Infopark and Edachira Junction

Peak Hour Capacity Volume/Capacity Road volume(PCU) (PCU/Hour) Ratio Link Road Between Infopark and Edachira Junction (Intermediate 1250 2400 0.52 Lane Road with Earthen Shoulders)

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Traffic Impact Assessment Prakrriti Apartment Complex

About half of the traffic on the road are two wheelers and 37% are cars. Together these two modes form about 85% of the traffic on the road. Peak hour observed is from 9.00 AM to 10.00 AM and the traffic is 1250 PCU per hour. Given the capacity of 2400 PCU per day, V/C ratio is 0.52 – the road has spare capacity to handle additional traffic as per today’s traffic condition.

a) Traffic Volume on Vayanasala Road: Vayanasala road is an intermediate lane with earthen shoulders. The Peak traffic on this road is seen in the morning peak hour between 9AM to 10AM. Classified traffic volume on the Vayanasala road is given in Table 4. Percentage composition on the Vayanasala road is shown in Figure 8. The Volume-Capacity ratio during the peak hour is given in Table 5.

Table 4: Classified Traffic Volume on Vayanasala Road

Time/Mode Cars Two Wheelers Auto Rickshaws Buses LCV Trucks TOTAL PCU 8AM-9AM 222 449 51 6 29 0 757 717 9AM-10AM 371 494 52 6 23 0 946 893 10AM-11AM 224 282 80 6 18 0 610 635 11AM-12PM 179 205 49 0 10 2 445 450 12PM-1PM 185 204 58 1 16 0 464 480 1PM-2PM 172 185 59 1 41 0 458 492 2PM-3PM 158 223 43 2 18 2 446 447 3PM-4PM 126 172 36 2 16 2 354 359 4PM-5PM 130 183 88 3 20 0 424 479 5PM-6PM 219 324 78 3 23 0 647 659 6PM-7PM 268 308 82 0 16 0 674 687 7PM-8PM 244 233 53 0 19 0 549 553 TOTAL 2498 3262 729 30 249 6 6774 6855

Figure 8 Traffic Variation over the day on Vayanasala Road

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Traffic Impact Assessment Prakrriti Apartment Complex

Figure 9: Percentage Composition of Vehicles on Vayanasala Road Table 5 Volume-Capacity Ratio on Vayanasala Road in Peak Peak Hour Capacity Volume/Capacity Road volume(PCU) (PCU/Hour) Ratio Vayanasala Road (Intermediate Lane with Earthen Shoulders) 893 2400 0.37 Composition of traffic on Vayanasala Road is strikingly similar to that of traffic in the link to Infopark Road with 84% of the traffic comprising of cars and two wheelers. Traffic is lighter than that on the link road and V/C ratio in this case is only 0.37. The road has capacity to take additional traffic.

b) Village road on the side of the project: Village on the side of the project is a single lane traffic with very less traffic. This road forms a connecting link between the Access gate 3 and 4 of the project. This road has a peak volume of 186 PCU in the morning peak hour between 8AM to 9AM. Two Wheelers, cars and Auto Rickshaws forms the major traffic on the road with few LCVs. Classified traffic volume on the village road is given in Table 6. Percentage composition on the village road is shown in Figure 10. The Volume-Capacity ratio during the peak hour is given in Table 7.

Table 6: Classified Traffic Volume on the Village Road on the side of the project

Time/Mode Cars Two Wheelers Auto Rickshaws Buses LCV Trucks TOTAL PCU 8AM-9AM 42 60 42 0 11 0 155 186 9AM-10AM 26 26 26 0 3 0 81 102 10AM-11AM 21 30 24 0 8 0 83 103 11AM-12PM 25 24 20 0 2 1 72 88 12PM-1PM 32 30 29 0 6 5 102 132 1PM-2PM 10 16 8 0 5 1 40 47 2PM-3PM 17 14 6 0 3 0 40 44 3PM-4PM 15 18 11 0 11 0 55 66 4PM-5PM 14 24 16 0 9 0 63 77 5PM-6PM 18 30 28 0 7 0 83 106 6PM-7PM 24 28 22 0 3 0 77 93 7PM-8PM 19 29 11 0 5 0 64 70 TOTAL 263 329 243 0 73 7 915 1113

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Traffic Impact Assessment Prakrriti Apartment Complex

Figure 10: Percentage Composition of vehicles on Village Road

Table 7 Volume Capacity Ratio on Village Road in Peak

Peak Hour Volume/Capacity Road Capacity (PCU/Hour) volume(PCU) Ratio Village Road (Single Lane Road with Earthen 186 900 0.21 Shoulders)

Traffic is very light on the road except in the morning and evening peak times. As the road is very thinly trafficked and do not have any major destinations to access from the apartment – it is assumed that traffic generated in the future would not affect the traffic volume on this village road.

c) Entry/Exit Surveys at Gates of Block 1: Number of vehicles entering and exiting from the property from 8.00 AM to 8.00 PM was counted as part of the surveys. This was to estimate the traffic generated by the property at present and arrive at an estimate of likely traffic once all the blocks of the property are constructed and occupied. Currently 85 families reside in Block 1. Traffic generated at Block 1 in Gates 1 and 2 is presented in Table 8.

7. On Going Transport Improvements to access roads

The immediate road network from the property around Edachira junction is unlikely to see any widening or improvements as the network caters to only the residents in the area – most of whom work in offices in Infopark or Smart city. The access roads to Infopark/Smart City will see improvements – which would ease the travel time to the property from the city. These improvements would be primarily to cater to the traffic to these large Technology hubs and the limited traffic from the property may not affect the network congestion much.

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Table 8: Classified Traffic Volume on Access Gates 1 & 2 Time/Mode Cars Two Wheelers Auto Rickshaws TOTAL 8AM-9AM 13 7 0 20 9AM-10AM 11 21 1 33 10AM-11AM 10 7 4 21 11AM-12PM 6 5 0 11 12PM-1PM 5 7 0 12 1PM-2PM 8 3 0 11 2PM-3PM 4 4 1 9 3PM-4PM 1 5 2 8 4PM-5PM 2 11 2 15 5PM-6PM 4 1 0 5 6PM-7PM 6 4 3 13 7PM-8PM 7 2 0 9 TOTAL 77 77 13 167

8. Other Developments near the Project Many residential properties are coming up in the area near Edachira junction – some of the major ones are shown in Figure 11. Many apartments – like Skyline Ivy League – are constructing new blocks at present. Even the constructed apartments are not fully occupied. Local enquiries also revealed that office space in Info Park is also not fully filled up. Smart City is in the initial stages of development and a lot more work is to come. Once all these apartments are fully occupied road from Edachira to Infopark would get very congested. All the offices in Infopark and Smart City provide company buses for the staff to commute to work. This would limit the congestion on the narrow link.

Figure 11 Major Residential Properties in the area

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Traffic Impact Assessment Prakrriti Apartment Complex

9. Trip Generation from the Proposed Development Block 1 of the property has 85 houses occupied as per local enquiries at the location. We have collected the traffic entering/exiting the property form 8.00 AM to 8.00 PM in terms of cars, two wheelers and auto rikshaws. Auto rikshaw trips observed were only drop off trips as pick ups happen outside the gate. For analysis purposes, trips by auto rikshaw were doubled to take into account the pickup trips also. Assuming that future residents in the property would also follow the same travel characteristics – the trip rate from 8.00 AM to 8.00 PM in Prakrriti apartments in Kakkanad is established in terms of car, two wheeler and auto rikshaw trips generated. Schools were closed at the time of data collection and education trips could not be covered in the analysis. As per research school trips form about 15-18% of total trips in a city. To account for school trips, the base trips were increased by 15%. By 2019 it is assumed that all the apartments in Block 1 and Block 2 would be occupied. Full occupation in Block 3 is assumed by 2020. Block 4 and Block 5 opening dates are 2022 and 2025 as per discussions with the client. We have assumed that the additional traffic from these blocks would hit the road in the years 2023 and 2026. Peak trips are 17.8% of the 12 hour traffic volume as per the count in the apartments. Same percentage is used to arrive at peak trips in the respective years. Table 9 Additional Traffic Generated from the Development Traffic Generated From Individual Blocks* Total Opening of Year Two Peak Hour Generated Blocks Car Trips Auto PCU wheelers Volume Traffic 2018 Block 1 & 2019 130 130 22 272 48 48 Block 2 2020 Block 3 101 101 17 211 38 86 2021 2022 2023 Block 4 101 101 17 211 38 124 2024 2025 2026 Block 6 71 71 12 148 26 150 * - Traffic Generated is for 12 hours from 8.00 AM to 8.00 PM

10. Impact on Access Roads Traffic from the property are mostly destined to Edachira junction and from there to Infopark side. Other two links from Edachira junction lead to other apartment/villa properties and get to dead ends after a kilometre or so. It can be safely assumed that any traffic generated from the property would use Vayanasala road and from there to Infopark road – and turn to various directions based on the final destination. Entire traffic generated is thus assigned to Vayanasala road and the link from Edachira junction to Infopark road.

Base traffic on Vayanasala road and link road from Edachira to Infopark are available from the surveys conducted. Traffic on these roads are likely to grow as other apartments in the vicinity get constructed/filled up. More stories are likely to be constructed on small single storied buildings in

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Traffic Impact Assessment Prakrriti Apartment Complex

such areas – as demand increase, leading to overall densification of land use and higher traffic generation. Considering these aspects a higher growth of base traffic needs to be assumed. Growth rate of 8% per annum is assumed for this study.

Increased peak traffic on Vayanasala road and link road from Edachira to Infopark is provided in Table 10 and Table 11 respectively. In year 2026 – V/C ratio on Vayanasala Road in the peak hour is 0.77 – which is acceptable. But link road from Edachira to Infopark has a V/C ratio of 1.04 – which shows that the road will come under sever stress in the years to come.

Table 10 Increased Peak Traffic on Vayanasala Road

Table 11 Increased Peak Traffic in link road from Edachira to Infopark

11. Suggested Measures to minimise Adverse Impacts

A number of apartment complexes have come up around Edachira junction and nearby areas to service the increased demand for housing near the Infopark and other commercial developments in Kakkanad. Narrow roads in the area were not designed to service such increased traffic demand. Both sides of the roads are fully built up and any scope for widening the road is not available. The link road from Edachira junction to Infopark gets to very congested state in peak hour is evident from the numbers provided in Table 11.

In such scenario demand management and staggering of trips are the only means of limiting the effects of increased traffic. Most offices in Infopark provide buses for the staff to commute to work. This effectively reduces the traffic in the peak hour. As the whole area develops fully, traffic police or other agencies would be forced to implement some one-way or other traffic management measures to limit the congestion around Edachira junction. One possible solution is given in Figure 12 – though it may be premature to look at this today. This and other similar options may need to be studied and implemented in next 5-10 years to manage the traffic in the area.

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Traffic Impact Assessment Prakrriti Apartment Complex

Figure 12: Possible Solution (one-way system) to Manage Traffic

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