The objective is to help pedestrians reclaim the space they lost to vehicle users.

In a few Sundays from now, pedestrians will be able to claim a portion of the T.V. Samy Road and D.B. Road all for themselves. For, the Coimbatore Corporation and a few non-government organisations are planning to block vehicle movement on the roads and give the entire road space for pedestrians.

A representative of The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), an NGO involved in the sustainable transport project, says that the objective is to help pedestrians reclaim the space they lost to vehicle users so that during the vehicle-free period, members of the public could use the road to walk, jog, cycle, play, socialise or just sit and relax on or along the road.

As for children, they could use the road to play.

During the three or four hours of Sunday mornings, the civic body and participating NGOs will organise yoga, aerobics, mass exercise sessions, street play or cultural events to create awareness among the public on sustainable and non-motorised transport for the city.

R. Raveendran, honorary secretary, Residents’ Awareness Association of Coimbatore, says that the organisers have planned the event for 52 Sundays so that it turned out to be a sustained campaign. On those days, between 7 and 10 in the morning, pedestrians and children could use the road space.

At present, the Corporation officials and NGOs’ representatives are in a discussion to finalise the starting date and what needs to be done. The Coimbatore City Police are also part of this initiative and have expressed their willingness to regulate traffic on the days.

During the conduct of the sustainable transport initiative period, the civic body along with the participating organisations will carry out pavement improvement programmes so that the city turned into a safe environment for pedestrians.