Welcome: KMC’s Grand Plan: Vehicle-free Thamel

Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square

Some days ago, I read exhilarating news in a daily newspaper “Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) is planning to launch a substantial project to declare Kathmandu Durbar Square (KDS) and Thamel as vehicle restricted areas.
Although I am not a tourism entrepreneur or related to hotel industrialist, or a locale, I was very cheerful to know this imposing news. I would like to thank KMC for this grand plan and would like to wish best of luck for success in materializing it.

Thamel is the main tourist hub in Kathmandu valley. The locals, shops, and businesses entities are directly or indirectly linked with tourism sector. The Thamel area which is 30 hectare in area contains 1210 house, 1581 resident families and 2576 business including 154 hotels and lodges, 233 eateries, 897 handicraft shops and 607 various tourism related services. Settled in the northern part of historic city Kathmandu, Thamel is home for several historically and archeologically important shrines, temples, monuments, and palaces. This tourist hub has been exploited by traffic, pollution, and street shops.

After the project of paving Hanumandhoka Durbar Square and Thamel area with artistic stones to link the major temples, palaces, heritage sites, and historical monuments is completed, KMC will allow only the pedestrians in those areas and declare those areas as vehicle-free zone from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. We should not overlook to thank Asian Development Bank which is lending a helping hand to KMC to materialize the concept of developing these tourist centers with artistic stone paving for the heritage walk route.

It is said that the survey has already been carried out to identify existing physical condition of road infrastructure; existing vehicular movements and pedestrian load. A household survey was conducted to collect information on business activities, ownership of vehicle etc. secondary data were collected for information on air quality in Thamel. There are primarily three types of vehicle playing in the streets of Thamel: a) transit vehicles b) visitors vehicles c) vehicle of residents. 44,925 vehicles movement were observed in eight entries of Thamel during 12 hours a day; of these movements 66.4% were motorbike, 24% were taxies, and 7.6% were private cars. More than 15,104 bicycle movements were noted during the period in these junctions. Out of the eight entries of Thamel, Sanchayakosh entry is the most populated entry from which almost 37% of all vehicles running in Thamel ply through. The survey found out that Thamel residents own 801 motorbike, 333 private cars and 42 other vehicles.

Thamel

Based on the analysis of the survey data, interaction with local representative and Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the implementation plan is proposed in three phases. Under long term plan, all roads of Thamel is proposed for vehicle-free zone from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. Parking lots are proposed in the basement of Sanchayakosh building, Scout Complex, Lainchaur, Saraswiti campus, Dhobi Chaur and road side parking in Bishnunati Link Road. For the short term, roadside parking is proposed in Amrit Marg, Samakhusi entrance, Saatghumti entrance, J P Marg entrance and existing Sanchayakosh building basement. Here traffic will be allowed only for 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm and allowance of green plate vehicles carrying tourists for three months. In all cases emergency vehicles will be allowed in the area. Few Safa Tempos will be plying in the area especially for weaker strata of the community.

KMC has been coming up with such mind blowing project plans to manage Kathmandu city time and again. I think every Kathmandu resident and every Nepalese should welcome this grand project not bearing in mind personal discomfort or selfishness if any. If we encourage KMC in its grand projects, I hope it will also bring great plans to dissolve the problem of disorganized street shops and repeatedly rising garbage problem permanently until the Tourism Promotion Year 2011. We have to try our best not to give any negative impacts about us and our home to the tourists, so that they would lounge to visit Nepal again and again with their families and friends.