Kerala - Kochi   

Rerouting of private buses postponed

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, APRIL 5. The decision of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) to divert 200 long-distance private buses through the Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road has been put on hold for a few days.

This is because of the inadequate width of the junctions in Kadavanthra and Kaloor and the subsequent congestion that would be caused by the diverted buses. The Corporation of Kochi has begun work on constructing a speed breaker at the Katrikadavu Junction. This is to slow down vehicles coming down from the bridge and approaching it, since the Thammanan-Pullepady Road criss-crosses the road. A few buses plied through the route today, with the others going through the old route.

The Ernakulam RTO, T. N. Muraleedharan, said that 70 buses will pass through the road in either direction, whereas 130 will proceed towards Kaloor from Kadavanthra. "Most bus operators have welcomed the proposal since this will considerably reduce the running time on each trip," he said.

Meanwhile, basic infrastructure like bus-stops, signboards and traffic signals are lacking in the stretch. A decision has been taken to seal the gap in between the medians at the turning where the St. Francis Church Road takes off from the main road. Thus, vehicles going towards the church from Kaloor will have to take a U-turn and then join the road.

No-parking zones

The City Police Commissioner, Dinendra Kashyap, said that policemen can be posted at major junctions in the route till electronic traffic signals are installed. "The area in front of shopping complexes at Kadavanthra will soon be declared as no-parking zones. Vehicles parked in violation of the rule will be towed away," he said.

He along with the District Collector, A. P. M. Mohammed Hanish, had toured the stretch two days back to identify bottlenecks. Mr. Hanish said that steps are being taken to mark the three bus-stops in the stretch. "Signboards will come up soon. There is urgent need to widen the junctions at Kaloor and Kadavanthra. For this, land acquisition will have to be done and encroachers removed," he said.

The meeting of the Road Safety Council will soon be convened to discuss vital issues plaguing city roads.

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