Kerala - Kochi   

Dealing with crowd at bus stops

Crowded bus stops situated right at busy junctions are some of the bottlenecks faced by the traffic authorities while ensuring steady flow of traffic, writes Anand Haridas

Crowded bus stops situated right at busy junctions are some of the main bottlenecks faced by the traffic authorities while ensuring steady flow of traffic. Despite repeated attempts made by the police and the Road Transport Authority (RTA) to root out this bottleneck, the situation has not improved much.

Many new stops have come up in the city, but a decision to relocate the stops will have to wait.

"The issue of relocation bus stops, like the one at Kadavanthra junction, will not be taken up at the next RTA meeting, as the model code of conduct is in place for the forthcoming Assembly elections," said A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish, District Collector and chairman of the RTA.

As a first step, he said, Motor Vehicle Inspectors will study the problem caused by new bus stops that have come up recently and find ideal locations for putting up the stop.

This will be taken up for discussion only after the elections are over.

In the meantime, the officials are stepping up the drive against buses that do not stop at designated stops.

The police had taken up a special drive last week to ensure that buses stop only at the designated stops.

"Many cases have been registered against erring bus drivers during this period. Also, awareness campaigns for the public was conducted as part of the drive," said P. Vijayan, City Police Commissioner.

This is one issue that repeatedly comes up for discussion at the monthly meeting between the police and representatives of residents' associations.

Some of the residents' associations have even tried to run public awareness campaigns in their respective areas, as the bus operators continue to maintain that the buses stop where the public waits for it.

This trend is creating problems in busy junctions like Vytilla, where buses parked for collecting passengers often obstruct free-left lanes, thereby leading to traffic snarls.

However, repeated campaigns had been of no use in finding a lasting solution to the problem, said S. Balakrishnan, president of the Ernakulam District Residents' Association Apex Council.

It has been pointed out that the disparity between demand and available services is leading to the crisis.

Only Mass Rapid Transit Systems, like Metro Rail, could clear a big crowd in lesser time, as an increase in the number of bus services is only going to worsen the situation.

For the time being, the authorities concerned are trying to relocate the bus stops and see whether to abate the problem, at least temporarily.

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