The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Roads less safe after widening

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 05, 2006
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Roads less safe after widening

S. Anil Radhakrishnan

`Flouting of traffic rules a matter of concern'

HAPHAZARD TRAFFIC: Vehicles parked in the middle of the road on the VJT Hall - Martyrs' Column stretch of Mahatma Gandhi Road in the city. — Photo: S. Mahinsha

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The benefits of widening the busy road stretches in the city under the Capital City Development Programme are yet to be felt by road users.

Utter confusion prevails at TTC, Vellayambalam, Keltron, Museum, LMS and Martyr's Column junctions. At the Martyr's Column, it is a free for all as motorists criss-cross through the side of the underpass from Asan Square side to Bakery Junction side during peak hours.

At busy junctions such as Pattoor, Kowdiar, Keltron and Museum where traffic signals powered by solar energy have been recently installed, motorists jumping signals have become the order of the day.

At Kowdiar, motorists proceeding to Peroorkada can be seen taking the road to Pattom and then taking a right turn when the signal turns red. At these busy points, traffic personnel have not yet been deployed.

Many of the stretches where the road widening has been completed have become parking lots for the motorists. Dozens of vehicles are parked haphazardly on the Martyr's Column-VJT Hall stretch despite the no-parking boards installed by the city police.

Illegal parking of autorickshaws near the Museum gate and other vehicles on the main road and on the road leading to and from Nandavanam also creates problems for the smooth flow of traffic. Illegal parking reduces the carriageway and results in a bumper-to-bumper ride.

Vehicles are parked on one side of the Kowdiar-Vellayambalam road right from the park and often extending up to the Milma booth near the entry to the Golf Links Road. As a result, buses are forced to stop in the middle of the road, disrupting the flow of traffic.

Accidents on the Kowdiar-Vellayambalam stretch have also become a matter of concern for road users and authorities. Road safety experts say the authorities should have taken into consideration the ground realities and the traffic flow before installing traffic signals and developing junctions.

Utter confusion prevails among motorists taking a right turn towards Kowdiar from Golf Links Road. The vehicles coming from Vellayambalam and entering Jawahar Nagar and those coming from Nanthancode road and proceeding to Vellayambalam at TTC junction encounter difficulties.

Road safety experts say the authorities should at least install blinkers near the entry of Keston Road, Jawahar Nagar, Golf Links and at TTC junction.

The newly laid roads have sunk near Raj Bhavan and Ajanta on the Kowdiar-Vellayambalam road, near the Keltron junction and near Enchakkal making motoring uncomfortable. The reduction in carriageway on the Museum-LMS and the Keltron-Museum junction stretches also creates problems.

While authorities have restricted the openings in the median to ensure smooth flow of traffic, the openings in the median near the gates of Public Office have come in for criticism from the motorists.

Reluctance on the part of pedestrians to move along the footpath and zebra crossings also creates hurdles.

Lack of lane discipline among motorists also results in frequent arguments among them.

Although segregated bus bays have been provided on the widened stretches, the buses do not stop there as the avenue trees have not been removed.

The KSRTC and private buses stop near the mouth of the road at Kowdiar, Vellayambalam and in the middle of the road near Park View and Jawahar Balbhavan. This leads to traffic snarls during peak hours.

Flooding of the newly laid stretches near Vellayambalam, AKG-General Hospital, Pattoor and Park View reportedly owing to problems in the newly laid drain also causes problems.

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