The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Move to streamline traffic

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Sunday, Jun 14, 2009
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Kerala - Kochi

Move to streamline traffic

Staff Reporter

District Road Safety Council’s attempt to reduce accidents in Ernakulam

— Photo: Vipin Chandran

ROAD TRAP: Gaping potholes dot the arterial Sahodaran Aiyyappan Road at many places, a fortnight after the expiry of the deadline set by the Kerala High Court to repair damaged roads in the city. A scene from Vytilla.

KOCHI: The District Road Safety Council has finally sprung into action, taking many crucial decisions aimed at streamlining traffic and reducing road accidents in Ernakulam.

The council chaired by the District Collector, has mooted the setting up of a wing under the PWD (Roads and Bridges wing) to carry out repair works on roads, as soon as potholes develop. This wing would also step in whenever there is an impediment to the free movement of vehicles and pedestrians.

Apart from ensuring smooth traffic movement, the setting up of the road repair wing would go a long way in preventing accidents caused when vehicles fall into potholes or steer away to a side to avoid potholes, said District Collector M Beena. The proposal is to entrust a contractor with the job of resurfacing damaged stretches. He would have to ensure the upkeep of roads maintained by both the PWD and the Corporation of Cochin, by carrying out timely repairs.

The decision comes in the wake of the corporation’s long-pending proposal to constitute a mobile road repair unit becoming a non-starter. The corporation and the PWD did not take steps to repair many arterial and side roads, despite the deadline set by the Kerala High Court to repair them expiring on May 31.

The decisions taken at the district-level council meeting would be sent to the State Road-Safety Authority for concurrence.

The other much-awaited decisions taken at the meeting include steps to repair electronic-traffic-signal systems in the city, most of which are in a dysfunctional state.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kochi, P. Prakash, said that the traffic police would soon initiate steps to relocate bus stops that create traffic hold-ups at junctions.

“Bus bays too would be painted, so that buses are not parked on the middle of the road. The modifications would be carried out in a phased manner.”

Red Alert, a city-based organisation that has been striving to ensure road safety, had in December last demanded the speedy constitution of the council and also the setting up of at least two mobile road-repair units in the city.

Its director M L George said that apart from coordinating the functioning of various departments that have a stake in ensuring safe commuting, the council should be able to monitor accidents and take preventive steps.

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