For quite some time, the city dwellers were under the illusion that the days of flooding at major junctions, most notably at Thampanoor, are finally over. It took only half a day of some strong summer rain to end that. The traffic in these areas almost came to a standstill as waist-deep water made it impossible for motorists to negotiate this stretch. It was after a gap of two years that Thampanoor was witnessing such flooding and many who parked their cars here were caught unawares. The officials of the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project, which is working on flood-mitigation projects in this area currently, say that the situation happened because the drains were blocked at several places for maintenance work and the rain came unexpectedly. The widespread practise of dumping waste into the drains, sometimes in huge sacks, has also led to this situation. The officials hope to finish the work on the drains before monsoon, to prevent more floods.
Rallies, public meetings, Secretariat sieges and whatever such means deemed fit by political parties and certain social organisations to show off their strength have become a daily affair in the State capital over the past couple of weeks.
Not that these are illegal, but when they occupy precious space in the heart of the city, literally taking the city’s main thoroughfares hostage, it is the public who suffer. Monday already had the traffic police issuing notices that there would be restrictions, diversions and all the regular rigmarole, with Tuesday to be no different.
Similar restrictions and diversions have been officially notified at least four times in the past two weeks, not to mention the blocks and jams that are part of the daily transport dilemmas of the city.
Still, there has been no effort to keep at least the main thoroughfares, read MG Road, and crucial spots such as the Secretariat or the perennially stressed East Fort area, free from such rallies or to deny permission to such meetings right in the heart of the city.
The bottom line of a traffic signal is its visibility. Motorists should be able to clearly see the signal from some distance so that they can respond appropriately. Some signals in the capital do not serve their purpose, seen from the visibility angle.
Take the signal right in front of the Secretariat on the Statue-Pulimoodu road. A driver coming from Pulimoodu can get to see the signal on the right side of the road only at the last minute. The signal, for the most part, is obscured by the branches of a nearby tree. It is also partially hidden by another post nearby.
Similarly, a motorist wishing to turn right to Thycaud from the Women’s College gate has to make a calculated guess as to when he can do so. The signal installed across the road is completely hidden by the bill board of the shop in the corner. At places such as these, chances are that motorists take the wrong decision and jump the signal. At each such signal point there is an accident waiting to happen.
(Reporting by
S.R. Praveen, Dennis Marcus Mathew, and
G. Mahadevan)
