The spree of fatal accidents at a dangerous curve at Elamkulam on S.A. Road, the latest being the death of two motorists during the past fortnight, has necessitated a joint inspection of the site by officials of the traffic police, MVD, civic agencies, and Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL), in order to introduce accident-prevention measures.
Around a dozen fatalities were reported at the site during the past two years, mainly involving two-wheeler riders, pedestrians, and an autorickshaw driver. Motorists from Kadavanthra, proceeding towards Vyttila, who are not familiar with the recently resurfaced four-lane road are caught unawares by the steep curve here. Most of the accidents occurred after drivers of fast-moving vehicles swerved left at the last moment, since they were unaware of the steep curve. Subsequently, the vehicles rammed the median, said T.B. Vijayan, Assistant Commissioner of Police, City Traffic Police (West).
“Following the joint inspection, it was decided that KMRL [which resurfaced the road that is owned by the Kochi Corporation] would install reflective lights on the median and also sign boards to warn of the curve. It was also decided to frequently clean cats-eye reflectors installed on the kerb of the road, since accumulation of mud over them made them invisible to motorists. This was because most of the fatal accidents occurred after 11 p.m., when visibility lessened. Rumble strips too have been planned, to forewarn drivers of the impending curve. The driver of an autorickshaw, which was proceeding from Vyttila to Kadavanthra, lost his life after he lost control of the vehicle at the curve on the other side of the road, and his head hit the road,” he added.
Similar curves abound even on the PWD-owned M.G. Road, while the corporation-owned Subhash Bose Road-Jawahar Nagar stretch has 90-degree turnings at three places.
“Inadequate no-parking boards and reflectors is a bane even on accident-prone Container Road that NHAI [National Highways Authority of India] owns. The agency turned a blind eye to letters that we sent seeking their installation. Subsequently, the police pooled in funds and installed them at a few accident-prone locations, since illegal parking by container lorries is a major issue on the stretch,” Mr. Vijayan said.
The officer expressed dismay at the PWD and the KSEB not taking steps to clear obstacles, including transformers and posts that hampered free-left turn at junctions, mainly on M.G. Road, despite the police shooting off letters to them. “We even did a joint inspection with PWD on the Madhava Pharmacy Junction-Ernakulam North Bridge stretch, to map obstacles that prompted pedestrians to venture into the tarred road and walk. The PWD failed to take follow-up measures,” he added.
Ponting to the shoddy condition of the weed-infested footpath of the Elamkulam bridge, the Francis Shelby, Assistant Commissioner of Police, City Traffic Police (East), spoke of how the corporation had been neglecting upkeep of footpaths, most of which were unusable owing to overgrowth of weeds and broken slabs. A similar problem is there on the Edappally-Palarivattom Road. Apart from accidents, pedestrians stand the risk of being bitten by snakes that hide beneath the shrubs, he said.
