The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Dug-up roads make driving a tough task

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Tuesday, Aug 05, 2008
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Dug-up roads make driving a tough task

Staff Reporter

Official apathy in repairing roads alleged

Monsoon compounds woes of motorists, pedestrians
Low visibility, bad roads main reasons for accidents: police

Thiruvananthapuram: Bad roads conditions have made motoring hazardous in the city during monsoon. Many important road segments have been dug up for augmenting the drinking water supply system in the district. The authorities have done little to re-lay roads where pipes have already been laid.

Motorists, particularly two-wheeler riders, find it difficult to negotiate these potholed and slushy roads on rainy days. A large section of pedestrians, particularly students and women, are finding it increasingly hard to traverse these stretches safely.

The most degraded roads are in Aruvikkara, Vattiyoorkavu, Powdikonam, Kariyam, Peroorkada and Kudapanakunnu localities. Unusually large potholes cause water to stagnate on whatever is left of the carriageway in these areas. Frustrated residents in these areas have been protesting against the alleged apathy of the authorities for several months now.

The police are bracing for an increase in night-time accidents during the monsoon. Low visibility and bad road conditions are some of the main reasons for accidents during the rainy season.

Rules flouted

Motorists for increased visibility use fog lamps and powerful halogen lamps more often. Such powerful lights often cause disorientation in drivers of other vehicles, resulting in night time collisions. A traffic police official said that Section 360 (3) of the Kerala Motor Vehicle Rules banned the use of high beam in well-lit urban areas. The law also prescribed that motorists should not use headlight beams that illuminated a distance of more than 7 metres in urban areas. However, such rules were observed more in the breach.

The police said they would prosecute the drivers of large vehicles, particularly trucks and public transport buses, which did not have functional rear lamps and brake lights.

Many key junctions in the district are ill lit. The speed breakers on some stretches are not highlighted with white paint.

The aluminium reflectors placed to indicate the division of the road into separate carriageways are absent or buried under the tarmac in certain important segments.

The traffic police say there is a wrong feeling among road-users that one-way restrictions do not apply to motorists after 8 p.m. Drunk driving and speeding are also major causes of accidents in the city at night.

Lack of adequate manpower and equipment such as speed-analysing radars and breath-analysers to discern blood alcohol content levels are impeding effective traffic enforcement at night.

Most of the accidents reported in the early hours of the day involve vehicles ferrying perishable goods. Incorrect overtaking, aggressive driving and driver fatigue have been identified as some of the accident-causing factors .

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