About 1,400 residents’ associations will soon come together to suggest measures to overcome traffic congestion across the district.
The mammoth exercise involving the public will be undertaken by the Ernakulam District Residents’ Associations Apex Council (EDRAAC). “We will soon send letters to the member associations to identify serious traffic and public transport issues in their regions. These associations will also suggest ways to reduce traffic woes,” said A. Ajith Kumar, the general secretary of EDRAAC.
The move comes close on the heels of the complaints being raised by the residents’ associations about the worsening traffic issues in the city and nearby areas.
Mr. Kumar said the apex council would organise a seminar involving all stakeholders in October, where the representatives of residents’ associations would submit an action plan to resolve the traffic problems in each region. “The involvement of the public has become crucial, with the city discussing proposals such as the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority,” he said.
Traffic reforms
The EDRAAC leadership has sought the intervention of the District Collector to sort out the issues being faced, especially by pedestrians, after traffic reforms were implemented in major traffic junctions in the city. Stating that accidents involving pedestrians had become frequent in areas such as Vyttila, the association representatives pointed out that the decision to make road traffic between Kundanoor and Palarivattom signal-free had added on to the existing woes.
They recalled that a journey to Welcare Hospita from Chalikavattom or Vyttila had turned tortuous as people had to travel all the way to Thykoodam to take U-turn and then proceed towards Sahodaran Ayyappan Road. Mr. Kumar said an autorickshaw journey, which cost about Rs.30 earlier, was now Rs.80 in view of the extra distance to be covered.
The apex council has also recommended improved co-ordination between various agencies involved in public transport to ease the problems being faced by commuters. The proposed seminar will also discuss the case of pending flyover projects and Kochi Metro and Water Metro among others.
