Barricades put up by the police in the night on the Kowdiar-Vellayambalam stretch — infamous for drag racing and rash driving — is turning out to be a safety hazard for road users.
Though the metal barricades are set up at six spots from 9.30 p.m. to 6 a.m on the four-lane corridor from near the main gate of the Raj Bhavan to TTC Junction to curb speeding, it has failed to yield the desired result of “calming down” vehicular traffic.
The barricades were installed, interceptors deployed, and vigil stepped up by the police soon after the November-17 accident in front of the Manmohan Bungalow that killed 20-year-old Adarsh who was at the wheels of a luxury car.
Motorcycles and other vehicles zooming past these barricades giving scant respect to other road users is a regular feature in the corridor where the speed limit is 40 km/hour. Vehicles ramming the lamp-posts and crashing into the medians during the night are common. On Monday, one of the barricade placed near the TTC junction was found lying on the road at 10 p.m.
Unscientific placing of barricades on the roads by the traffic police often allows motorists to proceed at the same speed. Some motorcyclists use the space between the footpath and the barricade to move ahead. Poor visibility and lack of adequate warning signs for approaching motorists are the other hurdles. As it involves legal issues, the City police cannot place permanent barricades on the stretch known as the capital’s Rajpath. “It is not an accepted practice and is against rules. The police should go for IT-enabled measures, camera traps, and rumble strips (on road markings) to curb speeding,” Road Safety Expert Sony Thomas says.
P. Prakash, District Police Chief, Thiruvananthapuram City, told The Hindu that patrolling had been intensified by the City police to nab speedsters. A proposal has been submitted to install cameras at four spots in the four-lane corridor.
