Authorities have finally decided to install a traffic signal system at the treacherous Ramanattukara junction, a spot where motorists and pedestrians pay with their lives for rash and negligent driving.
The Ramanattukara junction is also the busy entry point into the NH 17 stretch which leads to the Kozhikode city for vehicles coming in from Malappuram area. It is here that motorists tend to pick up speed in the final sprint to the city through the smooth highway.
The installation of the signal system comes after persistent public demand for the past several years. This is part of a government project to install cameras and signal lights between Mannuthy and Manjeswaram. The signal system, to be installed by Keltron, would have solar-powered traffic lights on all four sides of the junction and would cost over Rs. 10 lakh.
Currently, the peninsular shaped area with two forking roads is a commuter’s nightmare with constant traffic snarls during peak hours and even lacks a basic pedestrian safety measure like a zebra crossing.
Besides, the unevenly wide arterial road witnesses overspeeding buses and lorries engage in overtaking at the risk of lives of those who cross the thoroughfare.
Statistics with the District Crime Records Bureau show that accidents are mostly reported on the Kozhikode bypass and the National Highways in suburbs like Ramanattukara.
The area is one of the identified accident spots among others like Nadakkavu, Eranhipalam, Thondayad, Elathur, Feroke, Mankavu, Malaparamba, Puthiyangadi, Arayidathupalam, and Kunnamangalam in the district.
As many as 182 persons were killed in Kozhikode city last year.
The figure was 174 in 2012. At the same time, the number of accidents has notably come down to 1,147 (2013) from 1,286 (2012).
More than 900 accidents resulted in injuries to 1,244 persons last year. Similarly, 72 cases were registered for rash and negligent driving that would have caused accidents.
