The death of a youth after his two-wheeler rammed a metro pillar on the accident-prone curve at Elamkulam on SA Road on Sunday midnight has sent alarm bells ringing, especially so since it is the fifth accident death to be reported here during the past six months.
It was less than a month ago that two others - a two wheeler rider and the driver of an autorickshaw, lost their lives in separate accidents at the curve. Official sources said that Sunday’s accident could have been averted if the KMRL had installed reflectors, warning boards and a rumble-strip to forewarn motorists of the steep curve on the smooth road. “The metro agency failed to act on the direction issued by the police and MVD to ready the three safety precautions, following fatal accidents in December,” they said.
The KMRL is SA Road’s custodian, although it is owned by Kochi Corporation, since the metro agency had resurfaced the corridor after the metro viaduct was built about a year ago and is bound to do repair and other works during the defect-liability period, it is learnt.
A senior traffic police official said that the police had made repeated pleas to the metro agency to augment safety measures at the stretch, which is one of the most dangerous blind spots in the city. Most of the accidents occurred after two wheelers rammed the metro pillar 824 and 825 at the curve since they are not clearly visible at night. Installing reflectors and cats-eye studs on the road will give motorists an idea of the impending curve.
The Enforcement RTO (Ernakulam) Shaji Madhavan said that one ought to inspect CCTV footage in the locality and take the statement of the injured co-rider of Sunday’s accident victim to know how the spot had become highly accident-prone.
The head of the Automobile Engineering Department of SCMS, Kochi, Manoj Kumar B. said that many government agencies did not care for the safety of road users.
“Accident black spots like the Kariyad curve on the National Highway must be identified and measures taken to prevent loss of life and property...Accountability must be fixed, while motorists - especially youth, must drive safely,” he said.
