There is cautious optimism over fresh guidelines from the District Collector for traffic regulations from Saturday to solve the problem of road congestion on the Seaport-Airport and adjoining roads, especially around the district collectorate and on the stretch from Olimugal Junction.
Stakeholders ranging from private bus operators to residents’ associations have said that they will wait and watch the fortnight-long regulation to see if the road congestion can be solved with it. The regulations announced on Monday are aimed at smoothening the flow of vehicles around the district collectorate and on the congested stretches of the Seaport-Airport Road. Traffic snarls have begun to affect flow of vehicles to InfoPark from the IMG Junction.
Three-way system
The district secretary of Private Bus Operators’ Association, Suneer K.B., said bus operators were optimistic that the new regulations, which involve providing a three-way signalling system at the Collectorate Junction, would help decongest the roads around the district collectorate. Two weeks would be enough to bring out the deficiencies of the proposed system, he said while pointing out that it would be better than the earlier system in which only two-way signal system was operational.
The new regulation is aimed at easing traffic on the Seaport-Airport Road. The three-way signalling system involves letting vehicles coming from Vazhakkala to take a free left instead of cutting across the signal junction circle. Vehicles moving to Ernakulam city from InfoPark can cross the signal junction. The road before the district panchayat office will have only one-way traffic.
Chairperson of Thrikkakara Municipality K.K. Neenu said that these were only temporary measures and that the municipality would hold a meeting with officials of the district administration as well as officials of the Public Works Department and Roads and Bridges Development Corporation to evolve a long-term solution to the problem.
“Widening of the Signal Junction and adjoining roads as well as building a couple of underpasses are some of the suggestions put forward by the municipal authority,” she said.
The general secretary of Thrikkakara Municipal Residents’ Association’s Apex Council, Salim Kunnumpuram, said that the residents planned to assess the new developments. “If the steps are not enough to solve the problem, an action council will be formed to press for long-term solutions,” he said.
He said that the residents expected the authorities to work for a long-term solution rather than going in form short-term measures. The Association had submitted a set of proposals to the district administration, he said.
The suggestions include a traffic square at the Singal Junction and a traffic circle at the IMG Junction.
