Palarivattom Bypass Junction on the National Highway presents a classic case of how a well-intentioned arrangement can go awry.
Earlier, motorists taking the service road stretching parallel to the highway couldn’t go all the way to the Palarivattom bypass signal as the service road met a dead end a few meters before the junction.
When work on the Palarivattom flyover started, the obstacles were cleared and the service road was extended up to the signal to ease the traffic. But now the service road has become a nightmare for two wheelers and other smaller vehicles due to the intrusion of private buses and other heavy vehicles.
The improved service road is being utilised by private bus drivers as a shortcut to overtake along the left side causing immense hardships to motorists and pedestrians.
KPCC chief V.M. Sudheeran might take heart from the figures with the Ernakulam Regional Transport Office (RTO) for the bygone year.
The RTO had registered cases under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act, which deals with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and followed up it with suspension of licences in every month last year except April when there not a single case reported.
Incidentally, it coincided with the period when 418 bars across the State, of which 105 were in the district, were shut down on quality issues.
Altogether, the Ernakulam RTO suspended 1,273 licences in 2014 under Section 185 and Section 304A, which deals with rash and negligence driving, of the Motor Vehicle Act.
Offences under Section 185, which accounted for 1,244 suspensions, had a definite edge over those committed in violation of Section 304 A. The month of July accounted for the most number of cases when 300 licences were suspended, followed by July (278), December (148), November (128), August (112), and January (105).
