The travel woes of K.K. Dina of East Hill best sum up the “inefficiency” of the public transport system that city residents are forced to bear with.
“I have two options to reach my workplace at Eranhipalam Junction which is 2 km away from my place. I either walk half-a-kilometre to East Hill Junction, hire an auto to Karaparamba from where I catch a bus to reach Eranhipalam. The other choice is to walk to West Hill Junction, which is more than a kilometre away from my house, and take a bus to East Nadakkavu and then catch another one to Eranhipalam,” she says.
Nothing strange for a developing metro that still relies on a public transportation network which was planned three decades ago. “Yes, it is true that bus routes in the city have evolved down the line,” says Noufal Nazar, a private firm employee.
Rainy season
Mr. Nazar depends on two buses to travel 4 km from Karikkamkulam to Kanakalaya Bank Junction on Kannur Road.
“Sometimes motorcyclists give me a free lift. But hitch-hiking does not always work, especially during the monsoon,” he explains. That implies bike riders switch to cars on rainy days causing traffic jams on arterial roads. Also, minimum number of buses operate on the Kozhikode bypass, a 28-km stretch from Vengalam to Ramanattukara, as well as the Kozhikode mini bypass extending from West Hill Chungam to Meenchanda.
Renovated roads
Similar is the case with renovated or new roads, whether it is at Cheverambalam or Chevayur or the Karaparamba - Kunduparamba road.
“Bus routes have organically evolved since the 1970s. Now, they have become unscientific. Residential areas have come up in the eastern and north-eastern parts of the city.
“Unfortunately, there are no bus services to these places, and commuters have to rely on autorickshaws and private vehicles,” says K.V. Abdul Malik, Regional Town Planner, Kozhikode.
“It is a fact that the State government is encouraging people to use the public transport system. But commuters are left with less choices. It is high time the Regional Transport Authority took up the issue with stakeholders, especially bus operators, to work out a solution,” he adds. According to Mr. Malik, the department of civil engineering at the National Institute of Technology, Calicut (NIT-C) along with the Department of Town and Country Planning had conducted a detailed study on travel demand for Kozhikode city two years ago.
“It was found that only 35% of road users utilised bus as a mode of travel. And, a major reason was unscientific bus routes,” he pointed out.
So, routes have to be redesigned based on the changing dynamics of the city. As regards collection, bus operators will not face problems as it is rational,” Mr. Malik says.
However, Kozhikode District Bus Operators Association president A. Abdul Nazar is of the view that bus owners are reluctant to seek permission or experiment on new routes owing to stringent rules.
“Operators are also withdrawing from the sector due to huge revenue loss. The number of buses operating in the city has dwindled from 800 to 500 or less over the years. The government has to solve the crisis that has gripped the public transport system,” he says.
