Poor lane discipline is crippling vehicular movement on the 12-km-long Thamarassery Ghat Road, where repairs, re-tarring and widening of hairpins are in full swing. Though signboards cautioning motorists about the work are in place, traffic violations continue unabated as the police are yet to come up with a concrete action plan to save the inter-district pass from frequent snarls.
Emergency vehicle services, especially ambulances, are the worst-hit, and heated arguments and scuffles on the road are frequent. Efforts to control the traffic go haywire and many drivers simply ignore directions.
Abdul Majeed, a resident of Thamarassery, says the one-way traffic restriction has not been effective as the reckless drivers cause trouble for fellow travellers. “In their attempt to outsmart other motorists, they jump the queue and finally end up in obstructing the whole route, preventing the entry of other vehicles from the opposite direction.”
Mr. Majeed adds that the problem has remained unaddressed for more than a week as police surveillance is poor on the route. Traffic control is effective at the entry and exit points, while the rest of the stretch witnesses blatant violations during peak time, he says.
Multi-axle vehicles
An engineer entrusted with the supervision of the renovation works says the entry of multi-axle vehicles created huge obstruction at the work site besides stalling vehicular movement on the overcrowded road. The Collector’s order banning the entry of all multi-axle goods carriers has been hardly enforced, he says, adding that the work is expected to be completed by March 3.
The Thamarassery police however claim that they have strictly enforced the rule during working hours and deputed a separate patrolling squad to manage the traffic. There have been some occasions when a few multi-axle vehicles entered the road when the patrol squad was away for emergency duty, they say, adding that such offenders were booked for violation.
