While the number of vehicles in Kochi has been increasing manifold annually, parking spaces along its arterial stretches have remained much the same over the last few years.
Brazen disregard for traffic rules has only added to the space crunch. The authorities concerned appear to be in no mood to take concrete steps to tackle the issue except for conducting occasional checks.
In what seems like a forewarning, the first bottleneck one encounters in Kochi now is right at the entrance to the city in Edappally junction.
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The woeful shortage of parking space is more apparent in front of the shopping malls here, especially the one along National Highway 47, where two-wheelers and even cars hog the roadside.
While citizens argue that it is the administration’s failure in providing adequate parking, the traffic police say people have a behavioural problem. Parking cars right in front of one’s destination is among them, they point out. Add to this, the presence of hawkers along roadsides, and the traffic snarls along the thoroughfares seem never-ending.
Going 3D
After initial hiccups, the state-of-the-art 3D driving simulator owned by the Motor Vehicles Department in Ernakulam is finally set to be operational.
According to officials, the machine has been installed at a building on the Ernakulam Collectorate premises and its electrification is almost complete.
“The facility will be up and running once we receive a formal nod from the Transport Commissioner,” they say. The equipment from Germany, costing Rs.38 lakh, had remained idle for want of appropriate space and the authorities began its installation in June last year.
The simulator, which offers three-dimensional images with three separate screens, will give the person a real road driving experience.
Apart from providing driving training, the department also plans to integrate it into its automated driving test in the future.
Meanwhile, the absence of a policy on the usage and purpose of the facility from the Transport Department has been a cause of concern for the officials.
They, however, hope that the authority will come up with a clear direction on this soon.
Hiran Unnikrishnan