A. Harikumar
Pedestrians in Kerala must have heaved a sigh of relief when Kerala governor Arif Muhamma Khan’s in his policy address in the state assembly today (February 18), announced “Streets For All” project. The project aims to develop pedestrian friendly roads, and separate tracks for two-wheelers in the state.
The policy document of the LDF government read out by the governor has rekindled the hope that pedestrians could eventually reclaim the space they lost to hawkers, encroachers and unscientific road development. The PWD, minister P A Muhammad Riyas can rightly take the credit, if the promise becomes a reality. But, it takes immense political will to evict encroachers, who have the support of political parties, including his own, and religious groups. It is equally challenging to correct polices which are drafted with vested interests, rather than development needs.
Is Kerala the numero uno?
Kerala often claims to be on a par with developed nations including the European Union member countries on the developmental front. That’s true to a certain extent on specific fronts; however; the claim turns out to be a puffery when it comes to road development and road safety. Road accident statistics of union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways testify it.
Kerala which is home to just 2.76 percent of India’s population contributes 9.2 percent of the total number of road accidents occurring n India annually. The state’s narrow and crowded roads are killing fields, where bully drivers rampage through. On a majority of times, the victims are two-wheeler drivers and pedestrians. Some times they too contribute to accidents as they also give scant regard to traffic rules.
The state doesn’t have any separate tracks for two-wheelers anywhere. Many expressways being built in India currently have separate two-wheeler tracks; the latest examples are Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway and Delhi-Meerut expressway. However, nothing like that hasn’t even been dreamt of in Kerala.
Footpaths
Currently, only a few cities in Kerala have proper footpaths or sidewalks. But that too is confined to a few stretches and many stretches are encroached by shopkeepers and hawkers. In cities like Kochi, one could see two-wheelers rushing through footpaths leading to chaos.
That was not the case till a few decades ago when almost all roads in Kerala had unpaved shoulders through which people walked and cyclists rode. However, as roads developed unpaved parts were asphalted leaving no room to pedestrians to walk. So they started walking on the asphalted roads, leading to a spike in accidents.
The promise in the governor’s address to expand all existing highways to four-lane is also welcome. But, that is long overdue. Similarly, building comfort stations and parking facilities along highways are all long overdue. While the roads in other states in India have become far better; Kerala is now a laggard in road development. It is good to see the government waking up to the reality. However promises are easier said than done. The government has talked the talk, it needs to walk the walk.
Fundamental rights of all people should guide our thinking in all our initiatives. May this trend continue. Love.
Completely agree with you. That will bring peace in our society
റോഡുകൾക്കു നടപ്പാത വളരെ അത്യാവശ്യമാണ്. മെട്രോസ്റ്റേഷൻ ൽ നിന്നും ഉള്ള ആര്ട്ട്റ്രിയൽ റോഡുകൾക്കു സൈക്കിൾ ട്രാക്ക്, നടപ്പാത മുതലായവ നിർമ്മിക്കുന്നതിനു തീരുമാനിക്കുകയുണ്ടായി. അതിന്റെ ഡിസൈൻ ഞങ്ങളാണ്ചെയ്തത്.
സൈക്കിൾ വാടകക്ക് കൊടുക്കുന്നതിനുള്ള പദ്ധതിയും KMRL നുണ്ട്
അങ്ങയുടെ അഭിപ്രായത്തോട് യോജിക്കുന്നു. മെട്രോ സ്‌റ്റേഷനില്‍ നിന്നുമുള്ള ആര്‍ട്ടീരിയല്‍ റോഡുകളോടനുബന്ധിച്ച് നടപ്പാതകളും, സൈക്കിള്‍ ട്രാക്കുകളും പണിയുന്നത് വളരെ സ്വാഗതാര്‍ഹമാണ്‌