A. Harikumar
The Kerala government often takes pride in terming the state a model for others regarding progress in different social indicators of development including healthcare, literacy and gender equality. But the state is definitely not the best in India in transportation infrastructure, esp. roads, . This has been underscored by the results of an online poll and a detailed survey held among drivers recently by one of the leading automotive forums in the country, Team-BHP,.
As per the results of the poll published by Team-BHP in their portal the other day, 38.19 percent of the respondents-many of whom are residents of the state-voted Kerala highways (including national and state) as the worst. As many as 28.77 percent of the respondents judged Maharashtra as the state with the worst highways, thus placing the state in the second spot. Karnataka secured a poor third position with 5.42 percent votes. Team BHP says their portal has 20 million annual visitors and 4.5 million posts.
Assessment
According to Team-BHP, the assessment was based on personal driving experience of the respondents on the roads in different Indian states. The yardsticks for judging roads were; safety, consistency, layout, signs & markings, lighting, amenities etc. and not how scenic the views are. Only those who have driven 500 kilometres or more were expected to vote. Union territories were not included for the assessment. The respondents also made detailed comments on their decision at the portal of Team-BHP.
Some of the pertinent observations made by respondents on the handicaps of Kerala highways include lack of discipline on the roads and generally narrow roads. However, the participants found that the surfaces are not bad. One respondent said, bus drivers in Kerala are insane and overtaking is almost impossible on many roads. Many times, KSRTC bus drivers were found to threaten other drivers by honking and tailgating. The stress and tiredness of drivers who drive through Kerala’s narrow roads reflect on their driving. One participant said on an average a driver could travel only 30-35 kilometres in an hour on Kerala’s roads including national highways. The national highways in the state are single carriageway on a majority of stretches.
Another respondent pointed out that a day journey from the state’s capital Thiruvananthapuram to the state’s business capital Kochi, which is just over 200 kilometres away takes around 6-7 hours. He adds, “this is roughly the same distance one would cover driving in the hills of a treacherous stretch in Himachal Pradesh or J&K.
Team-BHP had held another survey earlier to find the state with the best highways in India. Tamil Nadu emerged as winner in that survey hands down with 50 per cent votes. Gujarat and Rajasthan secured the second and third position.
