Container Road still a death trap for motorists

The death of a young woman hit by a container truck in Ponnarimangalam on Friday reveals that the Container Terminal Road connecting Kalamassery to Vallarpadam is yet to shed its accident-prone tag. Liby VK, senior clerk of Kochi Corporation from Varapuzha, became the latest victim of a series of accidents that have turned the 16-km stretch into a nightmare for motorists, especially two-wheelers, for a long time.

Traffic congestion on Goshree bridges, lack of adequate street lights and allegedly unscientific road and junction designs are cited by locals as the major causes of accidents. It is stated that the irregular movement of vehicles and parking of container trucks along the road increases the problem.

“Accidents happen frequently but only the fatal ones attract public attention. In the latest incident that claimed the life of a woman, it has been learned that lack of adequate light and careless handling of container trucks played a role,” says Abhijith John of Nerkazhcha Vedhi, a civil forum.

“Although street lights were installed along the road two months ago, almost a decade after the road was built, the stretch between Cheranalloor Junction and Bolghatty Junction is still unlit. This stretch is also home to a large number of stray dogs. The dogs jump in front of the bikes and then slide,” adds Mr. John.

In 2019, a 22-year-old young man died on the road after falling off his bike while trying to escape from a stray dog ​​that suddenly crossed the street. The young man was crushed under the truck heading in the same direction.

Meanwhile, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has accused the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) of not providing connectivity to street lights installed by it.

“All the lights were installed by us. KSEB looked for more transformers to charge them but that is not within our scope,” says an NHAI source

KSEB had earlier made it clear that charging the entire fleet of street lights requires around six transformers and only two of them are operational. The remaining lights were not charged because the existing transformers were already overloaded.