THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With many byroads being closed for renovation, major junctions in the capital city are facing severe traffic jams during peak hours. This has prompted authorities to turn off the signals and manage traffic manually, leading to huge snarl-ups.
With only a few days left for the reopening of schools, the traffic is only bound to rise in the coming weeks. Wayside vending, unscientific parking and protest meetings and marches are making roads unnavigable for commuters in the capital city. RR Lamb Junction, Vellayambalam Jn, Peroorkada, Pattom, Sreekaryam, Kesavadasapuram and Ulloor are chock-a-block with vehicles during peak roads. Several key roads, including Manaveeyam Veedhi, Kalabhavan Mani Road, AKG Centre-Spencer Jn Road and Statue-General Hospital stretch have been closed partially or fully.
According to Arun Raj, assistant commissioner (traffic) South, traffic is likely to increase by 50% once the schools reopen. Traffic wardens would be deployed on busy roads near schools during peak hours. “Byroads are crucial for managing traffic. Since Manaveeyam Veedhi was closed, the traffic at Vellayambalam Jn has worsened, especially during peak hours.
Almost every major junction is witnessing heavy traffic jams during morning and evening hours,” said Arun, adding that the Pettah flyover has also been partially shut down to facilitate renovation work. “For the first two weeks after schools reopen, we will deploy more personnel to manage traffic. Afterwards, we will deploy personnel depending on the situation,” he added.
Smart Road project to wind up by 2023
The Rs 427-crore Smart Road project being planned by Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (SCTL) aims to upgrade 49km of the road falling under the area-based development (ABD) of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB) -- one of the implementing agencies -- will upgrade 66 roads covering 37km coming under the Smart Road initiative.
“We awarded the work in February, but unfortunately, elections and second wave of the pandemic delayed it. We were able to launch the work only in July. The work of six roads are under way and next week, we will start the work of 10 more roads. We aim to complete the project by February 2023,” said a KRFB official.
The official added that the contractor executing the work has requested six more months for completing the project which will lay all overhead utilities underground. Dedicated cycle tracks will also be built along the Smart Roads.
“The roads identified for the project are mostly in residential areas. We have already launched the work on a couple of residential streets in the Fort area which covers around 3.5km. We are aiming to complete the project by February 2022,” said an SCTL official.
‘Traffic management unscientific’
Former managing director of TRDCL (Trivandrum Road Development Corporation Ltd) Anil Kumar Pandala said the city roads are choked beyond their capacity and the traffic in the capital increases by only 20% during peak hours. “We have a very scientific GPS-enabled signal system and they turn it off and create more traffic,” said Anil Pandala, adding that it has been more than three months since Manaveeyam
Veedhi was closed. “They are taking three to four months to complete a one-kilometre stretch. We completed Pattom-Kowdiar Road as part of the City Road Improvement Project in five months," he said. Wayside vendors have also increased in number, adding to the traffic woes. “Street vending needs to be curbed first. The authorities are not doing much to keep a tab on mushrooming vendors along busy roads," he said.
Commuters in peril
Commuters and motorists are struggling since two byroads -- Statue-General Hospital Jn and AKG Centre-Spencer Jn -- have been closed for traffic. “They dug open both the roads simultaneously without proper planning. It’s been one week and utter chaos reigns in the area. Thousands of vehicles ply on these roads daily, including ambulances.
They should have taken up the work of one road at a time, instead of blocking narrow lanes and worsening traffic,” said Ramesh Kumar K, who has been running a bookstall at Statue for the past 25 years. “There needs to be scientific planning and implementation of one-way arterial lanes to manage the traffic at Statue and nearby areas,” he added.