Illegal Parking Taking Away Advantage of This Road

KOCHI: The volume of traffic along Palarivattom- Thammanam Road has gone on an upward spiral with the start of construction of Kochi Metro Rail around a year ago. If the average movement of vehicles through the road was 100 per minute earlier, it is now three times higher, with commuters  coming from Kakkanad and Aluva sides to the eastern part of the city having started using the road.

If people coming from these areas take the Palarivattom-Thammanam road, they can easily reach Kaloor and MG Road through Pullepady overbridge. But, a smooth drive through the road has become a distant dream for commuters, owing to illegal parking on the road.

As the road has only an average width, the illegal parking on both sides is drastically affecting the  traffic movement.

“If anyone wants to reach South railway station through the main road, it may take  40- 60 minutes owing to the ongoing work of Kochi Metro. If we take the Palarivattom- Thammanam road, we can reach there within 30 minutes. But the illegal parking on the road is giving us the same experience as from the main road,” said Lakshmi, a housewife staying at Palarivattom.

Though the Traffic Police are diverting vehicles through this route owing to the construction of Metro, they are yet to find a solution to the menace of illegal parking. “Traffic on the stretch would be heavy if there is a marriage at an auditorium on the stretch. People who are coming to the church and temples also cause traffic congestion by parking their vehicles on the stretch,” said a local man.