KOCHI: The danger lurking the Elamkulam junction on the Sahodaran Ayyappan (SA) Road, which has witnessed a spate of fatal accidents, is likely to pose a continued threat to the safety of motorists unless corrective steps are undertaken on a war footing, it has emerged. The unscientific construction of the road, encroachments, reckless driving and absence of signages have turned the recently resurfaced road into hell. According to a study by the motor vehicles department (MVD), widening of the stretch from metro pillar 819 to 826 alone can put the brakes on fatal accidents. In the last six months alone, nine motorists, including the one who died after his bike lost control while trying to enter New Link Road on Wednesday morning, lost their lives here.
“Most of the accidents occurred after the drivers swerved left to negotiate the steep curve. The comfortable turning radius of the SA Road sharply declines while approaching the Elamkulam metro station. Since it’s a sharp curve, the visibility factor is another major concern. The driver will only come to know about the curve once he enters the stretch. The permanent solution is to widen the road by removing the projected area,” said P H Shabeer, RTO Ernakulam.
“It is evident from the Google map that the stretch between pillar no 819-826 doesn’t have enough width for vehicles to negotiate the curve. Proper monitoring and placing barricades to reduce the speed of vehicles will be a temporary solution to deal with the crisis,” he said. When TNIE inspected the accident spot on Wednesday, it was found that illegal parking and unscientific construction of footpath over the drainages were also to blame. The billboards distract drivers while negotiating the curve.
“We have already installed reflective lights on the median and signboards in the area as a precautionary measure to avoid the accidents. Police officers are deployed even late into the night to control the speeding vehicles. But accidents can be reduced only if we can widen the road by at least 1.5 metres on either side. Since SA Road is the gateway to the city, ample space is required to accommodate a large number of vehicles,” said Vijayan, ACP, City Traffic Police.
YOUTH KILLED IN MISHAP ON DEADLY CURVE
In yet another mishap on the deadly curve at Elamkulam on SA(Sahodaran Ayyappan) Road, a youth died on Wednesday morning after the motorcycle on which he was riding pillion crashed against the slabs covering the drain along the road.
The deceased is Sanil Sathyan, 21, of Karimkunnam in Thodupuzha. According to the police, the accident occurred around 6.10 am and Sanal Shaji, 21, of Thodupuzha, who was driving the motorcycle, was admitted to a private hospital here with injuries to the head and a fractured leg. Officers said two persons were riding pillion on the bike.
The deceased was the second pillion rider while the other pillion rider escaped without any major injuries. The three were friends and hostel mates. The youths were studying as well as working in the city. They were coming from Vyttila side to their hostel near Chilavannoor. After the motorcycle went out of control, the deceased hit his head against a signboard on the roadside, said an officer with South police.
NARROW ESCAPE FOR 28-YEAR-OLD WOMAN
Anila Abhi, 28, of Vypeen had a narrow escape on Wednesday when her scooter rear-ended an autorickshaw at Elamkulam. The accident occurred exactly at the same spot where two youngsters had lost their lives last week. The woman, who was on her way to Elamkulam to hand over her motorcycle for servicing, met with the accident when the autorickshaw parked by the roadside entered the road abruptly. Anila, who suffered injuries in the mishap, was rushed to a private hospital nearby. She was later discharged since her injuries were not severe. “The autorickshaw parked on the left side of the road suddenly swung to the right to enter the road. If the auto driver were alert, the accident could have been avoided,” said Anila.