KOCHI: Even as work gathers pace on the Rs 1.5-crore revamp of Vyttila junction, a citizens’ collective has urged the government to publicly evaluate what it calls a more effective and less expensive alternative to make Kerala’s busiest intersection genuinely signal-free.
The United Vyttila Forum, which has been campaigning on traffic issues at the junction for years, says the ongoing work will ease congestion only temporarily, as the junction will continue to rely on traffic signals. Instead, it has proposed a destination-based traffic circulation plan that uses one-way roads, free left turns, U-turns and minor geometric changes to keep the bulk of traffic moving.
“We are not asking for new infrastructure. We are asking for better traffic management,” said Thampy V R, the forum’s chairman. According to him, a study the forum conducted found that nearly 80% of vehicles at Vyttila travel along the east-west corridor connecting SA Road with Tripunithura and Kottayam, while only around 20% use the north-south NH66 corridor between Aluva and Aroor.It argues that stopping the dominant traffic stream through long signal cycles is the root cause of congestion.
“As traffic volume increases, signal systems eventually fail. You may widen roads, but vehicles will only queue in more lanes waiting for the next green light,” Thampy pointed out.
The group’s proposal seeks to separate traffic based on destinations instead of forcing all vehicles through the centre of the junction. Vehicles heading towards the Mobility Hub, Kaniyampuzha Road, Tripunithura and Kottayam would be diverted through existing links and free-left movements, reducing the number of conflicting traffic streams that require signal control.
“Most of the required movements can be achieved using the existing road network, with only limited changes such as widening a short stretch by trimming around two metres of the central median, creating additional U-turns and declaring certain roads one-way,” the United Vyttila Forum chairman said.Beyond vehicle movement, the forum has also raised concerns over pedestrian safety.
“We have opposed the complete removal of the central (round) median. We believe it serves as a refuge for elderly pedestrians and those unable to cross the wide junction in a single signal cycle,” Thampy said.“Instead, we have suggested introducing a pedestrian scramble crossing, where all vehicular traffic is halted briefly every few minutes, allowing people to cross diagonally in all directions,” he added. The same system, Thampy argued, could be manually activated by police to create an all-red phase for ambulances and other emergency vehicles.
According to the forum, its proposal has been submitted to the various arms of the local administration and the state government over the past several years. “Officials had initially discussed conducting a trial run of the concept before work began, but the idea was later dropped,” Thampy pointed out. “Our only request is to test it,” the forum chairman said, adding, “If our proposal doesn’t work, reject it. But if public money is being spent on another solution, there should be a transparent comparison of both.”
The forum has sought what it calls a “social audit” of the project, urging the government to publicly explain why the current design was chosen over alternative proposals and demonstrate how it would perform as traffic volumes continue to rise. In response, the district collectorate convened a high-level site meeting on Monday to examine a proposed trial run of the ‘Signal Free Vyttila’ concept. The next meeting, planned for later this week, will decide on the date of the trial run.
Meanwhile, the officials associated with the ongoing project said that the redesigned junction will significantly reduce congestion and improve traffic flow once completed.