Kochi’s deadly roads show no mercy to pedestrians

October 17, 2013

Gireesh P Krishnan, TNN |

 

 

 

KOCHI: The traffic police, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), public works department (PWD) and related authorities have to make concerted efforts if they are to going to bring down road accident casualties in the city. Despite their tall claims, the city still witnessed a marginal increase in road accident deaths this year compared to the previous one till September. If road accidents claimed 109 lives in 2013 from January to September, it stood at 102 deaths for the same period last year.May turned out to be cruelest month for pedestrians and motorists this year with 20 dying on city roads. Last year, May in contrast reported only 10 road accident deaths. April was not far behind with 17 deaths reported this year compared with 15 the year before.

Though there has been an overall increase in accident deaths, it has decreased since July compared to the same period last year. While seven died in accidents in July against nine in 2012, it was 10 in August against 14 the previous year, and nine in September compared with 14 in 2012.

“A majority of those who died in road accidents this year were pedestrians. Lack of proper crossings and barricades have been a problem. To address the issue, we have conducted awareness programmes for private bus drivers and auto drivers,” said P P Shams, assistant commissioner, traffic east. He added that NHAI was asked to erect barricades on the median in the NH47 bypass, where most of the pedestrians died in accidents, and to restrict pedestrian crossings to selected points.

While around 40 pedestrians died in road accidents in the first nine months of the year, 20 two-wheeler riders and 15 pillion riders died till October. More people died in accidents that occurred during day time.

Even though accident deaths have gone up this year, there has been a marginal decrease in the number of road accidents. It has declined from 1,732 in 2012 to 1,718 in 2013. According to police, two-wheelers were involved in more than 500 reported accidents.

No respite for commuters in Alappuzha

October 15, 2013

TNN |

 
ALAPPUZHA: It seems like that the public works department (PWD) and Kerala water authority (KWA) are playing with the lives of the people.Both these departments are not taking any steps to repair the roads, which were damaged after the pipes of the KWA burst repeatedly.

“I feel that authorities of the PWD and KWA here are neither afraid of the ministers nor of the media. On August 26, the PWD minister V K Ibrahim Kunju, who visited the district, directed the PWD to repair the roads like Cherthala-Kottayam within a week. Media has also reported about the bad conditions of the roads in the district. But the authorities concerned are acting as if there is nobody to question their lackadaisical attitude,” said Vinod K D, a driver from Cherthala.

The PWD minister had sanctioned Rs 87.21 crore for road repair works in the district.

Cherthala- Kottayam Road, which is a main road for going to Kottayam Medical College Hospital and Cherthala Taluk Headquarters Hospital, was repaired after the minister’s visit in the district. A sum of Rs 3 lakh was spent for levelling the potholes of the road. But it helped only to increase the number of potholes on the road. The pipes of the KWA through this road keep bursting daily. Pedestrians and drivers are bearing the brunt of it.

“There is dangerous curve at Muthalakkuzhi (near School Kavala) on Alappuzha-Madurai state highway. A huge pothole developed some months ago on the curve. Many two -wheeler riders were hospitalized after they fell in it. Thanks to the apathy of the PWD officials. Cars and heavy vehicles were also damaged due to this pothole,” said Sudheen Sudhakar, a driver from Muhamma.

“There have been no bus services through our village after the Alappuzha-Thanneermukkom Coastal Road developed potholes after the pipes of the KWA burst in different parts. We have approached the PWD and the KWA for repairing the road. But they were blaming each other. Finally, we ourselves repaired the road on Sunday,” said Aneesh Mohan, a student from Veliyambra, Thanneermukkom.

District collector N Padmakumar said that the repair works of all these roads will be started within this month and tenders have been invited for all the works.

The works of the roads will be completed within a month once it gets started, he assured.

“We have allotted tenders for the repair works of all the damaged road. And we don’t have fund shortage. The work was stopped only after the rain began. We hope that the work can be started this week and would be completed by the mid of November,” said PWD executive engineer Sanil S.

 

 

Urban Development Ministry sets up committee with IIT-Delhi for road safety

October 10, 2013

By PTI |
 
Urban Development Ministry sets up committee with IIT-Delhi for road safety
Urban Development Ministry sets up committee with IIT-Delhi for road safety

GREATER NOIDA: The Urban Development Ministry with the help of IIT-Delhi and other institutes has set up a committee to find ways and means for sustainable transportation and reduce fatal road mishaps.
“Road accidents leading to fatalities and disabilities are increasing at an alarming rate of more than eight per cent in the country. MoUD has set a five-year target for reversing the accident growth rate to negative,” Sudhir Krishna, Secretary, Union Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) said today.

“The Urban development Ministry with the help of IIT Delhi and other institutes in the country has set up a committee to find ways and means to traffic calming, sustainable transportation and road safety,” Krishna said while speaking at the ongoing conference and exhibition on road safety ’Intertraffic’ at India Expo Centre here.

The measures to check fatal road accidents include improving road engineering, having separate cycle lanes, construction of lays on highways after every 50 kilometres, proper signages and improving public transport system, he said.

The Ministry has already provided more than 10,000 buses to various major cities in the country, Krishna said.

During the conference, experts stressed on the need for having zero tolerance on roads for accidents. They said roads should be made in such a way that no accidents take place.

“They should not only be developed for vehicles but safety of people,” an expert said.

Source-http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

Centre asks states to form high-level panels to curb accidents

October 10, 2013

By PTI |

The Road Transport and Highways Ministry has asked the state governments to form high-level committees to take steps for reducing road accident fatalities.

The Road Transport and Highways Ministry has asked the state governments to form high-level committees to take steps for reducing road accident fatalities.

 

NEW DELHI: The Road Transport and Highways Ministry has asked the state governments to form high-level committees to take steps for reducing road accident fatalities that have increased consistently in recent years.”All the state governments are requested to constitute High Level Committees headed by the Chief Secretary to take stock of the road safety scenario in their States and the measures required to be instituted at the State level to reduce road accident fatalities,” the Ministry said in a missive to states.

A total of 4,90,383 road accidents were reported by all states/Union Territories (UTs) in 2012, of which 1,23,093 were fatal accidents.

“The number of persons killed in road accidents were 1,38,258 i.e. an average of one fatality per 3.5 accidents. The proportion of fatal accidents in total road accidents has consistently increased … we have to go a long way before we can rest,” the Centre has said.

Citing China’s example for curbing accidents, it has asked states to ensure that its various wings, including Transport, Health, PWD, Police, Justice, Education and Finance worked in close coordination in view of “strategy for ensuring road safety being multi-pronged.”

Unless special arrangements are put in place to ensure close coordination and accountability, realising the full potential of individual sectoral responsibilities and the goal of road safety is not possible, it said.

It also asked the states to tighten noose round the necks of liquor shops violating norms.

The states have also been requested to ensure that licences for liquor shops are not given along National Highways and in case of drunken driving to strictly enforce Section 185 of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 which provides for punishment of imprisonment or fine or both for the offence of drunken driving.

It also asked states to set up highways patrol on the pattern of Maharashtra stressing such dedicated police force can bring down accidents and ensure safety.

Maharashtra has a designated police force for highways. A Traffic Engineering Unit under it analyses the causes of accidents and suggests preventive measures, it said while asking states to emulate this model.

Although National Highways constitute only about two per cent of the total road length they account for 29.1 per cent in total road accidents and 35.3 per cent in total number of persons killed in road accidents.

The Ministry said in view of manifold increase in road traffic during last few years “It is very much necessary to regulate the traffic movement.”

India has 33 lakh km of road network, of which about 79,000 km is the National Highways.

Source-http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

 

Commuters use underconstruction bridge over nullah

October 7, 2013

Niraj Chinchkhede, TNN

AURANGABAD: With blatant disregard to safety – and civic discipline – commuters have started using an under-construction bridge over a nullah on the crucial road between Shahnoormiyan Dargah and Peer Bazaar Road in the city, just a month after the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) laid a concrete slab over the stretch.Traffic movement has started on the bridge even before the civic body could put a layer of asphalt on the stretch and set up the bridge’s railings. The AMC had initiated the bridge’s work in March 2013 at an investment of Rs 56 lakh and had promised to complete the project within six months. Civic authorities are now saying that it will take 40-50 days to complete the work.An AMC engineer supervising the bridge’s construction said that the route was blocked off, but locals broke the barricades and started using the bridge, impatient at the delay. He said that the AMC has not yet completed work on the stretch. “We are yet to lay asphalt on the road. Moreover, work of the drainage line, streetlights and pavement are also pending. The civic body has not officially opened the road for traffic,” he said.The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) and the Indian Railways are jointly building a railway overbridge about 500 meters from the bridge on Shahnoormiyan Dargah-Peer Bazaar Road. Work of the ROB, which was supposed to be completed by September 2013, is still going on, adding to the commuting woes of locals.

Local corporator Girijaram Halnor justified the traffic flow, stating that the closed route was causing “serious inconvenience” to citizens. “This is one of the busiest roads in the area that connects two markets. Because of the ongoing construction of the Sangram Nagar railway bridge, the traffic burden on the Shahnoormiyan Dargah-Peer Bazaar Road has increased. We cannot block the road for long,” Halnor told TOI on Sunday.

Halnor argued that the flow of traffic would “settle down the soil layer” on the newly-constructed bridge. “The festive season has already begun and the number of commuters on the road has gone up. We cannot restrict commuters during this season,” Halnor said.

Aurangabad assistant commissioner of police (traffic) S B Chaugule said that it was the AMC’s responsibility to block traffic movement on the under-construction bridge.

“The municipal body has not informed that traffic police department about the completion of the bridge. Thus, it is not supposed to let commuters use it. During the construction period, the municipal authorities should see that the road is being blocked,” Chaugule said.

Gurgaon’s highways to hell: How Millennium City’s pot-holed roads pose a hazard to helpless commuters

September 18, 2013

By AJAY KUMAR

 

It is touted as the Millennium City, but the condition of the roads leading to Gurgaon is no less than deplorable. The pothole-riddled stretches, which are covered with slush, stones and dust, pose safety hazards to regular commuters who endure torment-filled drives every day.

The slow pace of traffic owing to dilapidated roads adds to the woes of motorists during peak hours. The worst affected include Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, thanks to the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), which is known for its lackadaisical attitude to maintaining roads.

The stretch between Delhi-Gurgaon commercial toll plaza and Sahara mall in Gurgaon is also in a mess. Commuters are being forced to ride their vehicles at a snail’s pace, leading to traffic snarls in the mornings and evenings. Moreover, a lot of diversions and U-turns put more pressure on them.

The commuters, who travel from Mehrauli and Chattarpur to Gurgaon, also face a bumpy ride on the stretch as they enter Delhi border. 

Gurgaon's highways to hell: How Millennium City's pot-holed roads pose a hazard to helpless commuters

 

No vision

Progressive Alliance Forum (PAF) – a citizen body in Gurgaon – has complained to the Haryana government about the dilapidated condition of the roads. The forum alleges that the HUDA did not have a futuristic vision while laying roads. Experts believe that deterioration takes place since the roads lack a strong base.

The companies have not createda  strong base before building upper layers, the forum said.

sector 56

“HUDA is not competent enough to take care of the roads. We complained to the state government in February, urging it to award contracts for road maintenance and construction to expert companies. The state government has given the road repairing-cum-widening job to bridges and roads wing of the PWD – a specialist in constructing highways,” PAF president Raman Sharma.

The agencies in Gurgaon do not carry out surveys – a mandatory procedure – before constructing roads. A survey is carried out to examine soil condition and materials used to lay the roads.

 

Even roads built using high-end technology deteriorate quickly because of the poor drainage system. For instance, the M.G Road in old Gurgaon is also in a shambles owing to the lack of good drainage system. 

“Poor drainage system is deteriorating the condition of the road. We have directed engineers of our department to repair the road as soon as possible,” said a HUDA official.

Besides this, the Cyber City Road which connects Sikandarpur Metro station with NH 8, and roads that lead to DLF phase 3 are pothole-ridden. Road widening work being carried out between Sikanderpur Metro station and NH 8 also add to commuters’ woes.

Repair work on the Old Delhi Road between Udyog Vihar and Maruti Suzuki India Ltd Sector 18 plant has also stopped as both HUDA and Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon are engaged in a spat. One side of the road has been in a messy condition, leading to traffic snarls.

Old Delhi Road has significance as it connects posh Palam Vihar with Kapashera border in Delhi. According to sources, repair work on the road has been going on for more than six months.

Gurgaon's highways to hell: How Millennium City's pot-holed roads pose a hazard to helpless commuters

Source-http://www.dailymail.co.uk

CCTVs useless, speed junkies have a free run

September 18, 2013

SANJAY BANERJEE, TNN |

NAVI MUMBAI: Speedsters continue to zoom away on city roads thanks to the inability of close circuit television (CCTV) cameras to record speed of vehicles. These cameras are installed at traffic junctions in the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) areas.”When one tries to zoom the clip captured by CCTVs to identify the number plates of speeding vehicles, the picture gets blurred. As the cameras do not capture the speed, it is difficult to register a case as it can be challenged,” said deputy commissioner of police (DCP), traffic, Vijay Patil. The CCTVs were inaugurated four months ago by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar at the police commissioner’s office on May 14. Mayor Sagar Naik, who had taken the initiative to secure the safety of the NMMC area said, “We got it done ahead of Mumbai and would upgrade the software.”

The civic body got around 270 CCTVs installed from Airoli to Belapur at many traffic junctions, the department said. The police department has asked the NMMC for enhanced software that would enable the cameras to capture the data as it was important for policing.

Patil informed that more developed software as abroad was needed.

The cameras though have come in handy in identifying vehicles and their colour specification in solving some incidents of crime, the department said. The cameras also help in identifying instances of signal jumping when the vehicles move at slow speed. Commissioner of police, Ashok Sharma said, “Out of the 270 CCTVs, around 220 on an average are operational as local conditions like power supply affect their functioning.The stretch of some 13.8 km Palm Beach road from Killa junction to Kopri at Vashi end has 44 CCTVs, 28 of them on the busy stretch from Kopri to Mahatma Phule junction. The stretch of the 9.8 odd km from Moraj to Killa junction is the speed stretch. The horrific incident of four youths in Ford a Figo that crashed at high speed against a heavy transport vehicle at the Killa junction was captured by the CCTV and the department had circulated it to the media for awareness.

When roads are killing fields

September 17, 2013

By Vinod Mathew

 

Kerala is at it again. The state is seeking ways to downsize the width of the National Highway network under its footprint, from 45 metres to 30 metres even as progressive states have made clear their intention to go by the international benchmark of 60 metres. Such an unreasonable posturing comes at time when the state leads the nation with 13 daily deaths from road accidents, most of them on narrow roads, from head-on collisions. The opposition to wide roads comes largely from a few lobbies of powerful land sharks who have built commercial complexes along narrow roadsides in the thriving business hubs of Malappuram and other northern districts. The state government is so much like a toy in their hands that serious discussion is under way on building sky roads along such stretches where it upsets the high and mighty if the roads get widened.

Ideally, the need to widen and straighten its narrow, serpentine roads should have been flagged by the state itself, considering the gigantic growth of its vehicle population in recent years. The journey from 1,94,567 vehicles in 1980-81 to 60,72,019 in 2010-11 has come at a breakneck speed, with the last year alone adding another 8,21,295 vehicles. Consider the vital statistics: Eight national highways in the state cover a length of 1,524km or only 2.3 per cent of the total national highway network in the country. Even as road accidents numbered 37,072 in 2000, causing 2,710 deaths and leaving 49,403 injured, in 2012 the accidents remained rooted at 36,174 but the number of deaths climbed to 4,286, showcasing what real damage head-on collisions by speeding vehicles on narrow and winding roads can do.

In other words, the state roads have witnessed close to 40,000 deaths and left four lakh injured, many of them maimed for life — a fact that should have shaken the state government into seeking its own ways and means of widening, straightening its roads.

It is in this context that one has to see the latest in a string of hugely parochial demands put forth by the state in a seemingly endless endeavour to set its own standards. It is a given that such demands keep cropping up on occasions that warrant definition of acceptable standards, whether it be for setting up industrial units or going in for infrastructure projects. In essence, no industry is allowed to set base in the state because of heightened pollution fears, though the average Keralite has no qualms about availing benefits of such industries set up in neighbouring states. The mindset holds good in the case of saying no to thermal power projects or large manufacturing hubs that will essentially have as a spin-off, a degree of environmental pollution. Kerala, therefore, has chosen to be a consumer state, leaving it to the other states the little matter of production — whether it be for foodgrain, vegetables, fruits or the many automobiles that it buys in large numbers, the narrow roads notwithstanding.

It is by no means a logical corollary to this thought process, but many Keralites also think it but natural to give a thumbs down when asked to pay toll while motoring through well-carpeted stretches of national highway. Strangely, this does not seem to bother any Keralite once he crosses the border, with many waxing eloquent in an incredulous tone on the rather heavy toll he’s required to pay during a drive to Goa and back. But once he hits the home road, it is all cursing and swearing each time he catches the sight of a toll gate.

Cynics often argue that the bane of Kerala has been its high dose of literacy and the cultural chip-on-the-shoulder many seem to carry while going about their daily business. While these are debatable points, there is no denying the negative impact that the non-resident Keralite (NRK) has had on their kith and kin, as much is persuading them to lead a life of no toil as in making a whole community believe an NRK is so special that an NRI pales into insignificance when faced with the homegrown repatriate. Thus, you have a whole department at the state government-level playing fiddle to the whims of the NRK community, you have the NRK deposits rated at an overwhelming percentage of Kerala’s GDP and of course a real estate sector and a gold jewellery business that catches flu of the highest virulence each time the NRK sneezes.

Therefore, it should have come as no surprise when the state government, led by an unusually belligerent chief minister, pitched wholeheartedly to get airborne an idea that has remained grounded nevertheless. The concept of Air Kerala was thus borne. The purpose — to fly in and fly out all those NRKs, who keep getting annoyed periodically at the highhanded treatment meted out to them by the national flier, Air India, and its country cousin, Air India Express.

Such has been the animosity generated among the NRKs against Air India Express that its management is actively thinking of shifting its headquarters from Kochi to Mumbai or any other location where the chances of Keralites behaving in a normal manner are significantly on the high side.

Even as its airy ideas remain grounded, Kerala refuses to take a serious look at down-to-earth solutions to its daily problems. It continues to turn a Nelson’s eye to passing a law against the stopping of government buses at major curves on its winding roads, said to be one of the causes for major accidents and something that it can set right at no cost to the exchequer. True, such a path-breaking decision can come only if it volunteers to undertake a great re-engineering exercise — one of its mindset. Having said that, it is time the people of the state began taking ownership for many of the woes that have befallen it and stop blaming others, stop looking for unrealistic solutions.

Getting a move on, the first step could be to stop calling hartals at the drop of an umbrella. Because, this stoppage of normal working days has no immediate history of having set anything right, since realistically none of the recent hartals are a throwback on those from the freedom struggle days. If that were the case and the goal behind the hartal a noble one, we would have had at least one hartal calling for widening the Kerala roads as per international standards, as a first step towards metamorphosing the girth and elevation of many murderous roads, so that people could safely venture out, confident that they will reach home by the end of the day.

(The writer is resident editor, The New Indian Express, Kerala. E-mail: [email protected])

MG Road greenbelt encroached upon

September 12, 2013

PRANAB SAIKIA , TNN

GURGAON: Several stretches of the greenbelt on MG Road, starting from the Delhi-Gurgaon border to IFFCO Chowk have been encroached upon by various roadside businesses, starting from chat-wallahs to stalls selling Chinese and other fast foods to vends selling liquor to makeshift stalls dealing with scrap metals.

“The greatest irony about MG Road is that while the restaurants pay all the taxes and rentals, these makeshift eateries operate without permission, that too, on illegal space. These stalls, especially the liquor vends, are a nuisance in the area,” said Karan Bedi, director, JMD Limited.

 According to a source, the scrap vendors near Bristol Chowk are connected with powerful politicians and that’s the reason the Gurgaon administration has not been able to evict them from the site.

“The administration talks about safety and security on MG Road. But, how can there be any safety when liquor shops are running openly and there is no check on them? Even the other vendors on the greenbelt are a great threat to safety and security. Who will be responsible if some untoward incident takes place,” asked Manish Yadav, a social activist from DLF-II.

All the major malls in the city are located on MG Road. The encroachers have created such a mess in the area that people coming to Bristol Hotel and the Grand Mall face a lot of trouble. “I feel unsafe to do shopping on MG Road malls after dusk not because of the pubs located inside the mall but because of the machans of the liquor shops,” said Usha Khanna, a customer at one of the MG Road malls.

“MG Road turns into a ‘V’ near Bristol Hotel and the spot witnesses frequent traffic jams. Vendors sitting in the areas, with cars parked near their shops and establishments are a cause of concern for all,” said Deepak Verma, an office-bearer of Sushant Lok RWA.

HUDA Administrator Praveen Kumar said, “The problem has been pointed out by residents and customers. We are aware of the problems of the residents. A few months ago, we had removed all the encroachers from the stretch. Since the repair work on the road is going on, we are not taking any action right now. We will take action against the encroachers after the repair work is over.”

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

 

 

Eyes on speedometer or road?

September 12, 2013

Alkesh Sharma, TNN

 

 CHANDIGARH: Motorists in Chandigarh are on the horns of a dilemma over the speed limits of the traffic police. They can’t decide if they are supposed to focus on the road ahead or keep checking the speedometer while driving. The problem with the speed limit is that it is completely at odds with modern cars that can easily go up to 70 to 80 km/hr in a very short time. That being the case, city residents want the administration to reconsider the speed limit.

“I own an Audi A-6 and believe me, most of the time, I avoid driving it in the city because it goes beyond 60 km/hr in no time, which is a violation of traffic rules,” said Robin Mehra, a businessman from Sector 23. Most people argued that if they kept checking the speedometer while driving, they would not be able to concentrate

 

“It is not possible for anyone to glance at the speedometer every 15 to 20 seconds. It is like talking on the mobile phone or typing a text message while driving. It can be dangerous,” said Jatin Pathak, a banker.

Upasana Verma, who works with a PR company, said, “On the one hand, big companies are selling fast cars to city residents and on the other, police are issuing slips for speed violations. There is no logic in this. Since India has a free market, there should be the freedom to drive fast cars.”

In Chandigarh, the speed limit of different vehicles is restricted between 25 km/hr to 60 km/her, depending on the type of road and the make of vehicles. “I think traffic cops should act in a proactive manner. They should first approach car manufacturers and ask them to install speed barriers in vehicles. If it is not possible, they should ask the administration to build special lanes for fast cars. Blind challaning is not a solution,” said Dr Anurag Khosla, a physiotherapist.

Juhi Mitra, an engineering student, said the challaning drive is irrelevant in Chandigarh. “If statistics with the Chandigarh police say no one has been killed due to speeding, then stop challaning people. This issue affects more than 7 lakh motorists and should be taken to a logical end.”

 

Source-http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

 

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