Arches on city road pose difficulties for motorists

Thiruvananthapuram: Unscientific installation of arches as part of temple festivities is causing difficulties for motorists along the busy Ulloor-Akkulam Road in the city.
A series of arches were erected along the road in connection with a temple festival. The main arch, which was setup near the temple, is posing difficulties for the motorists who use the road to access the bypass near Akkulam bridge.

The central structure of the main arch is placed right in the middle of the road, which has led to traffic snarls during the peak hours.

A week ago, a motorcyclist had crashed onto the steel barrier without noticing its presence but escaped the accident with minor injuries. The festival, which began on Thursday is scheduled to conclude by Wednesday.

The organizers say that the arch is part of festival tradition and that it has always been erected during festivals at the same spot for more than 40 years.

“The pourasamithi has been undertaking the task of installing lights and decoration from as long as I can remember. Before the widening of the road took place around 10 years ago, we did not have the central installation and therefore it was not a major issue. But since the road was widened, the central structure was necessary to keep the structure intact. It is a key decoration of the event and it will be removed on the day the festival concludes,” said Thuruvikkal pourasamithi president Vidhu S.

According to Technopark employee Vivek Livingstone, who uses the route on a regular basis, the installation poses a serious threat as the structure is placed at the centre of the road.

“The road recently underwent renovation works with easy access to bypass. Many vehicles go at fairly good speed and presence of central pillar on the road forces motorists to suddenly apply brakes at the last minute. We tried bringing the issue to the notice of authorities, but as of now, no response or action has been initiated,” he said.

North traffic CI Sajad S assured that he will look into the issue at the earliest.

According to Akkulam ward councilor V R Sini, nobody in the vicinity had problems in installation of such an arch.

“As per rules, it is illegal to place such an arch, but this has been a tradition followed by the residents for ages. I have randomly asked many people of the locality and almost all of them were of the opinion that it is okay to adjust with the temporary situation for seven days as the arch was erected as part of the temple festival,” Sini said.