Kochi: Not a city for pedestrians

KOCHI: How safe are Kochi roads? If the figures provided by the city police are any indication, not very.  Last year alone, 140 people succumbed to injuries in close to 2,400 road mishaps. As for 2017, 2,503 accidents were reported, the highest since 2010.

However, the astounding fact is that over 60 per cent of pedestrians reported being frightened to cross the roads here. This was revealed in the study conducted by the Evangelical Social Action Forum in collaboration with Kochi Corporation in 2017. In two years, the situation could have only gotten worse with an increase in vehicular traffic and lack of facilities. This puts the spotlight on the need for more footbridges in the city. Busy junctions like Kacheripady and thoroughfares like MG Road where there are schools pose a huge risk to pedestrians, including students.
 
More footbridges  
Officials concerned say there are too many limitations in constructing pedestrian bridges. As the Kochi Corporation mulls over the proposal, traffic officials cite the lack of space as an issue.“In many spots, the construction of the footbridges is just not feasible due to the scarcity of space. Also, such bridges would impede Metro works. We have also observed that in many metropolitan cities like Chennai and Mumbai, footbridges are not accessible to a sizeable section of the population, like senior citizens. So they can not be considered as the perfect solution too,” says G Poonguzhali, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Law and Order and Traffic.

However, she agrees to the fact that pedestrians are at a higher risk here. “Traffic congestion is one of the primary issues faced by Kochiites. Roads here are narrow which turn bottlenecks during peak hours. Apart from this, Metro construction is  under way at many crucial junctions further reducing the width of the roads. As the free flow of traffic is hampered, pedestrians suffer. In many areas, footpaths are either absent or in a dilapidated condition,” says Poonguzhali.

However, the department is in the process of conducting a thorough study on the traffic pattern. “The report will be submitted in a month with inputs from both Assistant Commissioners of Police for Traffic, after which we will begin the suggestion and implementation phase. We are looking at long-term solutions” the deputy commissioner said.
 
Change in attitude
V S Sanjay, a senior scientist with the NATPAC, thinks the young people themselves are reluctant to use footbridges.
“They are either too lazy to climb or are in a hurry to get to the other side. The onus of road safety is also with pedestrians themselves. It has become common practice in India to park vehicles by the roadside or on the footpath,” said Sanjay.

Subway not suitable
As an alternative, the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) had initially planned to construct an underground passage near
Marine Drive and Kakkanad. “The proposal had to be scrapped because a subway is not conducive to Kochi.
The soil has high saltwater content and is marshy. For now, there are no such proposals,” said V Saleen,
chairman, GCDA.