Attribute it to the decline in the number of vehicles in the wake of the prohibitory orders in place or the effectiveness of the traffic re-routing arrangements, either way, the closure of the Palarivattom underpass for the demolition of the flyover seems to have hardly disrupted the traffic.
In fact, traffic flow at the underpass this Monday, the first working day since the traffic restrictions kicked in, compared to the last Monday was much less as per a comparative study put out by the traffic police.
The study looked at the traffic flow to the Palarivattom bypass junction from all four directions – Edappally, Kakkanad, Vyttila, and Palarivattom – through the peak morning hours between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. and evening peak hours between 4 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. During none of the time slots, the traffic through the underpass this Monday matched with that of the previous Monday.
As per the study, before the closure of the underpass, the biggest surge in the traffic flow from the Edappally side to the underpass was witnessed between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. and 6.45 p.m. From the Kakkanad side, the traffic flow was almost uniformly hectic between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. and between 5.15 p.m. and 6.15 p.m.
Traffic flow to the Palarivattom underpass from the Vyttila side peaked between 9.30 a.m. and 10.45 a.m. and then between 5.30 p.m. and 6.45 p.m. whereas from the Palarivattom side it peaked between 10 a.m. and 10.30 a.m. and 5.15 p.m. and 7.15 p.m.
However, since the closure of the underpass, the traffic flow was uniformly sedate except for a minor surge from the Palarivattom side during the time slots of 6 p.m. and 6.15 p.m. though even that was no match to the traffic during the same time before the closure of the underpass.
Signal at the Palarivattom bypass remains switched off and direct movement across the junction to Kakkanad and Palarivattom remains banned. The traffic police have knocked down the median immediately after the junction en route to both Vyttila and Edappally, opening up a wider U-turn facilitating smooth passage even for bigger vehicles headed to both Palarivattom and Kakkanad respectively.
“The relatively narrower U-turns before Oberon Mall and Ernakulam Medical Centre during similar restrictions in the past used to hold up traffic. Further, cones have been intelligently used to facilitate seamless movement of oncoming vehicles and those taking the U-turns,” said a cop deployed for regulating traffic.
However, indiscriminate speeding by motorists ignorant about the U-turns poses a potential threat of accidents, especially during nights, he said.