Having done a preliminary drive to identify objects that hamper safety of road users, the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) has planned another round of road safety audit as part of a comprehensive drive to clear the carriageway and footpaths of such obstructions and haphazardly parked vehicles.
This comes in the wake of the Kerala High Court directing stakeholders concerned to remove safety hazards and pull down advertisement boards and other materials that distract motorists, from across the State.
Both the Enforcement RTO (Ernakulam) and the Ernakulam RTO had deployed squads to identify them and initiate remedial measures.
Ernakulam RTO P.M. Shabeer said that while most other safety hazards could be removed at short notice, removing electric posts and transformers that dangerously protruded into the carriageway, or hampered safe movement of pedestrians on footpaths, would take time. “A micro-level auditing has been planned on roads where such obstacles abound. They will be taken up with the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and other departments concerned, following which a compliance report will be submitted to the Chief Secretary for being forwarded to the High Court.”
“We have also taken action against 600 motorists who parked their vehicles on footpaths, or in a way that obstructed the movement of vehicles. e-challans have been generated, and their owners will get the message stating the penalty in their cell phones. Only after they remit the fine will they be able to avail of any other service of the MVD. A special combing operation will be done in the city during the coming days, since traffic snarls are on the increase,” he added.
On who will bear the expense of relocating transformers and posts away from the road, Mr. Shabeer said either KSEB will have to bear it or funds available with district-level Road Safety Authority (RSA) could be used for this based on an estimate provided by KSEB. In many places, cables from posts and transformers obstruct road users. In the case of KSEB, it has been found that many transformers on the tarred carriageway do not have reflective stickers or lighting to make them visible.
A high-ranking KSEB official said all regional offices had been directed to install reflectors and paint white and black lines on transformers and posts to make them visible. “We are willing to relocate them if the RSA or the agency which owns the road bears the requisite expenses,” he said.
