The death of three young two-wheeler riders in accidents that occurred on Thursday and Friday in the Vyttila-Kumbalam NH bypass corridor where black spots abound, has sent alarm bells ringing among motorists and officials of law enforcement agencies.
Thursday’s accident on the southern side of the Vyttila flyover in which two bike-borne youths who entered the NH Bypass from the service road of the Vyttila flyover were fatally knocked down by a speeding gas-tanker that came down the flyover came as a shocker, since an elderly two-wheeler rider had died at the same spot a little before the flyover was commissioned.
The only difference was that the elderly person’s life could have been saved had he been wearing a helmet, said a senior traffic police official. “The landing points of the three new flyovers at Palarivattom, Vyttila, and Kundannoor are accident-prone, since blind spots abound at these points where vehicles from service roads merge with traffic moving along the NH bypass. Motorists from service roads and those coming down flyovers ought to slow down at these points, while the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) must install boards at either end of flyovers warning motorists to slow down.
“The exit points of service roads beside the Palarivattom flyover are much narrower than at Vyttila, and this remains another cause of worry,” he added.
The police have cautioned two-wheeler riders against driving too close to heavy vehicles, especially goods carriers, since they stand the risk of being sucked towards such heavy vehicles at high speeds. Moreover, many lorries do not have a cleaner, contrary to rules.
Lane discipline
Sources in the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) said adherence to lane discipline will in all probability prevent accidents.
“Motorists must also switch on turning indicator well in advance and slowly change track while keeping tab of vehicles from behind through rear-view mirrors. They must also avoid taking sharp turns, especially so since vehicles are travelling at higher speeds after the trio of flyovers were commissioned.”
Pedestrians must be even more careful in this situation, especially at night and while crossing the road from near parked buses and other vehicles which create a blind spot, they added.
Drains sans slabs
A two-wheeler rider succumbed to injuries early on Friday morning at an ill-lit spot near the NHAI’s Kumbalam toll plaza, reportedly after his bike veered off the carriageway and fell into a wide, open drain.
NHAI sources said that a proposal to cover drains on the 16-km Edappally-Aroor NH Bypass is pending clearance of the agency’s head office for over a decade.
It is up to local bodies to install street lights, they added.