Call to mitigate accidents on Chambakkara-Petta stretch

Kochi: After the "dangerous" curve on the Sahodaran Ayyappan Road near metro pillar no. 825 (Elamkulam), another key stretch in the metro corridor near the busy Chambakkara fish market has been witnessing a series of accidents, raising demand for initiation of safety measures on a war footing."The area near metro pillar no. 953 on the Chambakkara-Petta stretch has become an accident spot. Pick-up vans are often parked illegally on the roadside along the bridge in the early morning hours. Vehicles speed past while coming down the bridge. The road section is very smooth, especially after retarring and turns slippery with the wastewater from fish carrying vehicles spilling on the road," said Vytilla councillor V P Chandran.A youth, Hormis Mathew, died after his two-wheeler rammed the median here at 1.45am last Thursday. A car met with an accident near metro pillar no. 953 on Tuesday morning. Police said the accident occurred when a fish truck illegally parked there suddenly took reverse and the driver coming down the bridge lost control of the car."Accidents are rising here. Last year too, three lives were lost. A majority of these accidents occur at night, highlighting potential issues with visibility and road design," said Chandran.He had shot off a letter to PWD and Kochi Metro authorities in Oct last year, demanding safety measures such as proper lighting, reflectors on metro pillars and clear signage. However, no measures have been taken until now."Authorities should take measures similar to those adopted at Elamkulam more than a year ago. They installed warning signages and scraped asphalt using machines to facilitate traction with the road. Also, the unscientific U-turn before Chambakkara market should be redesigned," he said.Authorities should initiate the long-drawn promise to build an underpass linking the far side of the road with the fish market. "Illegal parking of fish vehicles causes accidents. The underpass will facilitate direct entry to fish market," said local resident Joseph P K."The sudden multiple curves are another factor. There is enough width available to lessen the curve. The authorities like PWD should intervene to make the stretch safe," said Rajesh, a restaurant owner.