KOCHI: The road traffic in the state is growing at a rate of 10-11 percent a year, but the double-digit growth is not sustainable in Kerala having a narrow stretch of landmass sandwiched between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats. This is the finding of a study undertaken by Dr B. G. Sreedevi, director of the Thiruvananthapuram-based National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC).
The state had a total vehicle population of 85,47,966 as on March 31, 2014, says the study conducted on behalf of Assocham. An efficient and modern public transport system is the only way to address the situation. But the political class seems to be oblivious of the needs of a state staring at clogged roads and increasing levels of noxious fumes released by the vehicles.
A glance at any of the annual reports by the NATPAC would reveal the gap between the actual conditions of the transportation infrastructure and the recommendations on the remedial measures required to improve the situation. But those at the helm of the local bodies, who put forward policy initiatives to the state administration to address the situation, often fail to understand the real requirement of the state.
“The policymakers seem to be under the impression that the transport needs of the people in the state will be resolved by metro rail or light metro projects. But people familiar with such mega projects will vouch that it is not true,” says Mr Thushar Nirmal Saradhy, a human rights activist. In most countries such mega projects are promoted to serve the interests of the global finance capital without taking into account the real needs of the place, he added.
The traffic pattern in the cities in Kerala is different from that in major metros such as Delhi and Mumbai. In Kerala, vehicles ply from the peripheral areas to towns and from towns to major cities. This calls for a network of roads that allows a smooth and efficient system traffic flow from the periphery to the centre. The prevailing system, however, is skewed in favour of a few highways, state and district-level roads.
The study by Dr Sreedevi has found that the traffic distribution was concentrated on district and city roads. As a result, villages and remote areas virtually remained unconnected though they are theoretically connected by the road network. Another problem is the totally unscientific manner of functioning of the public transport system. Even in major cities like Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, the bus services come to a grinding halt by 9 p.m. The situation is worse in smaller towns and villages.
“Public transport should be good enough for us to go to any places, anytime,” says Paraniyam Devakumar, patron, Federation of Residents’ Associations, Thiruvananthapuram (FRAT). “Sadly, in Thiruvananthapuram, we don’t have enough buses from city to suburbs even early in the night,” he said.
During most part of the day in Thiruvanathapuram district, buses to suburbs ply only on the routes close to a highway or a major road. For example, there might be buses to Balaramapuram but if you want to go to Nellimoodu or Kanjiramkulam, you don’t have many services, he said.
The same is the situation for people who stay in the interior areas of Attingal and Nedumangaud municipalities. The state transport corporation management has to focus more on catering to the needs of the people. “Unfortunately, buying low-quality spares and inventory mismanagement continue to trouble the KSRTC. We need a longer light metro route from Parassala to Attingal than the envisaged one. Our bus system should be able to act as chain services that connect our localities to light metro,” he said.
Employees working in the cyber park and malls in Thondayad area in Kozhikode find it difficult to travel to their offices and back home. The middle and lower- level employees not having their own vehicles are the worst hit as the bypass road does not have enough public transport system. “I had been working with the Hi-Lite business park before shifting to a new company a month ago. Daily travel is a big problem for the employees due to the less number of buses on the route, especially for women employees. At 6 p.m, there is one bus and if the same is missed then it is a long wait for another bus,” said K. Vishnu Dath.
The issue is common for the working community where public transport system skips its routes. Sometime, to reach town, they have to depend on connection buses. Buses often avoid these routes due to less profits. Lack of buses has much impact on rural areas. Several places in the rural parts of Kozhikode still depend on jeep services due to the lack of buses. “Though we have buses now, the situation is no better. There are no bus services after 6 p.m. Women and children bear the brunt,” Maniyur gram panchayat president Jayaprabha rued. Places in the rural areas of Nadapuram area, Muchukunnu, Kayanna, Poozhithod too suffer from lack of public transport.
