The Motor Vehicles department (MVD) has finally decided to crack the whip, faced with a barrage of complaints from motorists, pedestrians, traders, and others about young motorbike riders converting the Edappally-Aroor bypass into a racing track at night.
This reckless practice had been attributed to “inadequate” patrol by the MVD and the police in the congested 17-km corridor. It had been reported earlier that the stretch that is used by a whopping one lakh passenger car units (PCUs) daily, does not have Artificial Intelligence-enabled cameras that were introduced in highway corridors in the State.
“It has come to our notice that such youths zoom around on motorbikes, creating deafening noise and scaring other road users, mostly between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. MVD personnel will be deployed on the stretch at night once they return from Sabarimala duty,” said a senior official of the department.
Sources said a mobile court unit that held frequent vehicle inspections in the corridor and MVD patrol had been a deterrent for those violating road safety rules. While the mobile court was withdrawn, enforcement vehicles of the MVD had to be taken off service at frequent intervals owing to non-payment of dues to fuel companies.
Black spots
In the meantime, the Maradu municipality has taken up with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) the need to take steps to prevent accidents on the bypass where ‘black spots’ abound. “Maradu, Kannadikad, Netoor, Chakkaraparambu, and Palarivattom find mention as black spots, where the incidence of fatal and non-fatal accidents is high. Accidents can be prevented if underpasses are built at frequent intervals,” said Maradu municipal chairman Antony Asanparambil.
Sources said U-turns and areas where motorists entered the national highway from service roads were the most accident-prone. Besides, unscientific location of bus stops and reckless driving make matters worse.
