Madavana Junction in Kochi a veritable death trap for motorists and pedestrians, say locals

The Madavana Junction on Edappally-Aroor National Highway 66 Bypass, where a speeding inter-State luxury bus of Kallada Travels rammed a signal post and overturned, crushing a young motorbike rider to death, is a veritable ‘death trap’ for motorists and pedestrians, say autorickshaw drivers and shopkeepers

The Madavana Junction on Edappally-Aroor National Highway 66 Bypass, where a speeding inter-State luxury bus of Kallada Travels rammed a signal post and overturned, crushing a young motorbike rider to death, is a veritable ‘death trap’ for motorists and pedestrians, say autorickshaw drivers and shopkeepers who have witnessed the spree of accidents at the junction.

They cited four main reasons for the accidents – undulations on the surface of the NH carriageway, absence of pedestrian lines and stop lines, ‘unscientific’ timing of signal lights, and motorists speeding on the six-lane NH either ignoring the red signal or slamming brake at the last moment.

On an average, three accidents, both minor and major ones, occurred at the junction every day, said Binoy, an autorickshaw driver at a stand located at the junction. “This has made the junction a death trap – a graveyard for road users. As a driver who operates from here and also as one who often witnesses such accidents, I can say that a reason is the undulated surface of the NH at the junction which tends to make speeding vehicles unstable. It becomes even more risky during the rain, and this could have triggered Sunday’s bus accident.”

Sagin, another auto driver who ferried two bus passengers from among the 13 who were injured to Lakeshore Hospital located nearby, too referred to the undulated surface and said the timer display boards that showed the waiting time in each direction had become dysfunctional many months ago. This is among the reasons for motorists having little idea of when the signals will change. On their part, the enforcement agencies must keep tabs on CCTVs at the junction and on NH Bypass. The accident was waiting to happen, since at least three other vehicles, including a KSRTC bus that lost control, had rammed into the same signal post during the recent past, he said.

Citing the need for round-the-clock police presence at the junction as a deterrent against jumping signals, Sajeev Kumar, a resident of the locality, said the traffic police, the Motor Vehicles department (MVD) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) that owned the NH Bypass must jointly redress the grave safety concerns. He pointed out the need for high-mast lights on the eastern side of the junction and pedestrian lines on all four sides, referring to people frequently crossing the six-lane NH rather than using the foot overbridge.

The NHAI has for years been facing flak for not painting basic markings on the road and also rumble strips to forewarn motorists about the impending signal junction.

Expressing concern about frequent accidents, Aslam, who runs a bakery near the junction, called for steps to enforce the speed limit on the Vyttila-Aroor stretch of NH Bypass since sudden braking had been triggering accidents on the corridor.