Well, traveling through the city of Cochin is one of the most difficult things one can do. The worst thing is that, I have to do it everday. Being a Kochite I have to travel through the roads packed with motorists, who don't even bother to follow the rules. Driving here in Cochin is worse. You have cars, buses and two-wheelers moving around in lanes of eight or more, when the actual road is a four laned one.
Each day I get out of my house, the only thing i think of is if there is ever going to be a solution to this chaos. The problem is because no one in kochi is ready to follow the rules, be it vehicle drivers or pedestrians. Each person in Cochin makes his own rules. Half the people ride on the wrong side of the roads, majority of the people cross wherever they wish to and the rest don't even know what a zebra crossing is. The police try their level best to control the traffic jams, but they too are helpless. They have even tried educating the people about road rules and pedestrian crossing areas etc etc, but again no one really bothers. This is because in Kerala, the people are free to make their own rules.
And the worst thing, the potholes on the road are bigger than craters on the moon. These kind of roads affect the free flow of traffic, causing more traffic blocks in the city. Kerala has always been famous for the poor condition of roads and till now things haven't changed.
A view of MG Road, CochinI'm pretty sure every person living in Kochi thinks about the same thing everyday, but they all give up as there isn't much we can do about it. Everyone is busy with their own work. The people who govern the city give lame excuses when they're blamed for not doing anything. No one really talks about how much people in Kochi suffer even though Kochites account major share of tax amount collected, compared to other districts.
Even the national highway in the Kochi region is always jammed with traffic. The entrance to Cochin city from the south side looks like a parking lot, especially on saturdays. The roads are four laned, but the bridges accomodate only two lanes. Such a system threatens the lives of many motorists. The authorities don't bother even after so many fatal incidents. If some one from another state visits Cochin, it'll be hard for them to believe that they're on the highway.
A view of the crowded National Highway 47For example, the edapally railway overbridge is yet to be completed even after so many years. The people travelling through that route face so much trouble waiting in the scorching hear for the train to pass. The people have raised their voice against the authorities a number of times, but in vain.
The best possible relief for the traffic in Cochin would be completion of the pullepady railway overbridge. But that too hasn't been completed even after so many years. The authorities have enough and more reasons stacked to provide to the media. Sometimes they blame the contractors, while the contractors have other excuses. I don't understand how long this blame game will continue and how long the people of Cochin have to bear all these.
I look forward to valuable suggestions on methods to improve the traffic conditions in Cochin. The only way to do so is if the people in Cochin can join hands and fight for what we should receive in return for the tax we pay.
