ORDEAL OF PEDESTRIANS

We stay in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala State in India. We have travelled to a number of destinations both in India and abroad. The city was not busy when we set up residence here. We infer from our travels that Thiruvananthapuram is on the threshold of breaking out into a metro city in a short time.

One major deficiency the city has is the abject neglect of the pedestrian. The pedestrian does not have a foot path on all roads. Even if  foot paths are there,  they are usurped by   street hawkers and petty shops in many localities. Beggars too had occupied the space at one point of time. Fortunately they have disappeared. 

The number of vehicles on the roads is ever on the increase. Inadequacy of public transport and dearth of a metro railway have forced the public to have their own transport for mobility. The confusion on the roads is unimaginable. It is apparent a bustling city will have a very large number of pedestrians. No one thinks about them. They are forced to negotiate the roads along with the vehicles that race past them. The most difficult part is when it comes to crossing the roads. It is impossible to cross the roads when traffic is heavy. There is no let up in traffic most of the time and people risk their lives many times a day as they cross the roads. Some people perish and some are injured in the imbroglio.

We have observed that there are options in the form of underground passages or foot over bridges for the pedestrians to cross the roads in many places we have visited. At some places the over bridges had escalators too whereby excessive exertion by public had been circumvented.

We have always wondered why we are denied  simple world class facilities in Thiruvananthapuram. The story in other parts of the state is no different. Bursting at seams all the cities and towns of Kerala endure in silence what Thiruvananthapuram undergoes.

It is not that no one is aware of the pedestrians and their misery, but it is that no one is interested in mitigating the ordeal. We look to a day the pedestrian can safely negotiate the roads. We look to a day over bridges and under passages are introduced wherever the traffic is heavy so that  pedestrians do not have to risk and lose their lives crossing the roads. Thiruvananthapuram and other cities and towns in Kerala will look for the better with the arrival of  simple world class facilities.