The Thiruvananthapuram City police and the city Corporation were entering uncharted waters when they introduced the ‘model road’ concept late 2015. Around four years down the lane, the reform has been proven a major success with the paid parking system; demarcated ‘no parking’ and ‘parking’ zones; prevention of obstructive parking; and a smooth vehicular flow.
Since the introduction of the system, the 2.8-km Pazhavangadi-Pulimoodu stretch of Mahtama Gandhi Road and the 1.2-km Vellayambalam-Sasthamangalam road have witnessed very few instances of traffic snarls under normal circumstances.
This is a far cry from the scenario that previously existed when arterial roads used to be chock-a-block with traffic, partly owing to the haphazard parking of vehicles along roads.
Considering the space constraints of the city which does not have sufficient parking lots, especially in commercial hubs, the model road concept is seen as a viable option for implementation in the long run.
The system has enabled the City traffic police to earmark spaces for two-wheelers and four-wheelers and ensure optimum usage of spaces that could be spared for the purpose.
The orderly parking permitted motorists to retrieve their vehicles with considerable ease, besides providing them a sense of security with the stretches being manned by traffic wardens from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Police stations
Motivated by the success of the concept, the police are mulling extension of the system to other parts of the city.
District Police Chief (Thiruvananthapuram City) in-charge K. Sanjaykumar Gurudin said he intends to direct station house officers (SHOs) to identify a road stretch and a junction under each police station for implementing the project.
“Vacant spaces along the roads, however short they are, can be utilised for creating parking zones in a manner that does not affect vehicular flow,” he said.
However, several factors hinder the efforts to streamline traffic through such reforms, officials said.
The system should ideally be implemented on stretches that have medians and footpaths of sufficient widths.
Moreover, the lack of coordination among multiple agencies, including the Public Works Department, Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, and Kerala Road Fund Board that possess various road stretches, has posed difficulties.
“There are several custodians for the city roads. Very often, many proposals that are raised to streamline traffic and ensure pedestrian safety are dismissed by the authorities concerned citing various norms. The complex situation made it immensely difficult to coordinate such activities,” an official said.
