Broadway: A broad bottleneck

KOCHI: If you ask any Kochiites about the fearsome roads in the city, no doubt the Broadway will be on top of the list. Hardly a vehicle can move through this road at a time as people park their vehicle in the middle, making the block more worse. Even after many requests, the Corporation and the traffic police have not taken effective action in this regard.The 70-ft Ernakulam Broadway was constructed before Independence. In those days, the breadth of the road was more than enough to bear the vehicular traffic but things have changed with the increase in the traffic on the road which has become narrower with wayside vendors and small-scale traders encroaching the whole road. Now, with vehicles parked in the middle of the road, the situation has become worse. Merchants union president Venkatesh Bhai said the union had constructed a parking area at Marine drive for four-wheelers. A traffic warden has been posted at the merchants’ expense to avoid traffic blocks on the Broadway. Mostly merchants and the mall employees park their vehicles there. We had obtained a High Court verdict to remove street vendors from the footpath. But owing to political pressure, the police often spare these people, he added.The Merchants union has suggested to the Corporation to introduce pay and park system on the Broadway. This is being discussed and it will be introduced after Onam, said Venkatesh Bhai.“To protect the interests of merchants, vehicle should not be permitted in the area. For the comfort of  pedestrians, footpaths should be cleared of encroachments of any nature. The authorities concerned and the merchants union should find a solution to the issue. The present traffic system on Broadway should be replaced with other effective measures. Our business has also affected as the flow of people to shops has decreased owing to traffic snarls,” said Nazar a shop owner on Broadway.Traffic Police Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Rafique said bikes are permitted to park on one side of the road.  “We have noticed that two-wheelers are parked on either side of the road. We have taken action against this and will take strict steps to manage the Onam rush,” Muhammad Rafique said.