Walk to doom

KOCHI: Are our roads safe for pedestrians? The answer is a resounding no, if you go by the figures of accident deaths in the state. In 2011, pedestrian deaths accounted for about 33 per cent of the accident deaths in the state.As many as 4,145 accident deaths were reported in the state in 2011 of which 1,360 were pedestrians. As many as 447 people were hit by two-wheelers and 520 were hit by cars and buses.In Ernakulam, 194 deaths were reported which is higher than that in any other district.In the city areas alone, there were 75 deaths.In Thrissur, 180 people died in the pedestrian accidents while 152 lost their lives in Thiruvananthapuram.When City Express inquired about this with traffic police in Kochi city and Ernakulam Rural, the major reason cited was the lack of proper roads and the absence of footpaths or space for pedestrians.“In the case of city areas, apart from main roads, the pocket roads are so narrow that hardly two vehicles can move at the same time.With cars being parked on the sideways of the alreadynarrow roads, the situation turns grave.We have requested the corporation to spot parking areas in and across Kochi.But, nothing has been done in this regard yet,” a police official said.He added that the roads must be widened and separate footpaths must be constructed.“Besides, lines for pedestrians and zebra crossing must be marked.In many junctions, there are no zebra crossings.Even after constant requests to the corporation, no action has been taken.So, we decided to mark the lines ourselves,” the police official added.Another reason is the density of vehicles in Ernakulam.“The vehicle density is much higher than in any other district.More than 500 new vehicles roll out on the roads every day.The authorities should study whether the current roads and parking spaces are enough to contain all the vehicles.Moreover, our people lack any kind of traffic etiquette.You can spot many two-wheelers using the footpath.We impose heavy fine on those who drive rash and reckless,” the official said