THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Traffic at the General Hospital Junction is in utter chaos during rush hours. The junction improvement works undertaken as part of the City Road Improvement Project (CRIP) have only made matters worse. The junction, which is close to several schools, hospitals and other major institutions, usually witnesses heavy rush during peak hours. Newly installed traffic signals are creating confusion and traffic has gone haywire. Vehicles jumping the signal is a common sight here nowadays. The General Hospital Junction is the meeting point of roads from Vanchiyoor, Airport, Thampuranmukku, Palayam and Statue. The U-turn in front of the General Hospital is the major cause of traffic congestion. Motorists give least regard to the authorities’ order to pass the traffic island before taking the U-turn. The vehicles coming from Thampuranmukku use both the lanes, blocking vehicular traffic in the other directions. According to auto driver Ravindranath, the width of the road is insufficient to accommodate the volume of traffic during peak hours. “A vehicle taking the U-turn can disrupt the entire traffic. Vehicles coming from Vanchiyoor cannot see the newly installed traffic signal, especially if it is following a big vehicle,” he said. He, however, added that the situation is normal, except during the rush hours. Biju, working in a medical shop in the area, said the situation was normal before the authorities introduced traffic reforms in the area. “Now we see at least one accident every day,” he said. “Motorists are in a confusion over the traffic reforms. Most of them are flouting signals. Stops of school vans on roadsides is another cause for the traffic block,” Biju said. P C Harikesh, chief operating officer of Kerala Road Fund Board, said a team of experts is observing the traffic reforms. “There will be constant changes. Experts, including road safety expert Sreenivasan and the Traffic Police Commissioner, are looking into the issue. Required modifications will be made,” he said.
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