Accidents happen frequently on Container Terminal Road, but only the fatal ones attract public attention, civic activists say. | Photo credit: H. VIBHU
The death of a young woman who was run over by a truck in Ponnarimangalam on Friday reveals that the Container Terminal Road, connecting Kalamassery to Vallarpadam, is yet to shed its accident-prone tag. Liby VK, a senior official of Kochi Corporation from Varapuzha, was the latest victim in a series of accidents that left the 16-km stretch a nightmare for motorists, especially two-wheeler riders, for a long time.
Traffic jams on Goshree bridges, lack of proper street lights and alleged unscientific designs of roads and junctions are cited by local people as the main causes of the accidents. According to them, the problem is further aggravated by the unregulated movement of vehicles and the parking of trucks with containers along the road.
“Accidents often happen on the stretch, but only the fatal ones attract public attention. In the latest incident that claimed the life of a woman, it was found that lack of adequate lighting and reckless driving of container trucks played a role,” says Abhijith John of the Nerkazhcha Vedhi Civic Forum.
“Though street lights were installed along the road two months ago, almost a decade after the road was built, the stretch between Cheranalloor Junction and Bolghatty Junction remains unlit. The stretch has also become home to a large number of stray dogs. The dogs jump in front of the bikes, which then run down,” adds Mr. John.
A 22-year-old was killed on the road in 2019 when he fell off his bike while trying to escape a stray dog’s sudden crossing. The young man was run over by a truck traveling in the same direction.
Meanwhile, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has accused the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) of not providing connections to the street lights it was installing.
“All the lights were installed by us. KSEB was looking for additional transformers to charge them, but that is not in our scope,” says an NHAI source.
KSEB had earlier made it clear that charging the entire fleet of street lights required around six transformers, of which only two were functional. The remaining lights were not charged because the existing transformers are already overloaded.
Published – 20 Oct 2025 0:49 IST
