A few sharp curves beneath Kochi metro corridor turning into death traps

A dangerous bend beneath a Kochi metro pillar in Thripunithura. | Photo Credit: H. VIBHU A combination of alleged rash driving and a few ‘unscientific’ curves beneath the Kochi metro alignment are yet again causing accidents, especially involving two-wheeler riders.A young woman pillion rider lost her life in one such accident-prone curve near the Champakkara bridge late on Sunday night (August 23), while the youth who rode the vehicle escaped with injuries after the two-wheeler rammed the median beneath the metro viaduct on the Vyttila-Pettah stretch. Multiple accident fatalities were reported at this curve during the past few years, while over a dozen two-wheeler riders died in accidents during the past decade at a steep and even more accident-prone curve in front of the Elamkulam metro station on S.A. Road. A hazardous curve beneath metro pillar number 825 on S.A. Road at Elamkulam. | Photo Credit: H. VIBHU V.P. Chandran, the councillor representing Vyttila ward in the Kochi Corporation, attributed the spree of accidents at the curve located shortly after the Champakkara bridge to drivers who are unfamiliar with the stretch, and those who indulge in rash driving, often losing control of their vehicles when faced with two adjacent curves in the vicinity of metro pillar number 955. “Interestingly, almost all the accidents here occurred during late-night hours, when motorists, especially two-wheeler riders, tend to overspeed on the four-lane stretch. They would have lost control of their vehicles by the time they apply the brake.”Mr. Chandran cited the need for the Public Works department (Roads wing) to install adequate number of reflectors and sign boards to warn motorists who descend down the bridge of the sudden and steep curves at close intervals. He further demanded that the PWD take steps to widen the severely bottlenecked Vyttila-Kunnara Park corridor to four-lane width to prevent traffic gridlocks. “Steps must also be taken to develop the stretch beneath the metro viaduct from the Vyttila Mobility Hub to the park to overcome congestion at the hub’s exit.” Haphazard parking makes the road section near metro pillar number 825 even more dangerous. | Photo Credit: H. VIBHU Having visited the accident-prone area at Champakkara on Monday (August 24), Mayor V.K. Minimol said she would convene a meeting of officials of the PWD, traffic police, and Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) to roll out measures to prevent any further accidents there.While seeking speedy measures to augment visibility at curves beneath the metro corridor in the city, sources in the traffic police said the agencies (PWD and Kochi Corporation) that own roads must take steps to augment reflectors and to install boards well in advance to forewarn motorists. “On their part, members of the public must share pictures of vehicles parked at either side of such curves with the police,” they said, while assuring remedial action.PWD’s versionA senior PWD official said the agency had installed indication boards and retro-reflective object hazard markers, to warn motorists of the two curves in close succession. “In addition, ‘chevron boards’ too were placed to guide motorists along the road’s alignment. It has to be seen whether painting rumble strips on the road will help avert accidents there. Changing the alignment of the road would be a cumbersome process,” the official added. Published - August 28, 2026 07:06 pm IST