Dr. Sheela, a gynecologist, says she lost her practice due to ill-conceived development projects. Her Mother and Child Hospital, located at the Vytilla junction in Kochi, was once known for providing affordable medical care to women and children. However, in 2016, the construction of a Kochi Metro pillar near the hospital drastically reduced the width of the road adjacent to the hospital, making parking impossible and obstructing access to the main Sahodran Ayappan Road (SA Road). Further, the congestion on SA Road made it difficult for patients to even get in and out of vehicles to visit the hospital. Dr. Sheela herself is unable to take her own vehicle in or out of her residence. As a result of these challenges, the number of patients coming to her hospital dwindled and she was forced to shut down the hospital. All she can do now is offer private consultation services.

Dr. Sheela’s experience is one among the many woes that the residents of Vytilla have been facing for several years despite the heavy infrastructural investments made by successive governments to solve Vytilla’s traffic woes.

Kochi is home to a wide variety of transportation modes as well as a heterogeneous population. The Vytilla junction, located in southern Kochi, is one of the largest and busiest junctions in Kerala. It acts as a crucial point of intersection between the national highway (along the north-south direction) and three major city roads- the SA road (along the east-west direction), the Vytilla-Pettah road and the Thammanam road.


Vytilla Junction

The Vytilla Mobility Hub, an integrated multi-mode transportation terminal, has a metro railway station, a water metro station, feeder buses and rickshaws along with a well-equipped bus terminal catering to private and state transport buses (KSRTC) plying on different routes from Kochi. Nearly one lakh passenger car units pass through Vytilla junction every day. Undoubtedly, Vytilla is a strategically important area in Kochi’s transportation landscape.

However, it is also notorious for traffic congestion and frequent accidents. Roads in all four directions of the junction face heavy congestion throughout the day, especially at peak hours. Pedestrians have no means to safely cross the roads of the junction or the highway. Further, there are no proper bus bays or bus stops. The drainage system is also in a sorry state.


Pedestrians crossing the road through the traffic


There is a lack of bus bays and bus shelters at the junction

Navigating multiple traffic signal lights at the junction has been an ordeal for motorists for many years. In 2016, the signal lights were switched off for nearly two months in order to ease congestion by ensuring free flow of vehicles from Aroor and Edappally. However, the signals were restored when a spurt in accidents were observed.

In 2017, the Kochi metro began its operation, and it was expected that as more people shifted to the metro, the load on the roads would ease. However, there was no significant change in the volume of vehicles on the road, and the situation only worsened because the metro pillars took up road space and led to more bottlenecks in the traffic.

In 2021, the Vytilla flyover was launched to ease the traffic congestion in the area. Nevertheless, the condition only worsened. According to the residents, much of the traffic takes the east-west route and not the north-south route along which the flyover has been built.

Civil Society organisations such as the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP) had anticipated as early as 2017 that the flyover would not solve traffic woes. Various organisations had raised the concern that the final design of the flyover was not being shared with the public.

The Residents’ Association through 'EDRAAC' (Ernakulam Residents Association Apex Council) had submitted to the Public Works Department and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), a proposal for the junction revamp, in which they took care to ensure smooth traffic pathways without the need for traffic signals. However, they claim that the NHAI rejected their proposal only because they had already purchased a set of traffic signals and were bent on installing it. The residents say that these traffic signals, along with other faulty measures, have led to incessant traffic blocks at the junction.

In the recent past, when the RWA got to know of a meeting called by one of the key authorities involved, to discuss the design of the flyover, they rushed to the venue, eager to participate and offer their input. However, they were told to wait outside and that they would be informed of the decisions made once the meeting was over.

Despite such setbacks, the residents of Vytilla went above and beyond not only to discuss transportation issues at their local meetings but also to devise short- and long-term solutions to these problems. Short term measures include traffic re-design by allowing free flow at certain locations, prohibiting certain turns and crossings and diverting traffic to other roads.

As long-term measures, they suggest the removal or redesign of the huge, circular space created under the flyover, which takes away space on the road. They would also like the police watch tower situated in the middle of the road to be relocated to a more efficient location. The residents claim that it simply takes up a lot of space on an already narrow road, without fully achieving its intended purpose. The presence of the watchtower does little to improve the traffic situation, reduce accidents or provide better safety for pedestrians. Other suggestions include the construction of alternate roads, widening of SA road at the junction and construction of two flyovers- one from Tripunithura road to Alleppey highway and the other from the south side of the Vytilla hub to the Alleppey road


Residents claim that the circular space created under the flyover takes away a lot of space from the road

Many women who work or study far away or work late shifts reach the Vytilla mobility hub at late hours. Yet, there are no public toilets, streetlights or police booths in the area. There have been incidents where women have been harassed by men at late hours and have had to resort to the kindness of strangers or depend on their family members to ensure their safety.

Reclaiming Vytilla: What went wrong and the way ahead

It becomes critical to ask the question: why have years of efforts towards improving Vytilla’s transport infrastructure only made it worse? One of the major drawbacks of the transit development in this neighborhood was reportedly the lack of a transparent and inclusive planning process. Involving citizens in the planning of development and public welfare projects improves the understanding of the needs of its intended beneficiaries. Decisions made through a participatory bottom-up approach are more sustainable and viable because the interests of all stakeholders are understood, including the vulnerable and marginalised groups. As the stakeholders’ understanding of the project increases, they also become more invested in the project’s outcome. Moreover, this would ensure that the taxpayers get to exercise their right to be informed about the way the state utilizes their money.

The residents envision the Vytilla Hub to be a dynamic space that is equipped with all facilities required for safe and comfortable travel as well as conveniences for the local population. The suggestions include an efficient lighting system, well maintained toilets, lodging facilities for passengers arriving at the hub after long journeys, a police booth, parking facilities, waiting areas, shops, hotels, mini conference halls, an indoor stadium, gyms, a cinema theatre and many other facilities. Above all, they want a permanent managing director to be appointed for the hub.


Representation of Vytilla junction as proposed by RWA

While the state of Kerala is celebrated for its successful decentralization and participatory development planning measures adopted from time to time, the story from Vytilla reminds us that there is still a long way to go. Ensuring that there are avenues for local communities to participate in the transport planning done by authorities, and considering their voice as a critical component of planning would align well with Kerala’s commitment to participatory democracy and its progressive decentralization ethos. It would help the institutional stakeholders shape a better approach towards sustainable urban mobility. If the concerns raised by the citizens had been tackled at the right time, there is a good chance that the Vytilla junction would have been in a much better position to be called Kochi’s ‘Mobility Hub’. All is not lost. It is high time the local communities were given an opportunity to engage with decision-making authorities and offer their input. The residents of Vytilla still have several suggestions on how the junction can be made safer and more efficient and they strongly condemn any decision being taken without consulting with them through proper dialogue and discussion.

 

[This blog has been co-authored by Sowmia and Yedukrishnan, in collaboration with residents of Vytilla, including:

 

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