Kochi bus speeding has come under scrutiny after the Kerala High Court directed the police to take strict action within a week against private buses allegedly operating at excessive speeds across the city. The direction followed the death of Akshara, a native of Thrissur, after she was hit by a private bus on the road to Infopark in Kakkanad.
The court summoned the Deputy Commissioner of Police and Assistant Commissioners while hearing a petition related to road safety. Justice Devan Ramachandran said the police must act against buses that are frightening road users and warned that responsibility could be handed to the public if the police were unable to enforce the law.
The court also viewed footage of the accident involving Akshara. It observed that she was visible while walking along the road and said she had no space to move aside. The road towards Infopark was narrow and did not have a footpath, the report said.
The court said excessive speed and accidents involving private buses had become a recurring problem. It also questioned why action was not being taken against bus owners in accident cases, stating that owners had responsibility as well. The court noted that suspending a driver’s licence alone would allow the driver to return later.
During the hearing, the court said road users could not even identify where zebra crossings were located and observed that cameras appeared not to be functioning. It said strict police enforcement could change the situation. The court also criticised the practice of justifying speeding on the basis of bus timings, saying that timing-related issues were for the Motor Vehicles Department to examine while the police had to ensure safety on the road.
Amicus curiae Vinod Bhatt told the court that large vehicles were required to follow rules including restrictions on overtaking. The court also referred to the behaviour of buses that use horns to intimidate other road users and assume that everyone else would move aside. It said Kochi had changed and that more people were now walking on its roads, while available space for pedestrians had reduced.
The court’s observations extend beyond driver behaviour to the condition and management of urban streets. The Kakkanad-Infopark corridor carries workers, residents and other road users, but the report identifies the absence of a footpath and the narrowness of the road as factors affecting pedestrian safety. The proceedings therefore placed enforcement, road design and accountability in the same frame.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Arun K. Pavithran, who appeared online before the court, assured it that strict action would be taken to control the excessive speed of buses. Three Assistant Commissioners also appeared before the court. The police were directed to implement measures to control speeding within one week.
