Kannur: While political parties exchanged barbs over the newly opened Thalassery-Mahe bypass in Kannur, safety concerns have been raised in the wake of accidents.
Three accidents occurred during the trial run and a person died on the inaugural day in a separate incident. A youth aged 18, who reportedly came with his friends to see the bypass, died while trying to jump across the separation to the other end of the stretch.

A pickup and bus collided at the intersection of the bypass to the Kozhikode road on Tuesday. Lack of safety measures like cameras and street lights and negligence of drivers are cited as reasons for these accidents.  

"The sign boards have no use on a highway as it is not properly visible to a driver. The road is totally dark at night as there are no street lights on the highway. With no surveillance cameras, chances of rash driving are high.  Youths also indulge in motorcycle races and lane traffic is seldom followed," said K V Jayarajan, Congress Dharmadam block president and a member of Edakkad block panchayat.

There is a dip in traffic on the bypass at present. However, locals and traffic authorities fear that once traffic kicks up, more  accidents may occur. Apart from this, speeding also poses a threat.

The bypass has only one junction and  U-turn is possible only here. The entry from the service road can be confusing for travellers as it is narrow and can lead to congestion when two vehicles try to use it at the same time. Entry to the service road through the wrong side also poses a threat.

However, the NHAI has said that it has sent the proposal to instal lights to its Delhi office. "The lights and cameras are not included in the first phase of work.  It will be installed later and we have started work to fix lights on the bypass," an NHAI official said.

Police and motor vehicle officials said that many drivers do not know rules of driving on the six-lane highway. Both departments are trying to create awareness about the lane-traffic rules for commuters.