400 road stretches in Kerala unsafe for pedestrians, study finds
Thiruvananthapuram: Pedestrian deaths accounted for over one-fourth (26.5%) of total fatalities in road accidents across Kerala between 2018 and 2022, according to a study by the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC), cited by The New Indian Express.
The study identified 400 pedestrian vulnerable corridors—road sections with exceptionally high risks for pedestrians—spanning 555.81 km across the state. More than 5,100 pedestrian deaths occurred in these corridors during the five-year period.
Alarmingly, 62% of these corridors lacked basic pedestrian infrastructure such as footpaths and zebra crossings, significantly increasing the danger to pedestrians.
Data from the State Crime Records Bureau, Kerala Police, cited in the NATPAC report, revealed that Kerala recorded 1,86,375 road accidents from 2018 to 2022, resulting in 19,468 deaths and 2,11,534 injuries. The state ranked third nationally in total road accidents.
Experts quoted in the report recommend moving away from isolated “black spot” fixes to comprehensive corridor-based interventions, which can more effectively address underlying issues such as poor urban design, inadequate infrastructure, and weak enforcement.
V.S. Sanjay Kumar, scientist leading the NATPAC traffic engineering and safety division, said the full report will be submitted to the government by March 2026.
“Pedestrian safety must be tackled beyond isolated black spots. Instead, this must be addressed along the entire corridor. Identifying vulnerable corridors ensures that limited resources are directed where they can save the most lives,” TNIE quoted Sanjay as saying.
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
