“SPEED 5 MILES”

My Island was not a remote one. It is just off the mainland Ernakulam. But electricity connection and water supply were obtained only about forty years back. Telephone connection was rendered as recent as tweny five years back. The Islander’s used to stride cross-country through coastal shores; bunds of paddy fields; neighbouring properties including courtyards and other beaten tracks. The other accessibility was by canoes or other water transport services. The only sandy road inside the Island was far from the actual road in the city. They were mainly inundated pathways. What struck me, as a very unusual sight, was an inscription on a granite stone which read “SPEED 5 MILES.” This was fixed onto a post which was erected in a property adjacent to the pathway near the Kumbalam Girl’s High School. This seemed rather odd in an area which was devoid of motor vehicles and vehicular roads. That inscription got relevance after forty years when the Island was connected by National Highway – 47 in 1987.

It is important to number the main avenues and streets in cities municipalities and Grama Panchayats. There should be signboards with directions and distances, written both in English and the local language, at all junctions on the national highways, state highways and other roads. The State PWD and National Highway departments should take necessary steps to execute this to help the travelers,  especially those who drive at night. The Motor Vehicles department should make traveler’s especially the drivers aware about the availability and use of the satellite-based navigation system namely Global Positioning System (GPS) in the inter-net. The GPS renders adequate help in navigation. It gives  the map of roads or paths available; traffic congestion and alternative routes; roads or paths that might be taken to get to the destination; if some roads are busy the best route to take; the location of food, banks, hotels, fuel, airports or other places of interests; the shortest route between the two locations and the different options to drive on highway or back roads. The GPS would also help 24x7 live location tracking of your vehicles / assets and people. 

Excerpts from

MEMOIRS

An autobiography

by

Joseph J. Thayamkeril

Lawyer, Kochi, Kerala, India.

josephjthayamkeril.blogspot.com

josephjthayamkeril@gmail.com