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The diversion on the Santhome High Road has eased traffic flow and made life better for school children, says L. Srikrishna

Traffic diversion, a relief to school students

Diversion of vehicles from Kamarajar Salai through the Nochikuppam bypass near Light House has come as a relief to school students of this congested area.

Police announced the diversion on Monday last, mainly to decongest the Santhome High Road during morning and evening peak hours. Vehicles are diverted to the seaside road via Nochikuppam between 7.30 a.m and 10.30 a.m and between 1.30 p.m and 4.30 p.m.

The Joint Commissioner (Traffic) Sunil Kumar said Santhome Road would remain partially one-way and vehicles coming from Kamarajar Salai should turn left at the Light House point and take the inside road instead of entering Santhome Road.

This was to lessen traffic on the Santhome stretch, where 11 educational institutions are situated. After some hiccups in the first two days, people have started realising the move as useful, said a traffic police officer. "When we explained to the drivers about the reason for the diversion, they were convinced. Moreover, the diversion is only for a short period," he adds.

Police say MTC buses and private vehicles transporting children to schools located on the Santhome High Road from either side are not stopped, while other vehicles coming from Kamarajar Salai are diverted via the Nochikuppam by-pass.

"Right from 7.30 a.m., vehicles flowing into the Santhome stretch is very high. By converting it into a one-way, autorickshaws and private van operators carrying students from far and near are relieved to a great extent," Chandrakumar, a parent, said. An autorickshaw driver of Nochikuppam welcomed the move, saying that roughly 20,000 school children might be studying in schools in the area. However, some road users feel that the one-way timings could be reduced by at least 30-45 minutes. It should be relaxed for residents of Santhome Road, they say, so that they need not take a circuitous route to reach home.

JCP (Traffic) Sunil Kumar said the inside road was under-utilised.

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