The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Where commuters have bumpy ride, and pedestrians tough time

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 07, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Where commuters have bumpy ride, and pedestrians tough time

R. Srikanth

Encroachments, and haphazard parking on Medavakkam Main Road

SUBURBAN CHAOS: Traffic in disorder on Medavakkam Main Road near St. Thomas Mount Railway station. — PHOTO: A. MURALITHARAN.

CHENNAI : Rampant encroachments, dumping of debris and haphazard parking have made Medavakkam Main Road a nightmare for commuters and pedestrians alike.

The road, stretching from Medavakkam (junction of Velachery Main Road) to St. Thomas Mount Railway Station, is an important corridor connecting the southern suburbs to the city.

V. Kuppan of Adambakkam Exnora says that traffic on the road has increased by leaps and bounds with the growth of residential colonies in Nanganallur, Madipakkam, Ullagaram-Puzhithivakkam, Keelkatalai and Kovilambakkam.

The road has become a difficult stretch to cross, with the bulk of traffic stretching from Keelkatalai Bus Terminus to St. Thomas Mount Railway Station. Shops and other commercial establishments, lined up on both sides of the entire stretch, have encroached upon the footpath to display their wares. Haphazard parking on the road margin, which spills over to the carriageway, accentuates the bottleneck. Several eateries also carry out their cooking on the footpath.

The rampant encroachments have led to a situation in which even a bus halting at its stop is enough to create traffic jam.

G. Balraj, a resident of Gokulam Nagar, suggests that all junctions be widened to find some immediate relief. Residents add that the stretch also gets inundated easily. V. Rama Rao, secretary, Lakshmi Nagar Welfare Association, Nanganallur, says though road widening work has been sanctioned long ago, work has not yet started.

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