The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Lorries take over service lanes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 17, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Lorries take over service lanes

K. Manikandan

Cause nuisance to road users and damage amenities

RASH DRIVING: An electricity cable support post installed on the service lane of GST Road near Peerkankaranai, which was damaged by a speeding truck recently. — PHOTO: A. Muralitharan

TAMBARAM : Indisciplined drivers of heavy vehicles not only cause accidents on the arterial Grand Southern Trunk road but also create severe hardships to road users in the southern suburbs of Chennai.

Heavy vehicles frequently damage basic amenities and also take over service lanes near National Highway 45. More than a week ago, a rashly driven container lorry dashed against a newly installed post of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board at Peerkankaranai. The post, installed on the service lane, fell into the adjacent Peerkankaranai lake and has not been replaced.

The owner of the lorry paid the fine amount to the TNEB but a new post has not been installed owing to shortage, officials said. That lorries damage EB posts has now become a regular problem, the officials said.

At Peerkankaranai, lorries were parked on service lanes throughout the day, causing hardships to all. Some tanker operators secretly discharged sewage into the lake. Not only in Peerkankaranai, but also at several places lorries take over service lanes.

Take over bus bays

After widening and improvement works on the GST Road, the National Highways Authority of India provided service lanes at many places to enable small vehicles and pedestrians to reach their destinations safely without having to compete with speeding vehicles on the carriageway. Bus bays and shelters exclusively for commuters have also been built.

Government buses originating from Koyambedu and Tambaram and proceeding to various destinations in nearby districts and also services operated by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation are unable to reach bus bays and shelters as the access is blocked by lorries.

Hence, buses are parked on the carriageway, shrinking road space and causing traffic snarls. Transport Corporation employees said unless lorry drivers were disciplined, there could be no order on the GST Road. The lorries, mostly sand-laden trucks , had also damaged barricades placed to prevent overspeeding, traffic police personnel in Tambaram said.

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