If someone has spent five minutes at the Porur junction, he’ll know what mayhem means. At all times of the day — yes, even late at night — the traffic volume at this junction is huge. During rush hour, it reaches mind-boggling proportions. Now, making matters really worse, the traffic signal is out of order. The traffic policemen manning the junction have their work cut out.
“The signal was damaged a few months ago, when a lorry hit the post. We have been manually managing the traffic since then. Now, new poles have been erected and the lights will be placed soon and signals should work,” says the traffic inspector.
An auto driver, who lives in the area, has a different story to tell. He says the signal on this important junction has been out of order for over a year now.
“I have not seen the signal working for a year now. A few traffic policemen are on duty managing the huge volume of traffic. But this has not helped as traffic gets blocked on Arcot Road for at least 10 minutes, even during non-peak hours. The wait is much longer during rush hour.”
Pedestrians also have their bit to complain about. Without a pedestrian signal, people dart across the road, and risk being hit by moving vehicles. “It is a difficult task to cross the roads here. With the signal not working, we do not know when we can cross. Some people don’t wait for the vehicles to stop and they walk across the road suddenly, taking motorists by surprise. I have witnessed a lot of near-accident incidents at the junction. You can’t blame the traffic police too. They have a difficult job to do,” says Muthamma, a flower seller who sits near the junction.
The traffic police official however says a pedestrian signal is not possible at this junction and even if the traffic signal works, policemen would have to control the movement of pedestrians.
Many think the completion of the flyover work will address the problem. “Arcot Road will benefit a lot if the flyover is built. You should see the traffic during peak hours, many of the roadside vendors are forced to shift back as vehicles take up the entire space. Sometimes, we are scared that a vehicle will hit us,” says Kumar, a fruit vendor.
