The sprawling stretch of ECR, infamous for its many accidents, can now boast of another reason for accidents. Medians built with an increased height of two feet! These medians recently replaced the usual, slightly elevated ones, where one could cross the road anywhere, to curb accidents on this very stretch. The idea may be good but the planning certainly isn’t.
The major disadvantage of these medians is the space left for pedestrians to cross the road. Less than a foot or may be even less. Not only is the space very narrow, there is also an electric post right in the middle!
These medians pose serious reason for accident of many types. Pedestrians, fat or thin, squeeze and literally rub themselves over the electric post to get to the other side. School children jump over these medians to land right in the middle of the road! And since only one can get through at a time, they actually form a queue on the road to cross! The scenario at night is even worse as it is not easy to spot the pedestrian. All this makes me wonder why Chennai is even considered a metropolis if it can’t provide a basic pedestrian crossing.
Perathuselvi Murugan, XII, Pon Vidyashram, Injambakkam
