The roughly 100-metre-long Hayathkhan Sahib Road that connects the one-way stretches of TPK Road and West Veli Street near Periyar Bus Stand is perhaps the only road in Madurai city where the motorists have to drive on the right side.
The road allows vehicles on TPK Road to connect to the road near Periyar bus stand instead of going all the way till the bridge near Madura College to take a turn. Similarly, it also allows those coming from Madura College side to connect to TPK Road without having to wait at the signal in Periyar junction.
Since the motorists using the Hayathkhan Sahib Road in both the directions have to take a right at the end of the road, the traffic police have made it a “drive-on-the-right” road with barricades placed along the stretch to streamline traffic.
However, despite the arrangement, this small stretch continues to remain a scene of chaos during peak hours, mainly due to the haphazard movement of share autorickshaws.
A vendor who sells flowers on Hayathkhan Sahib Road, speaking on anonymity, said that share autorickshaws stopped at the road blocking almost the entire carriageway, causing difficulties to other motorists. “This is a hotspot for them as they can pick up passengers getting down at Periyar bus stand and waiting to go to nearby places,” he said.
Acknowledging that they used the road in a haphazard manner, N. Kumaresan, a share auto rickshaw driver, said that they had no other go. “A lot of people alighting at Periyar Bus Stand need share auto rickshaws. But we cannot pick them up near Periyar Bus Stand as the police will not allow us. Hence, we use this road,” he said.
He added that the congestion was also caused by some vehicles which used the left since they were unaware that they should use the right side of this road.
Adding to the chaos is parking of vehicles on both sides due to the presence of a number of shops and, particularly, private travel agencies. A traffic policeman deployed near Periyar junction said that the carriageway could be widened by clearly earmarking the footpath and parking space on the road.
“The movement of share autos must also be regulated during peak hours,” he added.
