Motorists who frequently use the Pettah-Venpalavattom road say it is a nightmare travelling on the stretch, particularly during night and after rain.
The Kudavoor-Pump House stretch has turned an apology for a road. The condition of the road worsened after the pipe bursts that occurred at two places between the Kudavoor and Pump House junctions.
Following the frequent bursts, the road has completely eroded and is marred with huge potholes, slush and loose gravel. Accidents involving two-wheeler riders have become a routine affair on the stretch.
Several protests demanding restoration of the road have taken place in the recent past but so far they have failed to yield any results. The local councillor cites non-availability of funds with the Public Works Department as the reason for the delay in taking up repair works.
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While the security staff of some commercial establishments sometimes double up as traffic cops and try to control the traffic in front of their buildings to ease the way for the customers who are leaving the premises, they do not seem to be as proactive in clearing up the long line of cars waiting to get inside the parking lot. Such scenes are getting far too common in the vicinity of shopping complexes and theatres, especially during the weekends.
The traffic on these stretches is thrown out of gear at various points of time from around 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. In Thampanoor, both sides of the road are choked at night on weekends. On one side is the long line of cars waiting to get inside the nearby theatre complex, on the other side are the cars waiting to pick up passengers arriving at the railway station by various trains.
(Reporting by Rajesh B. Nair and S.R. Praveen)
