S. Mahesh, a resident of Dr. Ambedkar Nagar, Medavakkam, waits for V51 (Tambaram West-T. Nagar) beyond the Medavakkam Koot Road bus stop.
It’s true that buses don’t stop bang at the bus stop, but a little further. That is however not the reason for Mahesh standing where he does.
The Medavakkam Koot Road Bus Stop is located right at the intersection of Medavakkam Main Road and Velachery Main Road, and this section is extremely busy, waiting commuters face the risk of being knocked down by speeding vehicles, especially those coming from the eastern (Medavakkam) and western (Gowrivakkam and Sembakkam) sides of Velachery Main Road.
Except for MTC buses, vehicles coming from these two sides turn left or right at high speed.
“Vehicle users coming from western side of Velachery Main Road see the commuters only when they approach the intersection, and to avoid hitting them, motorists often take a zigzag course, which can prove dangerous for other road users,” commuters said.
Medavakkam Main Road is narrow up to Velakkal. Re-locating the stop further on the stretch or creation of a bus bay on the stretch will lead to vehicular congestion. The stop can be re-located on Velachery Main Road near an educational institution, commuters pointed out.
A few commuters stand on Medavakkam Main Road, while others wait for their route numbers on the space abutting the stretch and the educational institution.
When it rains, the space gets slippery.
When they notice their route numbers approaching the stop, the commuters standing on the space, run helter-skelter. They have to be very careful not to slip and fall.
Besides this, there is the problem of non-functioning vehicular traffic signals at the intersection of Medavakkam Main Road and Velachery Main Road. The flow of vehicular traffic from all directions makes it difficult for the pedestrians to cross the intersection.
When contacted, MTC officials promised to look into the matter and do the needful.
