Efforts taken by Greater Chennai Corporation to create bus bays to prevent congestion at bus stops have borne fruits.
A bay was recently opened at the Race Course bus stop in Guindy for Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) route numbers, on an experimental basis, and commuters hailed the Corporation for this initiative.
Corporation officials said that after the Chennai Traffic Police diverted the MTC buses through Race Course Road to ease congestion on Grand Southern Trunk Road, traffic pile-ups occurred whenever buses halted at the stop opposite Guindy railway station. To ease the congestion, the Corporation not only widened the road but also built a dedicated bus bay, officials said, adding that land was acquired from the Madras Race Club.
A bus bay comprising bus shelters and seating arrangements was constructed for commuters in a space measuring 360 square metres, officials added.
The bay has eased traffic congestion to a certain extent. Earlier, commuters used to wait for their route numbers on the road as a few route numbers would not enter the designated bus lane on the stretch, but halt on the carriageway, causing traffic snarls, especially during rush hour.
Moreover, autos and shareautorickshaws used to halt near the bus stop and also enter the lane, forcing bus drivers to stop much ahead. Commuters faced the risk of being caught between the autos and the buses.
“Most often, we would miss the bus. Sometimes, the buses won’t halt inside the lane, but 100 to 200 metres away from the lane,” S. Ramya Kumar, a commuter, said.
Except for one or two, all route numbers plying through the stretch enter the bay, which is a huge relief to the commuters. Commuters requested the MTC to put up a board displaying route numbers plying through the stretch, bus stops and route map for the convenience of the commuters.
