Four months ago, two-way traffic arrangement was reintroduced at the Luz Corner junction in Mylapore. Due to poor traffic regulation, the new arrangement seems to have made this triangular junction, constituted by Karpagambal Road, Luz Church Road and Luz Avenue near Nageshwara Rao Park, accident-prone.
Motorists, especially motorcyclists and autorickshaw drivers near the Nageshwara Rao Park, try to reach the tri-junction from the Luz Avenue lanes (located near the park) driving the wrong way on Luz Church Road.
A section of Luz Church Road, stretching from the park to Musiri Subramaniam Road and accounting for a distance of around 200 metres, is one-way.
Motorists on Luz Church Road have to take a ‘U’ turn at Musiri Subramaniam Road to reach Karpagambal Road junction near Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College. Alternatively, motorists can take a right turn before the park to reach Karpagambal junction.
“Taking advantage of the width of Luz Church Road and the absence of policemen near the park, motorcyclists ride on the wrong side of the stretch to reach Karpagambal junction putting pedestrians and visitors to the park at risk for accidents. Adequate police personnel should be deployed near the park,” says B. Sadasivan, a resident of Mylapore.
Following the reintroduction of two-way traffic at Luz Corner junction in October last year, Karpagambal Road and P.S. Sivasamy Salai up to Luz Church Road is a two-way, with entry from Musiri Subramaniam Salai– Karpagambal Nagar junction and movement towards Luz Church Road.
Light motor vehicles such as cars and two-wheelers coming from Musiri Subramaniam Salai and proceeding towards P. S. Sivasamy Salai are allowed to take a right turn towards Luz Church Road via Karpagambal Nagar Road.
However, buses and goods-carrying vehicles coming from Musiri Subramaniam Salai are allowed to take a left turn towards P. S. Sivasamy Salai. Similarly, all light vehicles and bikes coming from from Karpagambal Nagar Road and proceeding towards Luz Church Road are allowed to take a left turn towards Luz junction or a right towards Alwarpet.
At present, a lone traffic police personnel is deployed at the small junction of Musiri Subramaniam Salai and Karpagambal Nagar Road near Vivekananda college. This is mainly to ensure the safety of road users, including college students and motorists as the whole of Karpagambal Nagar Road, from the Luz Church Road junction to P.S. Sivasamy Salai, is narrow. However, motorists coming from lanes around Nageshwara Rao park drive the wrong way on Luz Church Road to reach Karpagambal Nagar Road resulting in accidents, especially during rush hour.
Residents and motorists say a small police booth or an outpost near the park will dissuade motorists, especially motorcyclists, from taking the wrong route to reach Karpagambal Nagar Road.
Senior citizens and women constitute the majority of visitors to the park and they find it risky to cross Luz Church Road near Karpagambal Nagar Road junction due to the lack of traffic regulation, especially in the evening hours when residents throng the park.
“Since the reintroduction of two-way traffic, we have doubled the number of police personnel deployed around Luz Corner junction, raising it to 25. We will increase our surveillance near the park soon,” say police sources.
