If you are driving towards Velachery from Tambaram on Velachery Main Road, beware! A ‘trap’ lies on the way. For the past two years, a protruding manhole has been lying unattended despite repeated appeals to civic authorities.
Motorists say the ‘man-made trap’ came up while cables were laid one and half years ago. The Highways Department which re-laid the road later, did not take note of the manhole that is sticking out protrudes for ‘nearly a feet above’ the ground.
After the inauguration of the flyover connecting East and West Tambaram, the number of vehicles had increased significantly. S. Diya, a college student, says as the re-laid road is smoother, the threat from the bump has become graver.
“I have seen many two-wheeler riders hitting the manhole and skidding on the road injuring themselves. Luckily, no fatal accidents has taken place so far. Are the authorities waiting for that to happen?” she asked.
Many motorists welcomed the traffic police’s decision to have a couple of policemen posted near Bharathamatha Street corner to penalise erring motorists. At the same time, they suggested that the traffic department should at least ensure a ‘reflector’ on the bumpy side of the manhole to caution the motorists after dusk.
Poor illumination
“The lighting provided by street lamps on both sides of the road is not enough. Incidentally, the lamp near the bump is not burning for quite some time now. Even, if it burns, the spot is under darkness because buses of a private institution parked by the side of roadside block the light,” says autorickshaw driver S. Dharman.
Residents Welfare Association activist S. Ramakrishnan wanted the Tambaram Municipality to initiate maintenance of street lights on the stretch between UCO Bank- Adhi Nagar, a where number of street lights do not burn. “Already the road is constricted and divides into a two way traffic passageway. Poor street lights add to the danger for bikers during rains,” he said.
Problems pertaining to streetlights dominate every meeting of local bodies in the southern suburbs.
In several wards, maintenance of streetlights has been privatised and lack of ladders and manpower to repair the lights is a common complaint. Many motorists have sought installation of reflectors.
