Ezakimani, who runs a bunk shop in Choolaimedu, is nursing wounds on his right leg and still amazed at his escape after his scooter collided with an MTC bus recently. He was merely taking the service lane out of Zackaria Colony, Choolaimedu, into the service lane adjoining Kodambakkam Bridge.
The traffic chaos in an around the bridge has become a perennial problem for residents in the area, as bottlenecks and longer routes have become a daily affair. From Monday, the traffic on Kodambakkam Bridge is being permitted only on one way — from Vadapalani to Valluvarkottam. Vehicles coming from Vadapalani cannot take the Kodambakkam bridge.
For commuters like Madeeswer Gandhi, who runs an IT firm in T. Nagar, just off Bazullah Road, getting onto North Usman Road is an exasperating affair. “Manoeuvring through the Thirumalai Pillai Road stretch during rush hours is chaotic and crossing Bazullah Road is extremely difficult. Now that the Kodambakkam bridge has been made one-way, the traffic situation has worsened,” he added.
Many residents have even chosen to the bypass the whole area and travel by longer routes to avoid the traffic.
Residents of Choolaimedu and Kodambakkam are also facing the heat as a result of the fresh traffic changes. S. Kasturirangan, a resident of Zackaria Colony, has been knocking the doors of the traffic police headquarters at the Police Commissionerate in Vepery to find a solution to the traffic situation in and around the bridge. “There is no improvement and it has only worsened. It is extremely dangerous for pedestrians and motorists, especially on the service lane on the left-hand side of the bridge as heavy vehicles including MTC buses have been plying on the lane,” he lamented.
