Every time R. Satish, a resident of Sastri Nagar, comes to the Adyar bus depot to board a bus towards Vadapalani, he doesn’t wait at the bays allocated for the buses, but almost on the middle of the road, thanks to the two-wheeler riders, auto and share-auto drivers passing right through the passage where the bus is supposed to halt. He has to run to board the bus which halts a few metres away. It is not just Mr. Satish, but many other hapless commuters who are forced to run after the buses every day. In May this year, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation, in association with the Greater Chennai Corporation and the Chennai Traffic Police allotted space for a bus bay on Lattice Bridge Road.
The halting point for the buses is at the intersection of Lattice Bridge Road, Indira Nagar First Avenue, and Sastri Nagar Ninth Lane, Adyar. However, autos, share-autos, and two-wheelers pass through the bay to drop and woo the commuters at the bus stop.
“As a result, the buses halt a few metres before or after its designated stopping point. We are forced to run between the moving vehicles to board the buses. The space is too narrow at the bus bay which only adds to our woes,” Mr. Satish rued.
The pavements are broken, uneven and used as a parking lot by commercial establishments abutting the halting point. A Chennai Traffic Police officer, said, “Steps will be taken to deploy police personnel at the intersection to prevent private vehicles entering the bay.”
