A bad road, poor traffic management and lack of pedestrian space have made commuting on City Link Road in Guindy a unpalatable experience. The problem doesn’t end there, but continues through Maduvankarai, NGO Colony, Sastri Nagar, Kakkan Nagar, Adambakkam and Kakkan Bridge.
To avoiding crater-like potholes on City Link Road, motorists swerve left and right, to the dismay of other motorists coming in the opposite direction (from Chakrapani Street, Guindy).
The stretch connects St. Thomas Mount, Guindy, Adambakkam, Maduvankarai, Mahalakshmi Nagar, Adambakkam Post and West Velachery.
But, no steps have been taken to re-lay the road or level the road surface, which was dug up somtime ago by the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) for laying Nemmeli desalination plant drinking water pipes.
The pipe-laying work has been completed till Kakkan Bridge. The desalination plant is expected to provide piped water to residents of south Chennai and the newly-merged areas coming under Greater Chennai Corporation including Ullagaram, Puzhuthivakkam and Alandur, CMWSSB officials said. “When it rains, the road becomes unmotorable. We face a tough time commuting on the stretch. Though the road is in a bad shape, motorists have scant regard for traffic rules and drive recklessly. Many do not follow lane discipline,” says A. Raghavan, a motorist.
Commercial establishments found on the thoroughfare have usurped the road space, says M. Prabhakaran, a motorist. Two heavy vehicles cannot pass through the stretch, side by side.
Visitors to these establishments park their vehicles on the footpath.
The encroachments near Maduvankarai have to be removed and the thoroughfare widened.
Efforts to contact the Corporation authorities concerned proved futile.
