The traffic police, on Monday, decided to remove sand-filled drums that acted as barricades, from Rajiv Gandhi Salai (OMR), hours after five vehicles were involved in a multiple collision accident.
Three cars and two two-wheelers suffered damages in the accident that happened around 8.30 a.m. in Thoraipakkam. According to the police, the vehicles were travelling behind an MTC bus, when, all of a sudden, it made a sudden turn to the left, causing the car right behind it to brake suddenly, and hit a drum barricade.
The other three vehicles that followed it hit the ones in the front. No one was injured in the incident.
It has been over a year since the traffic police placed sets of three metal drums at several places on the road to prevent speeding of vehicles and accidents.
A senior officer with the traffic police department said the drums would be removed and iron barricades placed during non-peak hours to discourage rash driving. The drum-barricades had been placed at several spots on a permanent basis.
Sources at the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company said, instead of reducing accidents, the drums had caused some. “In the last three months alone, there have been at least 13 accidents. Two were serious in nature,” said an official.
K. Anand, a resident of Navalur, said, even regular road users faced problems with the drums. “it is difficult to always remember the location of the drums. Also, sand gets accumulated at the base of the drums, causing two-wheelers to skid,” he said.
