Pedestrians find it inconvenient to use the subway at Guindy, especially during rush hour. Large numbers of hawkers can be found encroaching upon the space in the subway.
As a result, the width of the passageway has reduced. The facility has literally been turned into a shopping area.
This subway, which is under the maintenance of State Highways Department, provides access to Race Course Road, Anna Salai, Guindy Industrial Estate, Guiny railway station, bus terminus, Industrial Estate bus stop, and Metro Rail Station.
As there is no pedestrian crossing in the vicinity, pedestrians have no other option but to use the subway. And, during rush hour, they are caught in a stampede-like situation.
A section of the pedestrians risk their lives by jumping over the median below the elevated Chennai Metro Rail tracks.
Motorists say they are forced to slam on the brakes. As Anna Salai, Guindy, is relatively free up to the intersection of Muthu Kumaraswamy Naicker Road and Grand Southern Trunk Road, Guindy, vehicle users come at a breakneck speed, and pedestrians dart across road. S. Karthik, an executive with a travel company, says, “One can ignore the occasional hawker. But with so many of them blocking the passageway, things have become difficult.”
A State Highways Department official says steps will taken to inspect the subway and action will be taken.
