It’s been a month since an important traffic signal on GST Road, near Chennai airport, stopped working.
Located near the main entrance leading to the airport, the signal is crucial as motorists from the Guindy side can barely see vehicles coming from the opposite direction (Pallavaram side). The huge pillars of the airport flyover block their view.
According to the traffic police, the power supply to the signal was disrupted after some cables were damaged during the rains earlier this month.
In the past, when the signal was in order, there have been minor accidents at the spot. The past month, with the signal on the blink, traffic on the stretch has become chaotic, said R. Bhaskar who travels from Pallavaram to his office in Guindy every day.
He said that vehicles approached the intersection at high speed and the signal was crucial in controlling traffic.
An employee of Chennai airport said no less than 2,500 vehicles entered the premises every day. This was in addition to the vehicles of employees and other regulars.
In the absence of a signal, drivers of taxis and heavy vehicles tended to speed and this may prove risky, the employee said.
A traffic policeman said the signal fault was a minor one and would be taken care of at the earliest.
He said the delay thus far was due to the unavailability of an electrician. “The person who attends to such problems regularly has not been coming to work. Also, replacement cables are not easily available,” he said. However, the problem would be sorted by Monday, the policeman said.
