Anyone who has driven down ECR or OMR recently will be familiar with the yellow barricades placed there to slow traffic. While the traffic police say these barricades have reduced the number of accidents on several stretches, road users complain that they are often an inconvenience.
“Along ECR, the problem is in the late evening when the light is poor and the barricades are not visible. With two-way traffic on many of the stretches, the barricades make driving scary,” said R. Sampath, a motorist.
The issue on OMR is slightly different. During peak hours, many commuters complain that the barricades are often misaligned or sometimes have fallen down rendering them useless and making them the cause of accidents.
Barricades placed on the medians also lead to accidents, T. Vijayan who works in an IT company said.
Sources at Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC), which manages OMR and ECR, said in the past two months, two accidents have been reported due to the barricades on OMR.
Transport department officials said there would always be problems when it came to a vehicle having to brake suddenly. If the driver knows where barricades are positioned, then they will drive cautiously.
People who are new to the area could colliding with the barricade. Even though recommendations have been sent to the traffic police on this issue, nothing has been done so far, said an official.
There are other means to slow down traffic — barricades are not necessarily the best option, said the official, adding that many buses and other larger vehicles hit and displaced the barricades, rendering them useless.
The police, however, deny the charge. They say the barricades have reduced the number of fatal accidents on many roads. They have been installed only in areas that are prone to speeding and accidents, after analysis. Many road users attempt to circumvent the barricades or travel at high speeds, which can displace the barricades, a senior police officer said.
The police have booked several cases against motorists who have tried to place the barricades on the median to create space for more vehicles. Traffic experts, however, say that on main roads, traffic signals could be placed to slow down traffic. Sources at TNRDC said that suggestions for additional signals would be looked into and if valid, could be implemented.
