Two MTC stops, just 50 metres apart, are causing traffic congestion on Poonamallee High Road. Every time buses halt at these stops, near the Maduravoyal traffic signal, they block vehicular traffic.
Motorists as well as traffic police want the MTC officials to merge the two stops and move it by a few metres in order to avoid traffic snarls.
“The PH Road has already become narrow after the elevated corridor project for which concrete pillars were built. Given the situation, there is no need for two bus stops, within a short distance, that too on a busy stretch like PH Road,” said K. Veera, a motorist.
Every day, hundreds of motorists from areas such as Vanagaram, Ayapakkam, Thiruverkadu, Avadi, Annanoor, Poonamallee and Kundrathur use the stretch to reach other parts of the city. Further, heavy vehicles from industrial belts such as Irunkattukotai, Sriperumbadur and Oragadam take PH Road to reach Chennai Port.
“There have been instances of school/college buses and ambulances getting stuck in traffic. Merging and shifting the bus stop will put an end to traffic snarls near the signal,” said a traffic policeman.
MTC officials said that the stop near the signal was meant for MTC buses and the one near the government public health centre is for moffusil buses from CMBT, Koyambedu.
“Unlike the stop near the signal, the space near the public health centre bus stop is narrow. Merging and shifting of the stops will only move the traffic problem to the new location. An alternative solution has to be found to solve this problem. We will work on it,” said a MTC official.
