“A lot more needs to be done”

The traffic police take steps to decongest Vijay Nagar junction, but motorists and residents say they are not enough.

Vehicles at Vijaya nagar Bus Terminus, Velachery Junction Taramani Road. Photo: M. Karunakaran

While driving past the Vijay Nagar junction, have you noticed any changes? Considering the intersection is chaotic most of the time, I assume you have not.

Recently, the traffic police in Velachery took a few steps to regulate the heavy vehicular traffic at the junction, including eviction of the vendors who had lined up near the bus stop and placement of barricades to prevent visitors to the shops from parking their vehicles haphazardly.

“With the eviction of vendors, the road has become nearly 10 feet broader ,” says A. Chellapandian, sub-inspector (traffic), Velachery.

The three bus stops on the stretch leading to Tambaram have been provided with bays for MTC buses. Many warning boards have been placed informing motorists that vehicles will be towed away if they are parked in the ‘no parking area’.

For pedestrians, crossing the road has been made easy with zebra crossing markings at the two junctions.

Reflectors have also been installed near the signals.

Residents and motorists say more measures to regulate traffic should have been taken as the Vijay Nagar junction is the meeting point for many vital and busy roads that link various fast-developing localities. T. Basha, who frequents shops at Velachery, says as long as the traffic police are present everything is smooth.

“How long will vendors stay away from setting up shops near the junction? We have had encroachment drives in the past and every time, hawkers would return after a few days,” says the resident of Velachery.

The traffic department is also working on diverting traffic once the ongoing work on the diversion canal from Taramani-Velachery Link Road, which will carry excess rainwater from Veerangal Odai to South Buckingham canal, reaches the Vijay Nagar junction.

Apart from shops that contribute to the traffic chaos due to the lack of any provision for parking, pedestrians consider autorickshaws a contributory factor. There are three autorickshaw stands and one Ape auto stand, all of which eat up the road space.

The traffic police say over 40,000 vehicles use the junction during rush hour and a long-term plan is required to manage traffic.

“How we would manage the traffic once the canal work reaches the junction is something worth giving a lot of thought to,” says D.K. Balasubramanian, traffic sub inspector.