More than six accidents in the last fortnight between Nathamuni theatre bus stop and the traffic junction at ICF have turned the spotlight on this section of New Avadi Road in Villivakkam.
There is a pattern to these accidents – the pedestrians, who were badly injured, were trying to cross the busy stretch under the cover of darkness.
Poor illumination and potholes on New Avadi Road make the stretch dangerous for pedestrians and motorists.
“After the ICF traffic signal, there is little police presence. I was injured last week when a pedestrian suddenly darted across the road a few hundred metres before the Villivakkam traffic signal. While trying to avoid hitting the pedestrian, my bike skid and I fell,” said K. Sasikumar, a motorist from Villivakkam.
Motorists say encroachments on the pavement in the form of huts and extension of shops near the Villivakkam traffic signal make it difficult for them to see the movement of pedestrians from a distance.
“The overgrown branches must be trimmed to ensure motorists are in a position to notice the pedestrians crossing the stretch, from a distance and slow down,” said K. Meenakshi, a resident of ICF.
New Avadi Road has become a busy stretch with 40,000 vehicles using the stretch every day, on an average. This was mainly due to the construction of a box-type channel by Water Resources Department of the Public Works Department to divert excess rainwater from the Otteri Nullah through a link with the Cooum river near Brewery Road in Anna Nagar. The work was aimed at preventing flooding of the neighbourhood during monsoon.
The existing work on the flyover in Thirumangalam and Metro Rail work there have left motorists with no alternative but to use the New Avadi Road to reach the centre of the city via Chintamani and Kilpauk on Kilpauk Garden Road.
The New Avadi Road connects Padi and Ayanavaram and is shorter route to reach Kilpauk than the Poonamallee High Road route. “We will take steps to re-lay the damaged portion of the road and also install street lights wherever required,” said a Corporation official.
