Rows of heavy vehicles including lorries and trailers were recently seen waiting for their turn at the routine vehicle checking point — which is the traffic signal on the Chennai –Tiruvallur High (CTH) Road in Ambattur. While these vehicles were getting checked, other motorists using the stretch had to struggle through the space that was left.
Traffic policemen attached to the Ambattur police could not do anything about the traffic chaos as they focussed on checking the documents of the waiting vehicles and were imposing fines. There were no policemen to make alternative arrangements to manage the traffic.
The heavy vehicles that came from neighbouring districts including Tiruvallur on the CTH Road were stopped at the traffic signal leaving other motorists to use the narrow space. Motorists were often seen jumping the signal.
By the time they negotiated through the signal point, the light turned red making them wait further. It also resulted in minor accidents with other vehicles coming from the opposite direction.
“Sadly, the traffic checks were done during rush hour when office-goers, traders and students hurry to their destinations. We are not against vehicle checking but we want it to be organised so that the traffic flow isn’t obstructed,” said S. Devikala, a resident of Ambattur.
The CTH Road, a State Highway, is currently being widened between Padi and Thirunindravur — a distance of around 20 kms — from the existing two-lane stretch into a six-lane highway with median, footpath, stormwater drains and streetlights at a cost of Rs. 98 crore.
At present, many portions of the stretch between Padi and Thirunindravur have been expanded after demolition of encroachments and acquisition of private lands.
However, a few spots on the stretch are yet to be widened due to litigations relating to acquisition of land for widening work.
A narrow channel above a waterway near the Ambattur police station on CTH road is one such spot, where the land has to be acquired from the traders on both sides of the stretch for widening work.
Vehicle checking by the traffic police is conducted near the small culvert where a traffic signal is located. Adding to the existing traffic woes near the culvert, the vehicle checking also complicates the traffic situation there as motorists have to wait for at least half an hour to cross the traffic junction.
Motorists and residents demand that the police take appropriate measures before conducting such checks and deploy extra policemen to regulate the traffic when such checking happens.
