Frequent traffic delays on the Coimbatore Bypass road from Neelambur to Madukkarai on National Highways 47 have irked the road users, especially those who use it every day.
The 27-km road, maintained by a private company, has toll plazas on six locations on the stretch. Each toll plaza has four counters. However, on most of the days only two counters operate. Traffic delays are mainly at the toll plazas and mostly during the peak hours or on days when the traffic flow is heavy.
A.V. Varadarajan of Sandfit Foundries, who uses the road every day, says only two of the four counters operate at the toll plazas - one for vehicles bound towards Madukkarai and another for those going towards Neelambur.
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Though a vehicle had taken the user ticket at one counter after paying the toll, it had to wait for long duration at the counters on other locations on the stretch. Only one counter functions at each plaza for one section of the road.
The personnel at this counter should issue tickets to those vehicles that had not yet paid the toll and also verify the tickets already collected by vehicles from another counter on the stretch.
Vehicles enter the bypass from more than 20 cross roads and this only pointed at the huge volume of traffic on this stretch. This called for some measures to avoid traffic hold-ups.
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All the four counters should be operated at each toll plaza so that the long wait is avoided. While two could be designated for issuing new tickets, the other two could be used to verify the tickets already taken. Thus, vehicles that already had a ticket need not wait at the counter.
“Even last week there were 20 vehicles at a counter and I waited for long time to pass through the toll plaza though I had already paid the toll,” Mr. Varadarajan said.
K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause, said that with the availability of several modern technologies, verification process should be simplified for vehicles that collect the ticket at a counter and drive through the other toll plazas on the stretch.
An official of the State National Highways added that measures would be taken to avoid traffic delays.