Of the three busiest traffic junctions in Madurai - Periyar bus stand, Goripalayam and Kalavasal, in that order -, the last is the worst, despite visible policing and announcements through public address system.
Though reams have been written about the maladies at Kalavasal junction, the traffic police have done nothing much to alleviate the hardships of road users, particularly pedestrians, who have neither zebra crossings nor traffic lights for walkers with beep warnings, which were found to be very useful between Periyar and shopping complex bus stands long ago.
According to G. Jayasingh, former Deputy Commissioner of Police, relocation of bus stops along with the shelters will ease traffic congestion in Kalavasal. Since city buses going to Tirumangalam through Palanganatham and Periyar bus stand through Ellis Nagar have to stop immediately after crossing the junction, they block other vehicles. Already, the bus shelter, right in front of a big departmental store, has become congested because of parked autorickshaws and share autorickshaws vying with one another to grab passengers travelling through Bypass Road.
The situation becomes worse when there is a service going on at the nearby All Saints Church, especially on Sundays. Everybody jostles for precious space. “Though there is an alternative bus stop with shelter before the signal, no Tirumangalam-bound bus stops there. “If this bus shelter is moved opposite the eye hospital, there will be free movement as people can also easily use the Vellaikannu Theatre Road and Sammattipuram Main Road,” Mr. Jayasingh says.
Moreover, rules are violated right under the nose of the traffic police -- those standing under the tree, oblivious to the goings on -- and even right in front of the police seated in their vehicle near the popular bakery, he rues.”Violations are not confined to Kalavasal. At Guru Theatre signal, many vehicles jump red with aplomb while the traffic police at the booth watch on, he says.
Going further north, on the other side of the Vaigai, vendors used to spread their ware on the roadside and block traffic on Bypass Road along Theekathir office. After a service road was laid to link the Vaigai embankment road, the Friday Shandy people have completely encroached it, defeating the very purpose of laying the road.
While the police must create awareness of traffic rules, the public must follow them. The Kalavasal junction chaos will end once the flyover, which is supposed to be in the planning stage, comes up, Mr. Jayasingh says.
