The vertical steel poles (or bollards) that have come up on the footpath outside Chennai Central railway station is the latest attempt by the Greater Chennai Corporation to prevent motorcyclists from encroaching upon the space meant for pedestrians.
Recently, 15 poles were installed in the walking area, opposite the railway station bus stop (towards Broadway and Toll Gate) and near the subway. With close spacing between every two poles, motorcyclists will find it difficult to squeeze through them.
The space outside the Central Station is plagued by haphazrd parking. Often, two-wheelers would be parked on both sides of the walking area affecting free movement of pedestrains.
However, a small section of commuters feel the bollards would prevent people from using the pathway.
Central Station is one of the busiest areas, with many commuters alighting from trains and heading further to various destinations. During rush hour, there would be heavy rush of people at the entry and exit points of the subway. The poles on the pathway would slow them down.
“Because of the heavy rush, there is the odd possibility of pedestrians hurting themselves against the closely-placed poles,” says V. Ravi, a pedestrian.
A pedestrian is of the view that the authorities concerned should have put boards warning motorcyclissts against parking in the walking area.
On Tuesday, a differently-abled woman was struggling to enter the walking area to go to the subway. Finally, a youngster helped her to reach the subway.
