Dealing with speeding vehicles on the wrong side of a one-way has become an everyday reality for Chennaiites. Though one-ways are often seen as nuisance, the expand the vehicular carrying capacity of a road by 25 to 30 per cent. Picture shows a scene near the Gowdia Mutt Road in Royapettah. Photo: S.S. Kumar
Vehicles ply past the no-entry board near C.P.Ramaswamy Iyer Road. Violating one-way norms pose risk to other road users, particularly if the designated stretch is not wide. Photo: V. Ganesan
A traffic constable has a tough time to stop vehicles entering the no-entry zone near Santhome. There are 141 roads or stretch of roads in the city which have been designated one-way. They constitute about 64.4 km of the city's 2,780 km road network. Photo: S.R. Raghunathan
Violations continue to happen as traffic policing in the city is seen as arbitrary by most motorists. It is easy to get away. On a daily basis, the CCTP functions on a ‘quota’ system. Each traffic sub-inspector is asked to book at least 30 cases every day. Photo: S.R. Raghunathan
A scene near the Velahcery Bye-pass Road. Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M. Ravi says, with only 1,923 policemen, CCTP is the least-staffed force among India's metropolitan cities. Photo: M. Karunakaran
The attitude among motorists must change. Most don't hesitate to jump a signal if a policeman is not manning the junction, M. Ravi, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), says. Photo: M. Karunakaran
While vehicles coming from the Race Course side are only permitted to take the road below the Guindy bridge to reach Saidapet, most vehicles coming down the flyover take a U-turn and get into the narrow road. This is despite the police extending the barricade sometime ago. Photo: M. Srinath
Colourful sign boards on display to check 'stop line' violations at MMC junction, in Chennai. There is a noticeable spike in one-way violations in many parts of the city after 8 p.m., while most traffic-related fatalities occur between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Photo: M. Karunakaran
On many of the stretches, road signs are absent or not visible. The Chennai Corporation recently installed about 1,080 reflective signposts that glow in the dark in Zone 5 covering Anna Nagar and Kilpauk, based on a recommendation by NATPAC. Photo: Special Arrangement
Very soon, 200 surveillance cameras will be installed in 40 junctions in the city. Cameras would make it almost impossible to get away with a violation. Photo: K. Pichumani