Two months back, Karthik K., 40, a resident of the city, had to rush his father-in-law to a hospital in Vadapalani. From the Vadapalani bus stand to the hospital, what should have taken him just 10 minutes, stretched into a 25-minute slog.
“Those were some of the most nerve-wracking moments of my life. I was stuck in severe traffic. By the time I reached the hospital and my father-in-law’s treatment began, I was mentally exhausted. Thankfully, he is safe now. A similar incident happened to my uncle who had a cardiac issue and the travel from Virugambakkam to Vadapalani took my family 40 minutes. We need better traffic management,” he says.
Travelling through Arcot Road and Vadapalani is a nightmare as the traffic moves at a snail’s pace during peak hours even since the Chennai Metro Rail construction work began. Many commuters are also confused by the route diversions. “The reduced road width and diversions have made travelling through this stretch really tiresome,” Mr. Karthik adds.
When new announcements of infrastructure projects like the Metro are announced, residents and commuters are rife with excitement since they expect the transit to get easier and faster.
In the phase II project, construction work has started in many parts, including Madhavaram, Purasawalkam, Adyar, Medavakkam, Vadapalani, Arcot Road, Greenways Road, Poonamallee, Porur, and will extend to other areas soon.
Since the project covers 118.9 km, it is a massive undertaking that will continue for several years. While residents are keen to see the city get a better transit system, which is well integrated with existing modes, they say, till the project is complete, they face a multitude of problems, from getting caught in traffic to spending more on fuel and cabs due to traffic congestion and diversions.
A frustrating exercise
Residents say it is a frustrating exercise to get a cab or an autorickshaw every time they travel. Cab or auto drivers demand twice the fare on many occasions, citing that they have to take a detour and travel additional distances at a time when the fuel prices are soaring.
Commuters say they have been forced to spend more on travel as the fuel rates have gone up. The quantity of fuel being consumed has also increased as a result of this, some residents add.
“More fuel is being consumed for the same stretch, than before. Before this work was taken up, I would get to the shop within 15 minutes but now, it easily takes 25 minutes or sometimes even more. The number of customers I usually get has also dropped due to traffic diversion,” Sakthivel A., a resident of Nerkundram, who travels everyday to his medical shop in Arcot Road, says.
According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), they have taken cognisance of this issue and have made frequent inspections to monitor the traffic snarls. “We have identified some of the locations and will ask the contractor to reduce the site space so that the road width increases to ease congestion a little. We are keeping track of short and long term deadlines of contractors as well,” an official said.
These issues are not exclusive to Vadapalani and Arcot Road and persist in other locations too.
From Manapakkam to Poonamallee, the carriageway has shrunk since construction is under way at the centre of the road, Mohammed Ghose, a resident of Avadi, says. “The path is too narrow now. Only a car can go and overtaking is not possible either. If somebody comes to the opposite side or the wrong side, the traffic will be blocked on the entire stretch,” he adds.
In the morning hours, between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., crossing the stretch between the Porur junction and Poonamallee is an ordeal for office-goers who travel up to beyond Poonamallee. “The buses of educational institutions, factories, and other institutions are plying at the same time. There is always congestion, and we find it difficult to cross the stretch,” says A. Rathinam, another commuter from Manapakkam.
R. Subharaj, secretary, Senior Citizens’ Support Forum and a resident of Adyar, says ever since the work began in Indira Nagar, vehicles coming from Old Mahabalipuram Road struggle to pass that stretch due to congestion.
‘For the greater good’
“But as commuters, we have to necessarily put up with some inconveniences for the greater good. The city will benefit greatly if this system is built. But, we only hope that officials finish the construction on time,” he adds.
Additional Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Kapilkumar C. Saratkar says there are two kinds of work being undertaken by the contractors on the roads — one is the core Metro work and another is the work in adjoining areas, such as drainage construction, which is related to the Metro work. All these are permitted only after obtaining due permission.
“Our officers visit the spot and ascertain whether all necessary parameters and permissions have been obtained. If the width of the road is short, one-way traffic or traffic diversions are implemented wherever necessary. We also constantly circulate information about the diversions in view of CMRL work on media and social media,” he says.
