The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has installed shade pavilions for motorists to take shelter from the sun while waiting at traffic signals in 10 locations.
GCC Commissioner J. Radhakrishnan said: “The GCC manages 34,000 streets. To protect motorists from the sun, the civic body has identified 10 signals where heavy traffic occurs regularly and set up shade pavilions with the help of the Greater Chennai Police.”
“The pavilions are constructed with 5.3-m steel bars and a porous fabric. To ensure the safety of motorists during the rainy season, the pavilions will be slightly modified with additional components added to the top portion of the structure,” he added.
He said, “In response to requests from motorists, we will look into collaborating with the Highways Department to also install shade pavilions along highways. Further, steps will also be taken to set up pavilions in partnership with volunteer organisations.”
“The porous fabric will not be a hindrance during monsoon. Since reports of nets giving away in Coimbatore emerged, the GCC has used metal poles instead of wood. These are also placed at the edge of the pavements, so as not to obstruct walkers,” another GCC official said.
Chief Engineer S. Rajendiran said: “This is a pilot project. If it is successful, the structures will be converted to arched pavilions with polyvinyl chloride panels instead of porous fabric at several signals with heavy two-wheeler traffic. The current shelter costs roughly ₹3.5 lakh and varies based on the size.”
The setup will also be considered at 165 signals identified by the Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS), under the Chennai Smart City Mission Project, where the waiting time is high, he said.
“On highways, there may not be long waiting times and a bigger structure may be required. These specifications must be looked into,” Mr. Rajendiran stated.
