Home to several residents employed in the information technology sector, areas in and around Medavakkam and Perumbakkam are facing the heat of traffic diversions and truncated road space. Many of them are hard put to it to commute to work daily.
After the ₹63,246-crore Chennai Metro Rail’s phase-II began in the city a few years ago, taking detours and spending more money on fuel and more time on the roads have become the norm in the city, commuters say. Phase-II comprises three corridors — Madhavaram to SIPCOT through Mylapore (corridor 3); Light House to Poonamallee through Panagal Park (corridor 4); and Madhavaram to Sholinganallur through Medavakkam (corridor 5).
As in many other areas where traffic congestion has worsened after the construction of phase-II started, the ride for motorists on the stretch from Medavakkam Main Road, Keelkattalai, Kovilambakkam, Medavakkam, and Perumbakkam is a bumpy one, leaving them exhausted by the time they get to work or return home.
Patchwork makes it tough
The construction of the elevated network of corridor 5 is under way at a slow pace at places like Perumbakkam, Medavakkam, and Keelkattalai after traffic diversions came into effect. On the long stretch of Medavakkam Main Road, the barricades have been removed at a few places, but motorists find the ride bumpy at many other locations. Only patchwork is done in several areas, which makes it tough for the motorists to drive. Even in some of the areas where the barricades have been removed, either construction vehicles are present or construction materials are kept, reducing the road width.
Sadham Hussain often travels from Medavakkam to Perumbakkam. He says it is mentally and physically exhausting to ride the two-wheeler on this short stretch. “The existing road space is not adequate for the flurry of vehicles that passes through these areas at peak hours. I slipped and fell from my bike recently on one of the potholed roads. While the condition of the roads is marginally better, it is not entirely convenient to navigate the traffic and drive around Perumbakkam, Medavakkam, and Keelkattalai,” he says.
Encroachments add to the woes
With encroachments and traffic violations, too, at some locations, it is a tough task to drive through the stretch, commuters say. Bhakyaraj, an autorickshaw driver who travels in and around Medavakkam, Echankadu, and Perumbakkam, says he spends ₹200 more on fuel every day after the Metro Rail work began.
“I dread the pick-up and drop at the morning peak hours. Last week, it took me an hour to get from Echankadu to Thoraipakkam. When it rains, vehicles move inch by inch,” he says. The congestion worsens the day before and after a long weekend, Mr. Bhakyaraj adds.
For those relying on public transport, the wait and the commute have become prolonged. Vinayakam, a resident of Sithalapakkam, commutes by bus every day. He says, “These days, I leave home half-an-hour earlier. This is because the bus timing isn’t predictable. Even if it leaves the terminus on time, it has to negotiate the narrow stretches and the heavy traffic. The wait-time is definitely longer now, and so is the commute time. Further, the buses are packed by the time they arrive.”
Vidyasagar Jagadeesan, a civic activist, says the unspoken issue is the impact on the health. “When people get stranded in traffic congestion and get late for work, commuters are bound to suffer more stress and anxiety. Those who ride two-wheelers may develop lower back pain, too,” he says.
‘A monitoring body needed’
There should be more transparency and accountability in the execution of large-scale projects through communication to commuters about the monthly and yearly targets. “There should be a State-level body which must question both Chennai Metro Rail Limited and the contractors for the delays in the execution of the project. Only such measures will help in improving the traffic situation as a whole and help commuters,” he notes.
According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited, they have again begun repairing the roads damaged by the ongoing work. “While the traffic diversion is inevitable and the work can’t go on without it, we are doing our best to have marshals to ease the traffic flow as much as possible. As and when we receive any complaint about the bad condition of a road or a pothole, we try to redress it at the earliest,” an official said.
