Residents of Urapakkam have appealed to Southern Railway to create a parking lot on Railway Station Road, found on the eastern side of Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road. At present, a parking lot functions at Railway Station Border Road, on the western side of GST Road. In the absence of a parking lot on the eastern side, residents of Urapakkam East including Ayyanchery and MIT Colony are forced to take a detour of 1km to park their vehicles on the western side.
As Railway Station Road does not have a parking lot, commuters park their vehicles haphazardly near the staircases of a foot overbridge at the station. Often, vehicles are parked so close to the staircases that the space meant for commuters is reduced. Commuters complain that during rush hour, they have to squeeze themselves in through the parked vehicles. Besides, the foot overbridge seems to have been taken over by mendicants, stray dogs and tipplers.
As vehicles are parked near the foot overbridge, commuters proceeding to the platforms from Railway Station Road, Railway Station Border Road and Ranganathan Street Main Road, avod it and walk across the railway tracks.
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“Youngsters climb the wall abutting the track to reach Railway Station Border Road and Ranganathan Street Main Road. Most women, children and senior citizens take a detour of 1km to reach the station. The entire stretch is poorly illuminated and littered with garbage. The staircases of the foot overbridge, which connects Railway Station Road, do not have railings. Moreover, the areas surrounding the staircases are overrun with bushes,” says M. Prabhu, a resident of Urapakkam.
If a parking lot is created, commuters can avoid parking their vehicles near the staircases, thereby making it convenient for people to use the foot overbridge. Moreover, creation of a parking lot will generate revenue for Southern Railway.