Plans afoot to ease traffic bottlenecks

Study identifies reasons for slow movement of traffic on arterial roads

Several arterial roads such as OMR are prone to traffic jams.

The city police have silently been sweating over a ‘workable’ plan to regulate traffic in the metro. In a bid to decongest the roads, City Police Commissioner Karan Singha, who assumed office on March 25, has instructed his personnel to spare no efforts at easing traffic bottlenecks.

Several arterial roads in various parts of the city have been prone to traffic jams not because of vehicular population but owing to unauthorised parking of vehicles and encroachment of footpath by hawkers. One such area, N.S.C. Bose Road, which is a nightmare for motorists because of the chaotic atmosphere thanks to hawkers encroaching on footpaths, unauthorised parking of vehicles and poor traffic enforcement, has actually regained a semblance of normalcy as a result of police efforts.

Motorists are experiencing smooth traffic flow and pedestrians are able to move freely on the expanded footpath with little hindrance from the hawkers.

A senior official of the City Police said the plan was arrived at in consultation with senior officials and in close coordination with Chennai Corporation officials to regulate traffic flow.

As part of the traffic decongestion plan, senior police officials in all districts like Washermenpet, Flower Bazaar, Mylapore, Triplicane, T. Nagar, and Adyar carried out a study to find out the reasons for slow movement of traffic on arterial roads.

V. Balakrishnan, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mylapore, said unregulated parking of vehicles in front of commercial establishments and hawkers occupying the footpath were found to be the reasons for traffic bottlenecks. The police officials have instead proposed one-side parking for vehicles on alternative days to rid the menace of unauthorised parking of vehicles and prevent new hawkers from occupying the footpath.

The police officials with the help of Corporation officials have paved markers on both sides of the road for parking vehicles, installed ‘No Parking’ display boards and put up barricades on one-way roads to prevent vehicles from entering on the wrong side.

Several arterial roads, if not giving a fast and smooth ride, have been made motorable. The roads which have come under the decongestion proposal include R.K. Mutt Road, Royapettah High Road, Peters Road, Chamiers Road, M.G. Road in Besant Nagar, Besant Avenue, service roads in Elliots Beach and Jeenis Road in Saidapet.

M. Suresh, a resident of Mannady, said the commercial areas in Parrys known for traffic chaos have finally become motorable after the traffic police have taken steps to regulate traffic on Thambu Chetty Street, Linghi Chetty Street and N.S.C. Bose Road. He also appreciated the traffic police for posting personnel on all these roads at regular intervals during peak hours to maintain the smooth traffic flow.

However, motorists claim what remains to be seen is whether the cops can ensure continuity in carrying out the traffic regulation in the coming years.