Bus commuters from Adyar and Kotturpuram have appealed to Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) and the Zone 13 of Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to take steps to reintroduce the stopover outside Indian Institute of Technology — Madras towards Little Mount and T. Nagar.
According to MTC sources, the halting point was removed as it was located near the traffic signals at the intersection of Sardar Patel Road and Gandhi Mandapam Road, Kotturpuram, and hindered the free flow of vehicular traffic. Now, with this stopover gone, commuters boarding buses heading towards Little Mount, T. Nagar and Chennai International Airport have to walk to the stopover near Anna University bus stop to board buses.
While admitting that the distance between the halting point near Anna University and the erstwhile halting point outside IIT-M is short, they point out that the pavement between these points does not make for safe walking. It’s too narrow and pedestrians have to often step off the pavement to make way for others.
“To facilitate free flow of traffic, the safety of walkers cannot be compromised. The pavements is not wide enough; nor is it sturdy,” says S. Poornima, a retired school teacher and senior citizen.
Motorists come at a breakneck speed, near Guindy National Park, she points out.
A Chennai Traffic Police official says, “During rush hour, the vehicular traffic moves at a snail’s pace on the stretch. Still, the stopover need not have been removed. A bus bay could have been created or GCC and MTC could have consulted us before removing the halting point. We would have deployed police personnel near the halting point to regulate the vehicular traffic.”
