Steel barricades with concrete slabs have come up at the intersection of Chennai Tiruvallur High (CTH) Road and Northern Avenue Road in Mannurpet near Ambattur Industrial Estate.
This is aimed at preventing motorists from Northern Avenue Road from taking a ‘right’ turn to reach CTH Road. The traffic change, introduced a few weeks ago by the Ambattur police, is meant to prevent accidents and traffic snarls on CTH Road that has a narrow bend at Mannurpet intersection.
As per the new traffic change, motorists from Mogappair, Tirumangalam, Nolambur, Maduravoyal and Padi Kuppam have to go to bus terminus junction at Ambattur Industrial Estate to take a right turn to reach CTH Road. Unlike Mannurpet intersection, Ambattur bus terminus junction is wide, better illuminated, with traffic police booth and policeman doing the rounds round the clock.
Further, Ambattur junction also has CCTV cameras to monitor movement of vehicles. “Closing of the right turn has helped to ease traffic flow on CTH Road especially during rush hour when vehicles from both stretches — CTH Road and Northern Avenue Road — struggle to cross the intersection,” said V. Sarath, a motorist from Korattur.
Police said the Northern Avenue Road route was used as an escape route by petty criminalsto flee to areas in the city outskirts.
The ‘right’ turn helped reach Korattur junction faster, and without much surveillance by the local police they got away.
As the intersection in Mannurpet is narrow, police have been hesitant to set up a booth and deploy their personnel.
Also, chain and cellphone snatching especially from women workers who return from work from the industrial units in Mannurpet became frequent.
In coordination with the State Highways Department, the police closed right turn at the intersection in Mannurpet.
On their part, the State Highways closed the open drainage pit along the CTH Road at the intersection with concrete lids providing much needed road space for motorists.
Better coordination between government agencies, motorists said, has helped to ease the flow of vehicles on CTH Road in Mannurpet.
“We are also encouraging local traders around the intersection to install CCTV cameras for better surveillance,” police said.
