Pedestrians are miffed that “adequate alternative arrangements to ensure their safety and easy mobility” have not been wheeled in around the Anna Arch on Poonamallee High Road where stormwater drain-widening work is under way.
Pedestrians complain that they have no choice but to walk on the carriageway as the entire footpath and a small portion of the carriageway have been dug for the execution of the stormwater drain work by the State Highways.
“As it is monsoon time, mangled junction boxes near such trenches puts walkers and traders nearby at high risk for electrocution. Safety measures should have been put in place before starting the work,” says S. Varadhan, a motorist from Anna Nagar.
A bus stop is found on this section, but many commuters give them a wide berth (as wait faraway) as waiting right at the bus shelters would mean having to negotiate a trench before boarding their bus. Patients and their relatives visiting the Government Siddha Hospital near Anna Arch also board buses from the bus stop.
Some commuters choose to wait near the shops.
Measures such as the removal of mangled junction boxes and installation of reflectors around the trenches to alert motorists at night should have been taken already, say road users.
A few barricades are kept at the start and end point of the trench.
“Steps will be taken to provide more safety measures around the section where the work is going on,” says a State Highways official.
