On Shastri Nagar First Main Road, Adyar, the pavements are as good as non-existent. The pavements are used by everyone and for everything except by the pedestrians. Starting near Shastri Nagar First Avenue, till Mahatma Gandhi Road, Shastri Nagar, the pavements are inaccessible. The walkers path is used by traders, welders, waste paper dealers and two- and four-wheeler mechanics to run their business.
To add to the woes of the road users, haphazard parking of vehicles on the stretch has reduced the width of the carriageway and has pushed the pedestrians to walk on the middle of the road, who face the risk of being knocked by the speeding motorists.
For years, complaints to the authorities concerned in the Chennai Corporation and to the traffic police in this regard have only fallen on deaf ears. The authorities concerned are blind and deaf to the woes faced by us, residents said.
T. D. Babu, a long-time resident of Shastri Nagar, says, " Years ago, the stretch was a bus route with pavements on either side. After bus services were stopped, the pavements were encroached rapidly between First Avenue and Third Cross Street intersections.
The commercial establishments have faciltiated additional entrances facing First Main Road apart from the main entrance along the interior lanes in the residential locality."
Between Third Cross Street till the intersection of Mahatma Gandhi Road, commercial establishments and an under construction residential apartment have encroached the footpath and have built a high-rise ramp till the carriageway.
The stretch is used by a good number of students studying in schools in and around Shastri Nagar.
On the stretch, at frequent intervals, many accidents have taken place. Hope the authorities concerned take action at the earliest to alleviate the woes faced by the pedestrians and the motorists before any major accident occurs, residents said.
