Motorists demand that the bus stops on both the sides of the two-lane Puzhal-Red Hills Road be relocated to another spot.
They say commuters using these stopovers cross the road suddenly and there have been accidents due to this, especially at night. Besides, the space around the bus stops, near Chennai Bypass flyover in Puzhal, does not have streetlights.
White-board buses from Red Hills terminus halt at the two stopovers, which do not have a shelter or a name board indicating that it is a stopover. Commuters at these stopovers lean on a steel railing provided along the stretch to prevent motorists from skidding on the service lanes.
As per the norms, there must be a bus stop for every kilometre, within city limits.
However, on Puzhal-Red Hills Road, the distance between Puzhal prison- and Madhavaram roundtana stopovers is more than 2km.
As a result, the informal boarding by commuters at the Bypass flyover bus stop was officially made as a bus stop a few years ago.
It may be noted that earlier, commuters would wave to the drivers of buses proceeding towards Red Hills, near Chennai Bypass, to stop.
Motorists say unlike many residential colonies near Puzhal prison bus stop, only garages and commercial establishments are located near the Chennai Bypass bus stop.
“Due to poor illumination, we cannot see commuters crossing the road from these bus stops. Besides, safety of women commuters and senior citizens at these stopovers is a cause of concern. Further, only white-board buses halt at the Bypass stopovers. It’s better to relocate the bus stops to a safer location,” says S. Kiruban, a motorist from Puzhal.
“The bus stops near the flyover were created to reduce the rush at the Puzhal prison bus stops. A detailed study for its relocation will be carried out soon,” says an MTC official.
