Be it the Arcot Road, the Katpadi Road or Anna Salai, the arterial stretches of Vellore are always bustling with traffic, leading to constant snarls.
Many residents pointed out nothing has been done to address problems with parking and inefficient traffic monitoring even after all these years. Motorists said the Kirubanadhavariyar Road, a major business centre with shops of all sizes, located on the Long Bazaar stretch is prone to frequent jams during peak hours.
The issue was raised with both the police and Corporation, but to no avail. In addition, encroachments by petty shops and illegal parking by motorists exacerbate the constant clogs.
Motorists could be spotted criss-crossing the lanes to cut through traffic, while auto-rickshaws and four-wheelers squeezing past each other in the narrow road are common sights due to the absence of monitoring by the authorities concerned.
“The traffic policemen should take action against parking on both sides of the road and frame regulations for parking on one side only,” said Ahmad Shamsher, owner of a shop. Huge lorries that unload materials for the shops do not have proper parking space as a consequence, he said. Krishnamurthi Rao, of Saidapet, said the traffic police should start regulating these lorries and impose penalties on those who park their vehicles in private spaces for long hours.
A senior police official at Vellore said, “We are waiting on orders from the Corporation to vacate the encroachments on these roads. We have already taken action on the Chittoor Road junction recently and similar efforts would be taken up after the elections end.”
