If a person waits at the intersection of Peters Road and Royapettah High Road, below the Peters Road flyover, and observes the chaotic movement of vehicles, he is most likely to witness traffic policemen losing their cool with one of the motorists trying to impatiently navigate the junction.
It is bedlam at this junction, which has never had a traffic signal. The flyover helped to ease the traffic below and keep the situation under control in the past. But the narrowing of the carriageway, due to the Metro Rail work, has worsened the situation in recent months.
The width of the carriageway of Wescott Road, on one side of the junction, leading to the Royapettah Clock Tower junction, has been halved. But the traffic, including bus services, has remained the same.
Consequently, with vehicles coming from all four sides, the junction has become a scene of chaos. A traffic policeman is deployed at the signal most of the day, but the police say it is impossible for a single policeman to regulate the traffic. “There is very little space to stand in the middle of the junction and regulate the traffic. Moreover, the way in which the four roads are aligned at the junction makes it difficult for one person to regulate traffic,” says a policeman on duty at the junction.
Traffic marshals disobeyed
At least one traffic marshal is deployed by those handling the Metro Rail work. However, the traffic police say motorists do not obey the traffic marshals. When more buses of Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) and educational institutions are adding to the traffic in the evening, more traffic policemen are deployed. This brings some order.
Lane separators have been erected on Wescott Road after the carriageway shrunk. However, the Royapettah High Road, on the opposite side, does not have lane separators. “Vehicles going towards the junction from Royapettah High Road occupy almost the entire width of the road, making it difficult for the vehicles from the opposite direction to pass through. This ties up the traffic at the junction, affecting vehicles coming from all directions,” says a shopkeeper on Royapettah High Road. He wants lane separators erected, even at least temporarily, to ease the situation.
A signal is needed
The traffic police say senior officials should also consider regulating the traffic by installing a signal, at least until Chennai Metro Rail Limited is through with its work.
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