Velachery Road in a pitiable condition

By N. Ravi Kumar

CHENNAI, AUG. 13. Poor road conditions and inadequate enforcement of traffic and safety rules is making Velachery Road a death- knell for both motorists and pedestrians.

A vital link to Velachery from Sardar Patel Road, which in turn receives a substantial portion of its traffic flow from the arterial Anna Salai, not a single day passes without an accident on the road.

A recent incident was not an exception either, as an MTC bus on M-7 route (from Velachery to T.Nagar) was involved in an accident with a two-wheeler driven by a woman resident of Vijay Nagar. As the accident occurred almost right at the doorstep of a private hospital the woman, who sustained injuries including on her face, was provided medical care immediately. Happening at a time when traffic flow on the road is at its peak, in both the directions, the accident threw normal vehicle movement out of gear. A passenger car that was following the bus was also damaged in the incident. It took a while for normality to be restored.

According to local residents and eyewitnesses, the accident, at around 7 p.m., occurred when the bus that was almost on the wrong half of the road hit the woman motorist, who was trying to negotiate a pothole.

Barring a minuscule portion, the yellow divider-line is not to be found on a long section of the stretch, which at night is poorly lit. Similarly, the residents also complain about the absence of zebra crossings in the entire stretch, creating high risk for students of the many educational institutions here. Metrowater tankers race on this road, to the local filling point on the by- pass road. The residents of Velachery have been demanding installation of traffic signals in a few places, and a few speed- breakers of correct dimensions as immediate requirements.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Sale of monthly cards for toned milk suspended
Next     : Govt. notice politically motivated, says Stalin