New traffic diversions in Chennai test motorists patience

CHENNAI: The new traffic diversions, implemented due to the construction of a flyover at Eldams Road and Thyagaraya Road junction along Anna Salai, caused confusion among motorists and pedestrians on Monday morning, the first working day after the diversions were put in place. Motorists complained of lack of adequate signs regarding the new routes and the narrow roads. A traffic jam which began along Thyagaraya Road caused stagnation till Nandanam, in which ambulances and a fire engine too were caught. Police then moved barricades to allow an ambulance to pass. Raman (44) of Guindy, who was heading to Cathedral Road, said, I knew there was a traffic diversion from Sunday. I thought there would be enough banners and other signs to guide motorists but there were only very few. I had to ask the traffic cops deployed there to get clarifications. During peak-hour traffic on Monday morning, Thyagaraya Road was packed to the brim with traffic flowing in from three directions Nandanam, Eldams Road and a small lane from Anna Salai from the Gemini flyover direction. Even though the traffic was handled using a signal, the slow-moving traffic ended up causing a jam. One of the main reasons for the congestion on Thyagaraya Road was the incomplete removal of the centre median along the road. Stretches where the medians were removed had resulted in uneven ground and in some places, parts of the medians were left untouched resulting in traffic slow-down. Gopaldas, an auto driver from Teynampet, said,The new diversion seems to add to the already existing roads. The roads where the traffic has been redirected are narrow and not suitable to manage the high volume of traffic. I have refused to accept trips that require going through the new route. Apart from the two wheelers and cars, MTC buses too faced difficulties navigating the diversions. While turning into the narrow portions at North Boag Road and Vijayaraghava Road, the buses further slowed down traffic along already congested roads. Police sources said that the current flow of vehicles in the new route is being analysed and the next course of action will be decided.