If you’ve to take Park Town flyover to catch a train, run
Situation Worsens Ahead Of Festival
Aditi.R@timesgroup.com
Chennai:26.10.2019
At 3.20 pm on Friday, 30-year-old R Purushottamam got down from his hired autorickshaw on the Park Town flyover, picked up his luggage and made a dash to catch his train that was leaving MGR Chennai Central station in a few minutes.
The flyover on Pallavan Salai connecting Central station and Chintadripet is a preferred course for vehicles approaching the railway station. Almost every single day, traffic on the bridge comes to a standstill, sometimes for hours, according to commuters. On Friday, it was worse as several people were headed for Central on their way home for the Diwali weekend.
“I’ve been stuck here for the last 45 minutes and my train is leaving in 10 minutes,” Purushottaman told TOI before beginning his sprint towards the station.
Several people like him could be seen taking the narrow pavement towards the station, their baggage in tow, instead of waiting in their vehicles and praying they inch ahead.
Ritu B, a software professional and a regular on the stretch, recalled an incident when she missed her train a month ago due to prolonged traffic snarl on the flyover.
“It takes 45 minutes for me to reach the station, and that day, I left 20 minutes early. But traffic came to a halt and there was no way for any vehicle to move… I missed my train,” she said. She had to shell out extra money and take a flight.
Several other commuters told TOI that traffic congestion on the flyover is a daily routine.
“It is because Poonamallee High Road is a converging point of several suburban roads. Due to this, vehicles pile up causing delays,” said a traffic police officer manning the junction near Central. “It gets worse during festivals such as Diwali.” He said vehicle movement is high on the flyover because the road leads to north Chennai, a hub of several small firms. “If there was an alternate route, this congestion could be avoided,” the officer said. “We see maximum rush between 3pm and 7pm on the Park Town bridge,” said the officer.
To avoid getting stuck on the bridge, many take a detour via Muthuswamy Road and General Hospital Road to reach the railway station.
“But other routes are also jampacked during these hours. Authorities should create an alternate route or some shortcut for vehicles to pass freely,” said Lakshmi Narayanan, a retired government employee residing at Sowcarpet.
A Arun, additional commissioner of police, traffic, blamed pedestrian movement for endless traffic snarls on the flyover. “We are awaiting the subway construction to be completed… Once done, pedestrians will begin to use it instead of crossing the road,” he said.
TO A CRAWL: Traffic on the flyover was worse on Friday as many were headed for Central on their way home for the Diwali weekend
Situation Worsens Ahead Of Festival
Aditi.R@timesgroup.com
Chennai:26.10.2019
At 3.20 pm on Friday, 30-year-old R Purushottamam got down from his hired autorickshaw on the Park Town flyover, picked up his luggage and made a dash to catch his train that was leaving MGR Chennai Central station in a few minutes.
The flyover on Pallavan Salai connecting Central station and Chintadripet is a preferred course for vehicles approaching the railway station. Almost every single day, traffic on the bridge comes to a standstill, sometimes for hours, according to commuters. On Friday, it was worse as several people were headed for Central on their way home for the Diwali weekend.
“I’ve been stuck here for the last 45 minutes and my train is leaving in 10 minutes,” Purushottaman told TOI before beginning his sprint towards the station.
Several people like him could be seen taking the narrow pavement towards the station, their baggage in tow, instead of waiting in their vehicles and praying they inch ahead.
Ritu B, a software professional and a regular on the stretch, recalled an incident when she missed her train a month ago due to prolonged traffic snarl on the flyover.
“It takes 45 minutes for me to reach the station, and that day, I left 20 minutes early. But traffic came to a halt and there was no way for any vehicle to move… I missed my train,” she said. She had to shell out extra money and take a flight.
Several other commuters told TOI that traffic congestion on the flyover is a daily routine.
“It is because Poonamallee High Road is a converging point of several suburban roads. Due to this, vehicles pile up causing delays,” said a traffic police officer manning the junction near Central. “It gets worse during festivals such as Diwali.” He said vehicle movement is high on the flyover because the road leads to north Chennai, a hub of several small firms. “If there was an alternate route, this congestion could be avoided,” the officer said. “We see maximum rush between 3pm and 7pm on the Park Town bridge,” said the officer.
To avoid getting stuck on the bridge, many take a detour via Muthuswamy Road and General Hospital Road to reach the railway station.
“But other routes are also jampacked during these hours. Authorities should create an alternate route or some shortcut for vehicles to pass freely,” said Lakshmi Narayanan, a retired government employee residing at Sowcarpet.
A Arun, additional commissioner of police, traffic, blamed pedestrian movement for endless traffic snarls on the flyover. “We are awaiting the subway construction to be completed… Once done, pedestrians will begin to use it instead of crossing the road,” he said.
TO A CRAWL: Traffic on the flyover was worse on Friday as many were headed for Central on their way home for the Diwali weekend
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