Blocked on ECR

closed median cuts and the challenges that pedestrians face

On East Coast Road, one cannot miss a vigorous effort to close down many pedestrian crossings. By blocking these crossings — in some cases marrying metal barricades to already existing blockers, usually stones and discarded concrete slabs — the traffic police seem to largely get road crossing concentrated around signals meant for both vehicular and pedestrian movement.

For example, in Palavakkam, the reason to close down a pedestrian crossing with a pot pourri of blocking material (a metal barricade, a plastic barricade and a henge of broken concrete slabs) is within sight. A vehicular-cum-predestrian traffic signal is a short distance away. The crudely closed pedestrian crossing has a long-discontinued pedestrian signal. And the faint remains of a zebra crossing can be seen.

Barricading and shutting down a pedestrian signal in Neelankarai, opposite Kazura Garden First Main Road gets eyebrows raising quizzically. To get to the next functional crossing point on both sides of the now-barricaded crossing point, the pedestrian has to trudge quite a distance. Besides, if a decision has been made to close a pedestrian crossing, it would be better to go the whole distance by ensuring it is closed properly with concrete.