Rampant parking of trucks along East Boulevard Road hinders traffic

Rampant parking of lorries along the East Boulevard (EB) Road in Tiruchi has been hampering the free flow of traffic and posing a threat to pedestrians and motorists.

Rampant parking of lorries along the East Boulevard (EB) Road in Tiruchi has been hampering the free flow of traffic and posing a threat to pedestrians and motorists.

As the road space is encroached upon by the parcel and cargo agencies to park their trucks, the locality around Gandhi Market is witnessing frequent traffic bottlenecks during peak hours.

“With trucks continuing to occupy half of the road, navigating the stretch has turned into a nightmare for motorists,” said M. Arokiyaraj, a city resident.

The road became narrower, and traffic snarls have become a common phenomenon, putting the safety of commuters at risk. Motorists invariably have to spend at least 20 minutes to get through the stretch, and they have been facing a testing time. Vehicles could be seen lining up for a long distance.

While trucks are allowed to enter the market area only between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., heavy vehicles are accessing the market even during peak hours. According to an estimate, over 500 trucks are entering the area every day.

The haphazard parking of trucks on the road also affects the prospects of resuming full-fledged public transport on EB road. Citing frequent traffic congestion on the stretch, private bus operators hesitate to operate their fleets, and only a few TNSTC buses ply along the stretch amid constraints, he added.

Although a truck terminal was recently commissioned on EB Road to decongest the stretch, the lorry drivers continue to park the vehicles on the road obstructing vehicular movement. Sprawling over 1.5 acres, the facility was redeveloped under the Smart City Mission at a cost of ₹14 crore to accommodate around 90 trucks at a time.