Road safety goes for a toss as Pudukottai Road witnesses traffic chaos

Severe traffic congestion on Pudukottai Main Road due to rampant roadside parking and poor enforcement, causing accidents and inconvenience.

Rampant roadside parking and poor enforcement have been causing severe traffic congestion between the Kallukuzhi intersection and the TVS Tollgate on the Pudukottai Main Road in the city.

Although the arterial road is fairly wide, parking of vehicles along the stretch between the Kallukuzhi intersection and the TVS Tollgate have constricted the road space considerably. The Highways Department had conducted a major eviction drive in 2019 to free up considerable extent of road space. But much of the freed-up space is used for parking of vehicles by visitors to the shops and eateries that dot the road. Roadside eateries and vendors too occupy substantial portions of the road, much to the inconvenience of motorists.

With residential colonies and commercial establishments located on either side of the road, multiple openings have been provided on the road median. Openings have been provided at nearly 10 places in the short stretch. While the openings are necessary for residents to cross over for their daily commute, criss-crossing vehicles often impede the smooth flow of traffic on the road and often lead to accidents.

The Kallukuzhi intersection and the medians close to the Circuit House Colony Road witness frequent traffic snarls as a large number of vehicles cross over the road here. “Crossing the road at the Kallukuzhi intersection has become highly dangerous, especially for two-wheeler riders, as the vehicles come down at a high speed on the descent of the road overbridge,” observed R.Gopalakrishnan, a resident.

A large number of residents of colonies to the east of the Kallukuzhi Sri Anjaneyar Temple take this route every day. As vehicles slow down or halt to take an acute turn on the descent, motorists from behind are taken by surprise, leading to accidents. Motorists entering the Pudukottai Main Road from Kallukuzhi towards TVS Tollgate face a tough time too.

The police have recently placed steel barricades at some the median openings, including the Kallukuzhi intersection in an apparent attempt to regulate vehicle crossings. However, this has been hardly effective, residents complain.

Creating a traffic police beat could help regulate traffic at the intersection and preventing roadside parking along the road would help ease the situation, says local residents.