Road users grapple with shrinking carriage space on Madurai roads

Madurai faces issues of encroachments, haphazard parking, and garbage dumping, leading to shrinking road space and traffic congestion.

Encroachments, patchwork, pipeline laying works, haphazard parking of vehicles and dumping of garbage along road margins are some of the main issues the city has been grappling with and this has led to another major concern: shrinking of carriage space on the roads in Madurai.

In 2020, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had observed that residents nowadays lack civic sense and acted in an irresponsible manner. The court said that it had come across many incidents where even the affluent and educated were not willing to follow rules.

That was why there were many incidents of unauthorised parking on roads causing much inconvenience to pedestrians and road users, the court had observed while hearing a petition complaining of haphazard parking of vehicles at Lourdhu Nagar in K. Pudur in Madurai.

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Road, the stretch near Anna Bus Stand, another from Kamarajar Salai to Munichalai junction, Keelavasal, Vilakuthoon junction, Nethaji Road, Bypass road and the Masi streets were facing these issues. Road users and pedestrians are finding it difficult to navigate these roads.

Commercial establishments were encroaching on the road margins by putting up sign boards on the pavements. Many eateries attract a large number of people, and with no dedicated parking space, the patrons were parking on the roadside unmindful of the also bigger No-Parking signs. The haphazard parking issue gobbles up the road space.

Seeni Syed Amma, an advocate and a resident of Puduthamaraipatti, said that it was a nightmare to cross the road stretch on the three road intersection near Bharathi Nagar in Othakadai, particularly during peak hours.

The reason she said was due to the numerous commercial establishments occupying the pavements and the road. This resulted in choking the already narrow road. She also complained about the garbage thrown on road margins that reduce the carriage space.