Traffic bottlenecks choke OMR due to wrong-side driving, illegal parking

Chennai: A ride from Thiruvanmiyur Junction to Sholinganallur, which could be covered in 15 minutes until a few years ago, now takes 40 minutes. Reason: Wrong-side driving, U-turns, CMRL work, haphazard parking and poor enforcement at service road junctions.The 13-km stretch between Madhya Kailash and Sholinganallur on Rajiv Gandhi Salai (OMR), one of Chennai’s busiest IT corridors, witnesses heavy traffic throughout the day despite its wide carriageways. While the CMRL has completed work on the first 5km of the stretch, the remaining 8km lies in disarray.TOI conducted a stopwatch test on this road on Tuesday. The 5-km stretch from Madhya Kailash to Tidel Park junction took around 10 minutes to cover during peak hour. However, beyond this, the traffic density increased significantly, and the remaining 9-km stretch from the SRP Tools Junction to Sholinganallur took 42 minutes to cover.This was due to multiple factors at the junctions, including Thoraipakkam, Karapakkam, Okkiyampet and Sholinganallur. “There are at least eight U-turns between the SRP Tools junction and Sholinganallur. Motorists driving on the wrong side merge into traffic to take U-turns,” said Sathish Galley, a resident of OMR.Illegal and haphazard parking has further reduced available road space at these junctions. Dozens of vehicles were found parked along OMR beyond the Tidel Park junction. At Karapakkam junction, automobile showrooms had lined up test-drive vehicles along the service road, further narrowing the stretch. Residents said that several roadside vendors and commercial establishments routinely use public roads as private parking areas.Harsha Koda, co-founder of the federation of OMR residents association, said vehicles from Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road merge into the OMR near two private restaurants. “Wrong-side driving is rampant at this junction, as there are no policemen. Every time a new traffic deputy commissioner is posted, a WhatsApp group is created to discuss traffic issues. But the group becomes inactive when the officer is transferred,” he said.Kanagaraj, assistant commissioner (traffic), Pallikaranai, said that every day they book at least 50 motorists for various traffic violations.S Pazhanivel, chief general manager of Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC), said, “A joint enforcement drive with the traffic police will be carried out to remove illegally parked vehicles currently. We have got only about five kilometres of road space after metro construction works, while the remaining stretch will be available after completion of the project.” He also said, “Necessary measures, including the regulation of U-turns and installation of traffic signals, will be implemented in accordance with traffic norms once the entire corridor is restored.”