Traffic problems and Vadapalani have been synonyms for a long time. Now a new traffic chaos has joined the club. The MTC bus stops on both sides of Jawaharlal Nehru Main Road in Vadapalani have to be relocated, as vehicles moving towards and coming from the new flyover get stranded, creating traffic snarls.
The situation has come about because of MTC bus stops being located too close to the ramp of the flyover. Buses from the stables of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation and State Express Transport Corporation also drop their passengers near the junction.
Motorist Shrikrithika from Virugambakkam said, “There is a wide space just few metres away from the flyover and the buses continue to stop near the cramped space where many commercial buildings are located leading to traffic chaos. Taking this situation as an advantage, pedestrians also cross the stretch by jumping over the median.”
It may be noted that after the opening of the flyover in November 2016, Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses skipped the flyover to halt at these two bus stops on either side of Jawaharlal Nehru Main Road.
However, after a long demand from the commuters, on December 2017, bus drivers were directed to use the flyover.
The arrangement was aimed to reduce the traffic chaos at the junction and allow vehicles under the flyover to travel without halting at the signal, except for pedestrian-crossing. Yet, the move has not benefited the motorists.