Chennai: Motorists who take the Butt Road junction at Guindy face heavy traffic chaos every day due to the narrow one-way road. Guindy-Poonamalle is said to be one of the important stretches in the city. The last 15 years, there has been continuous protests and complaints to expand this road.
A motorist, says, “The stretch is hardly 25-feet wide and can accommodate only one bus at a time. This creates heavy traffic at this junction. Many people take this route as there are a number of I-T parks in this area. So, motorists struggle a lot to cross this junction. Especially during the peak hours, it takes half-an-hour to cross even 500 metres. At times, commuters who try to overtake heavy vehicles like buses and lorries meet with accidents.”
“This is a residential area. During peak hours, the residents here cannot even take their bikes out of their houses. Also, during the visit of VIPs, vehicles are stopped and this echoes till the Kathipara, and eventually the vehicles heading towards Koyambedu also get stuck.”
People here also claim that whenever any of the highways department officials come forward to take up this issue, they are transferred. However, a number of motorists have requested the authorities concerned to take immediate action.
A traffic cop here at this junction says, “During peak hours, it is challenging to manage the vehicles, and the traffic here is unavoidable. However, all we ask the motorists is to wear helmet and make sure they drive safe.”