Chennai: People commuting through Butt Road junction near Guindy face heavy traffic chaos every day due to the very narrow, one-way road. Guindy-Poonamalle is considered to be one of the important stretches in the city. Continuous protests and complaints have been made for the past 15 years to expand this road, but in vain.
“The road is hardly 25-feet wide and can accommodate only one bus at a time. Because of this, heavy traffic is witnessed at this junction. Many people take this route as there is a number of I-T parks near the area. So, motorists struggle a lot to cross this junction, especially during peak hours. It takes half-an-hour to cross even 500 metres. Commuters who try to overtake heavy vehicles like buses and lorries risk meeting with accidents,” rued a motorist.
“This is a residential area. During peak hours, locals here cannot even take their vehicles out of their houses. Also, during VIP visits, other vehicles are stopped and the traffic gets piled up till the Kathipara, and eventually, people heading towards Koyambedu also get delayed,” he added.
People here also claim that whenever any highways department official comes forward to take up this issue they get transferred. Motorists request the authorities concerned to take immediate action.
A traffic police here at this junction said, “During peak hours, it is challenging to manage the vehicles, and traffic jam here is unavoidable. All we ask the motorists is to wear a helmet and make sure they drive safe.”