Potholes, chaotic turns snarl key link road in Zamin Royapettah

Hundreds of office-goers, daily-wage earners and students from Nemilichery, Nanmangalam, Hasthinapuram and Chitlapakkam use the road via Padavattaman Koil to reach the Radial Road. Two-wheelers, autorickshaws and cars converge on the narrow Bajanai Koil Street, which falls under Ward 23 of Tambaram Corporation.

The road has potholes and an uneven surface following work on water pipelines. The main bottleneck is at the junction of Bajanai Koil Street and Pillaiyar Koil Street. Vehicles from Radha Nagar and Nemilichery, along with those approaching from Kurinji Nagar — a transit point for traffic from Radial Road — compete to turn in different directions.

“During peak hours, vehicles are often backed up as far as Kurinji Nagar Extension, near the taluk office,” said Kumar, a trader. Office-goers and students are among those who are worst affected.

Residents and activists have sought better traffic management and urged the authorities to post a traffic police officer at the junction to regulate vehicle movement. They have also suggested introducing a one-way system at a suitable point on the Bajanai Koil Street–Pillaiyar Koil Street stretch.

Peak hour bottlenecks are a routine problem, said Selvam, an autorickshaw driver. “If I plan to make at least five trips, I end up making only two, which affects my earnings,” he said.

Residents have also called for the potholes along the stretch from Padavattaman Koil to Kurinji Nagar to be repaired or the road to be relaid. “It is not just IT professionals; daily-wage earners and construction workers who depend on two-wheelers to get to work also struggle during peak hours,” said Selvam, a local resident.

Selvam said the improved traffic management on the Radial Road had brought some relief to motorists, although congestion continued to plague the link-road junction.

New traffic arrangement at Radial Road welcomed

Motorists have welcomed a new traffic arrangement at Vel’s College junction on the Pallavaram–Thoraipakkam Radial Road. The Hindu Downtown had earlier reported on the congestion at the junction and the difficulties faced by motorists, with activists seeking a mini-flyover at the Taluk Office–Vel’s College junction.

Under the revised arrangement, motorists coming from Pallavaram must take a barricaded U-turn about 100 metres away from the Vel’s College junction to reach Taluk Office Road. Vehicles coming from Taluk Office Road are not permitted to turn right. They must take a free left and make a U-turn at the barricaded stretch near Saravana Selvaratnam stores to proceed towards Thoraipakkam. The new system has reduced congestion at the junction considerably, said Arumainathan of the Pallavaram traffic police. “Vehicles are moving steadily and there is no obstruction to the free flow of traffic.

We have retained the pedestrian crossing at the junction for the benefit of the public,” he said. Welcoming the change, senior social activist Santhanam urged the Highways Department to lay the service road. He also called for coordination among the local bodies, the Corporation and the Highways Department to ensure that road works are completed. Ward councillor N. Kannan said he was willing to discuss with the Corporation and traffic authorities the feasibility of introducing a one-way system at the Bajanai Koil Street–Pillaiyar Koil Street junction.

“Patching of roads dug up for Metro Water connections will be taken up shortly,” he said. With work on Metro Rail’s Corridor 5 under Phase II gaining momentum, residents expect areas such as Kovilambakkam and Madipakkam to benefit from nearby Metro stations and attract more road users. They want the connectivity roads to be improved before traffic increases further.