A junction choked by share autos

Motorists allege traffic police personnel are turning a blind eye to a blatant appropriation of road space at Avadi Road-Kumananchavadi Trunk Road intersection

Chaos has become the order of the day at the junction connecting Avadi Road with the Kumananchavadi Trunk Road, with motorists jostling for space with the 20-odd share autorickshaws that are illegally parked on both sides of the road during peak hours.

Adding to their woes is the alleged inaction by the traffic police, who, road users say, only resort to diverting vehicles taking the right from the Avadi Road-Trunk Road junction towards the Poonamallee Bypass Road and beyond, instead of removing the obstructing share autorickshaws.

“This has been a busy junction always, and ever since the Metro Rail work began here, the situation has become worse as the road space has shrunk and vehicles criss-cross the junction leaving little or no room for pedestrians,” says Eunice, a teacher at a private school in the vicinity. She adds that it is difficult for schoolchildren to cross the road unless they are accompanied by parents or guardians, and often end up getting shoved by motorists.

“A request to declare the vicinity of the school as a school zone a few years ago was declined by the authorities citing technicalities,” she adds.

However, it is the unauthorised share auto parking that is making matters worse, rues Purushothaman, a motorist. “Every time I try to take a right turn from the Trunk Road after dropping my son, to reach home in Senneerkuppam on the Avadi Road, the policeman at the junction forces me to take a U-turn at an intersection that is about half-a-kilometre away. Most of the time this leads to an altercation between motorists and the traffic police, he adds.

A Metro Rail worker who has been engaged to regulate traffic at the junction says most of the share auto drivers have forcibly taken over the space on both sides of the Avadi Road-Trunk Road junction and simply refuse to move.

A Poonamallee traffic police official manning the junction says that removing the share autorickshaws from the spot is a daunting task as no amount of fines or obstruction cases deters them. “Most of the time they plead with us citing their livelihood and get away,” he adds.