Commuters put to hardship as city buses skip second entry at railway station

Passengers are put to hardship as some of the city buses continue to skip the second entry road leading to the Junction Railway Station in Tiruchi

Passengers are put to hardship as some of the city buses continue to skip the second entry road leading to the Junction Railway Station in Tiruchi.

The second entry road abutting Bharathiar Salai to Junction was laid to ensure the free flow of vehicular movement and ease congestion in front of the station’s main entrance.

City buses bound for the central bus stand are supposed to turn left from Bharathiar Salai to enter the second entrance road. After dropping passengers at the second entry road, buses take a U-turn to enter Bharathiar Salai again before proceeding to the bus stand.

However, some buses skip the route, especially during peak hours, and continue on the Bharathiar Salai to reach the bus stand. They stop near the roundabout in front of the station to drop commuters. Heavy movement of vehicles at the Junction roundabout adds to the traffic woes.

During peak hours, the commuters waiting at the railway station bus stop have to wait long to board a city bus. “Some buses enter the road only if they have to drop a commuter at the railway station bus stop. The practice of not halting at the stop is frequent, and we are forced to wait longer or hire autorickshaws, which become expensive at times,” said T. Selvam, a regular commuter.

Besides causing inconvenience, reckless driving by private city buses is a threat to road users accessing Bharathiar Salai, especially near the roundabout, commuters added.

Despite placing barricades near the entry road to caution and redirect buses to the road, some city buses continue to skip the stop. Police personnel have also been deployed at the entry point of the road to check violations.