Madurai needs a road map to get out of traffic snarls

Traffic snarls are experienced not only during peak hours but all through the day; the only way out is better road infrastructure and traffic management and dedicated parking areas should be created all over the city to prevent haphazard parking and resultant traffic snarls, say officials

Continuous honking, raising throttle, chaotic lane discipline - these are common sights at automatic traffic signals in Madurai, a city grappling with traffic congestion. Traffic snarls are experienced not only during peak hours but all through the day. The only way out is better road infrastructure and traffic management, says an official.

Bad road conditions have compounded the traffic congestion problem as people have to negotiate their vehicle to avoid potholes. Moreover, two-wheeler riders who do not have patience to wait at signals on busy intersections, such as the one at Melamadai, sneak into the lane meant for the oncoming traffic so as to be the first to cross the green signal. This way they block the oncoming traffic and cause traffic congestion.

One cannot blame the people alone for this mayhem as one or the other work related to underground drainage, drinking water pipeline and bridge construction goes on in many parts of the city. Moreover, even after the work gets over, the roads are never relaid properly. And there is no standard for medians. They come in all designs and laid in an unscientific manner.

The heart of the city, particularly the eastern side of Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, witnesses the worst traffic snarls. For instance, the East Masi Street and East Marret Street are always chaotic as they are not only serve as throughfares for vehicles crossing the Vaigai, but also house onion market, curd market, a small vegetable market, besides lorry transport operators. One has to manoevere through all sorts of vehicles, particularly share autorickshaws, all the way to exit through Nelpattai or East Gate signal on the other side.

This chaos and cacophony follow till the narrow and damaged South Gate Road overbridge when travelling south towards the airport. The narrow roads leading to Villapuram and Jaihindpuram are full of potholes. These are congested places with workshops, cottage industries and houses and busy day and night. But even a broad road like TPK Road that connects the city with Tirumangalam through Palanganatham, Tirupparankundram and Tirunagar is so congested that vehicles crawl through Andalpuram and Vasnatha Nagar, Alagappa Naga railway gate when it is closed, Pykara, a bottleneck and Pasumalai with many educational institutions.

According to a driver of a TNSTC bus on the Mattuthavani - Arapalayam route, with the increase in shopping areas, hospitals and vehicles in the city, all roads are busy and it is difficult to stop at bus stops as vehicles come in and out of these establishments all the time. Moreover, vehicles ar parked right on the bus stops. Sometimes I have to stop the bus away from the bus stop or in the middle of the road to avoid these vehicles which in turn leading to traffic jams.

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has been hearing a couple of public interest litigation petitions filed in this regard. One petition filed by S. Jainab Beevi seeks the removal of ‘Nakkeerar Thorana Vaayil’ entrance arch near MGR bus stand in Mattuthavani “as it hinders smooth flow of traffic. Another petitioner, A. Arun Ramnath, sought a direction to the authorities to construct a flyover between the K.K. Nagar junction and Agricultural College at Othakadai, on the lines of the elevated corrdor on New Natham Road, as the whole stretch has become busy.