Narrow lanes, heavy traffic make Prakasam Salai a nightmare for motorists

Prakasam Salai in George Town, north Chennai, faces heavy traffic congestion and encroachment issues, causing chaos for motorists and pedestrians.

Prakasam Salai in George Town is the perfect example of traffic chaos reigning in a commercial hub of north Chennai. Previously called Popham Broadway, it branches off from NSC Bose Road leads to Old Jail Road and the Mint junction and connects several commercial streets in Mannady. Over the years, this road has become narrow due to encroachments and is prone to heavy traffic congestion, say locals.

While motorists face severe inconvenience due to the road’s narrow width and heavy traffic congestion, the pedestrians have it even worse because of the absence of footpaths on several portions, with the existing ones being occupied by parked vehicles.

T. Kamala Kannan of Tondiarpet said the road, with numerous shops, banks and commercial institutions, was chaotic at any time of day due to heavy traffic flow, mostly thanks to the traders. Most of the time, traffic comes to a standstill as vehicles try to take left or right turns into the narrow streets branching off from Prakasam Salai, causing winding queues to form.

Adding to the chaos is the poor condition of the road owing to civic works and the vehicles parked on the sides of the already narrow stretch. Those travelling on Metropolitan Transport corporation (MTC) buses are also put to hardship due to the long time it takes for the buses to traverse the stretch.

S. Abdul of Umpherson Street said several heavy vehicles bound for commercial establishments in Mannady completely block the narrow road, making walking a faster mode of transportation than driving on the stretch.

A senior official of the Greater Chennai Traffic Police said personnel were posted at important junctions on the road, including the Audiappa Naicken Street-Errabalu Street junction, to regulate the traffic flow, and patrol vehicles were also deployed to prevent unauthorised parking of vehicles.

“The Greater Chennai Corporation initiated an encroachment removal drive on Prakasam Road, Broadway Road, and NSC Bose Road around six months ago. This is being conducted regularly by zonal officials. Despite this, hawkers continue to occupy the space,” said P. Sriramulu, chairman of the Royapuram Zone Ward Committee.