Norton Road in Mandaveli offers a lesson to other interior roads hit by Metro Rail traffic diversions

As a result of Metro Rail work-related route re-engineering, Norton Road is now part of a network of roads facilitating movement from Mylapore to Adyar and vice versa. An initiative on this road demonstrates how interior roads can free up space in similar circumstances

In recent weeks, Metro Rail Work has shaken up traffic movement in Mylapore and Mandavelipakkam (and even its borders with Adyar) and reshuffled it along new, often-times narrow lines. With breaks in the regular routes, interior roads have been whisked into a hurriedly-beaten mix, as substitutes for the missing links. To handle the influx of additional traffic, some of these interior roads have been made one-way — Srinivasa Avenue and a section of Dr. Ranga Road among the striking examples. Yet, due to continuous and voluminous movement of “outside” vehicles, these interior roads still squirm with discomfort like a boa constrictor that has swallowed an elephant. Among measures that can be taken to free up space on interior roads thrust into bigger boots, the option of preventing parking on both sides remains largely unexercised.

Against this backdrop, Norton Road comes across as a piece of quiet and powerful instruction. Along its course, it displays intermittent efforts to keep parked vehicles to one side of the road.

Before throwing light on the initiative, here is the backdrop to it. Norton Road is part of a freshly-hewed route for motorists to reach Adyar from Mylapore and vice versa. Besides the regular traffic, in the late hours, while retiring to the Mandaveli depot, buses empty of passengers now hit this road, as the section of RK Mutt Road closer to the depot is closed.

In a couple of sections of Norton Road, a line of plastic, fluorescent dividers have been pegged into one side of the carriageway, not too far from the sidewalk, to discourage parking. It works as a gentle but effective goad. In these sections, parked vehicles are concentrated on the other side. There is clearly value in replicating this measure in other interior roads that have been called on to entertain additional traffic on account of Metro Rail work-related diversions.

Civic activist C.R. Balaji shares a trivia about Norton Road that has some bearing on the current situation. He remarks the sight of MTC buses in the late hours (it does not matter they run empty) would likely kindle memories of the time, rewound by decades, when Norton Road functioned as a bus route road with 21N, 4E and 21A trundling through it.

Says Balaji, “21N catered to school and college students of St. Anthony’s, St Bede’s, Santhome Higher Secondary School, Montfort, Queen Mary’s, Lady Willingdon, Presidency, Forensic Science Institute and Madras University and also office-goers. 4E catered to students from Kotturpuram upto Vallalar Nagar via Mandaveli. 21A was operated from Thiruvanmiyur to Parrys. These buses were in circulation before the introduction of 21G and 1 LSS services.”