Poor roads, diversions, crawling traffic irk Mylapore commuters

Commuting nightmare in Mylapore due to diversions and congested roads, but a new Metro Rail station is being built.

Diversions, circuitous routes, dust-filled and unrepaired roads have made commuting in and around Mylapore a nightmare. One of the busiest areas in the city, the shopping hub, and the area with numerous temples, Thirumayilai is set to have a large Metro Rail station in four years to provide connectivity from this area to the northern, southern and western areas. The traffic diversions have come into effect recently for the construction of the underground station and have drawn criticism from commuters and residents.

The primary concern of commuters is that the majority of the vehicles get re-routed through narrow streets, causing a lot of congestion and inconvenience. The roads on narrow streets such as Thiruvengadam Street, Mundakanniamman Koil Street, St. Mary’s Road, Alamelu Manga Road, and Canal Bank Road are unmotorable, commuters said.

R. Mani, who runs an iron shop on Thiruvengadam Street, questions the rationale behind re-routing buses through narrow streets. “The condition of this street was rather poor. Now, with buses plying on it, it has become worse. The authorities should first begin operating more mini-buses exclusively for this area and improve the condition of these streets on priority and repair them at the earliest,” he adds.

V. Sekar, who frequently commutes between Perungudi and Mylapore, says there are abandoned vehicles and encroachments and if they are removed, the congestion will ease to some extent.

Commuters say that they have been spending more time on travel and more money on fuel as they go through narrow streets. “The middle-class people and the poor are the worst-affected. I spend more time and money on my client visits. Instead of half-an-hour, it now takes about 45 minutes to commute from Perungudi to Mylapore,” he says.

Justin Thiraviyam, an autorickshaw driver at Mylapore, says the detours have cost him dear. He spends ₹300 every day on fuel. “Vehicles have taken a hit while going through these roads. At peak hours, it takes me about 20 minutes to travel from Luz to R.K. Mutt Road.”

Since there are a few schools in and around Mylapore, residents fear for the safety of children returning home from school or playing on the streets. They say many streets do not have well-maintained continuous footpaths and it is time that the authorities rebuilt them. “I have two little children and it has become too difficult to walk home from school in the absence of a good footpath,” says a resident. She notes that bus stops are barely visible with traffic diversions and more signage is needed. “It also takes more time just to reach a bus stop now,” she adds.