Road Safety Committee proposes improvement of seven road stretches in Puducherry

Delay in road improvements, encroachments, and damaged drainage systems in Puducherry causing traffic congestion; urgent action needed.

The delay in taking up road improvement work in main junctions, removal of encroachments on footpaths and repairing of damaged drainage system along main thoroughfares are hampering free flow of vehicles in Puducherry town and suburban areas.

Vehicle users coming from Villupuram to the town, have been complaining about bottlenecks that they encounter while accessing the free left near the petrol station at Indira Gandhi Square. Vehicles get stuck in a haphazard manner because of the absence of a proper median at Indira Gandhi Square.

Similarly, the free left for vehicles coming from Gorimedu side at Rajiv Gandhi signal could not be utilised properly by vehicle users because of uneven road stretch.

“Both the signals need proper road engineering for further streamlining traffic movement. Even traffic movement adjacent to Accord Hotel at Rajiv Gandhi signal could be further improved by applying proper road engineering methods,” said a traffic policeman.

One of the most important aspects for improvement of traffic system in the town, he said was to undertake urgent measures to remove encroachments on footpaths and carry out repair of road side drainage channels. Pedestrian space in the town has considerably shrunk due to encroachment by shop owners and business establishments.

While encroachment of footpaths by business establishments, especially on Jawaharlal Nehru Street, Mahatma Gandhi Road and Anna Salai has been going on for a while in the town, the illegal incursion into pedestrian space by those involved in two-wheeler rental business has added to the woes of traffic management.

Subramanian, a resident of Saram, said there was no denying the fact that many of the stretches in the town and suburban areas lack proper road engineering. “Road improvement is a continuous process but what prevents the police and revenue authorities from removing encroachments on pedestrian pathways? The road stretches near Mission Street could be made more free for vehicle movement if the footpaths are cleared of two-wheeler businesses. The existing pavements are rendered useless due to rampant encroachments,” he added.