Road users hit by chaotic traffic near Central bus stand

Frequent traffic snarls around the Central Bus Stand in Tiruchi have raised serious questions about the efficacy of traffic management in force.

Frequent traffic snarls around the Central Bus Stand in Tiruchi have raised serious questions about the efficacy of traffic management in force.

Although some of the areas around the bus stand, particularly around the Periyar Statue, have been prone to traffic bottlenecks for some time, motorists have been facing a testing time in recent days. Vehicle users, who happened to drive along Rockins Road, VOC Road and McDonald’s Road and vice versa, invariably get caught in traffic jams even during non-peak hours.

The Central bus stand, which is spread over six acres, handles around 2,250 buses per day and operates around 150 omnibuses. Unregulated movement of private and Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) buses entering and leaving the congested Central bus stand adds to the woes. Share autos waiting for passengers near the Kamarajar statue and private omni buses parked on Rockins Road and VOC Road also affects the free flow of traffic.

Traffic snarls have become common, especially on weekends, when a large number of special buses are operated by the TNSTC and the private omnibus operators. Passenger footfall owing to school reopening after the summer holidays is likely to witness a surge on intra-district and inter-district routes.

Considering the sharp increase in the number of vehicles plying the area, motorists say the traffic police should study the problem in detail to find a solution to ensure the free flow of vehicles.

The absence of strict measures by the city police to regulate traffic is said to have led to this junction connecting major roads becoming chaotic with vehicles from all directions. “Police personnel must be deployed during peak hours, and haphazard movement of buses around the bus stand must be controlled,” said K. Arun, a road user.

When contacted, a senior traffic official said, “we are regulating the buses during peak hours. Cases were booked against violations. Ever since the omnibus terminus was closed, we are feeling the heat.”