Roadside parking of omnibus causes traffic snarls in Tiruchi
The Hindu
TIRUCHI
After a private terminus operating on Southern Railway land closed following expiry of the lease period, omnibuses have returned to roadside parking, causing traffic congestion, especially at night, around Central Bus Stand in Tiruchi.
The omni bus operators were using the Railway land near SETC Bus Stand as a terminus, but the lease was vacated a month ago after the contract period expired. The operators now halt their buses on the roads around the bus stand, causing bottlenecks near the congested area and making it difficult for commuters to walk.
The private omnibus operators’ association has urged the district administration to allocate space for them to halt their fleets to board passengers. “We sought a temporary bus stand space on Rockins Road to operate till the integrated bus terminus at Panjapur opens,” said R. Balakrishnan, president of the Tiruchi District Private Omnibus Operators’ Association. .
Parked on VOC and McDonald's Roads, omnibuses cause heavy congestion during weekends. "The buses occupy more than half of the road and the haphazard parking leads to severe traffic congestion. We hope the police take steps to regulate traffic on the road," said R. Sasikanth, a commuter.
The city traffic police have been booking the operators and they are taking additional efforts to control traffic on the roads. “We are booking cases against operators who park their vehicles on main roads to pick up passengers, disrupting traffic movement. A penalty of ₹500 is being levied on each offender,” said a police officer.
With increased terminal entry points (eGates) at Mumbai International airport from 24 to 68, which is the highest number of e-gates at kerbside or landside in the country, the expansion will enhance the airport’s processing capacity to an astounding 7,440 passengers per hour at Terminal 2 (T2) and 2,160 at T1