Sans shelters, passengers face ordeal at Mathur bus stoppage

Public crowding rampant during peak hours at Mathur OFT arch

The absence of bus shelters near the Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli (OFT) arch in Mathur is causing commuters to crowd around on the roads during peak traffic hours in the morning and evening on Tiruchi-Pudukottai National Highway, increasing the risk of accidents.

There is a covered bus shelter behind the arch entrance, but passengers rarely use it, because the buses halt on the main road.

“It was not much of a problem until a few years ago when Mathur was a small suburb of the city. With a number of residential areas and industrial units coming up, the number of road users, particularly bus passengers such as shift workers and students, has gone up. They are forced to disembark from the vehicles right on the road, when traffic is already heavy,” K.C. Neelamegam secretary of Thanneer, a voluntary organisation, told  The Hindu.

Motorists going in or out of Tiruchi find it difficult to navigate the stretch during the morning and post-office hours because of the people standing around.

“The designated bus shelter outside the arch was removed when the road was being widened. So, buses park wherever they find some space. Ideally, new bus shelters should be located at a distance from the OFT arch,” said a resident of the Airport Wireless Colony area who commutes on the road regularly.

A bus shelter at a distance from the arch would be of help to passengers travelling onward to Keeranur, Pudukottai, Karaikudi, Ramnad and other towns from Tiruchi, and keep the area clear for regular vehicular traffic.