Vehicles vie for space at free left turns in Puducherry
The Hindu
PUDUCHERRY
Vehicles vying for space at free left turns at major traffic junctions is a common sight across the city. Hundreds of motorists face the harrowing experience every day at Indira Gandhi Square, a major traffic intersection.
Though the busy junction has a signboard directing vehicles to make way for those turning left to Cuddalore Road, heavy vehicles, especially private buses and lorries, block the free left turns, choking traffic even at non-peak hours.
Residents complain that traffic police personnel are often not available to regulate traffic at the free left turns. If the police ensure that buses are not occupying the free left space, the congestion can be reduced considerably, they say.
Instead of queuing up on the right lane, vehicles occupy the entire road at the junction when the red signal is on. As a result, vehicles that have to turn left to Cuddalore Road get trapped behind other vehicles, resulting in congestion. The free left turn gets blocked for vehicles proceeding from Thiruvalluvar Salai to Nellithope.
“Uninterrupted free left turns can decongest traffic to a great extent. However, the rules are seldom followed and vehicles heading straight to Villupuram Road or intending to turn right on 100-Feet Road also occupy the entire road. Taking a free left is almost impossible from the Nellithope junction towards Cuddalore Road until the signal turns green,” said S. Ayappan, a resident of VVP Nagar in Thattanchavady.
According to an urban planner, “The absence of proper demarcation at free lefts and indiscipline among vehicle-users are the main reason for traffic snarls. A similar problem exists at Rajiv Gandhi Square. The biggest offenders are private and government buses that, in their hurry to be the first past the signal, block the free lefts. The traffic police should come up with a permanent solution to enable motorists to take free left at all junctions.”
A senior traffic police official said a free left is possible only when the road is 14 metres wide and has two lanes for both directions. Most of the roads were also narrow and might not have a free left if they were congested. The timing of signals has been revised to ease traffic issues. “We will look into the obstruction caused by heavy vehicles,” he said.