At the Kattupakkam junction on Mount-Poonamallee Main Road, pedestrians find themselves out on a limb. There is no traffic signal at the busy intersection and motorists don’t slow down for pedestrians crossing it.
This section of the Mount-Poonamallee Main Road cuts through a densely-populated region, consisting of Kattupakkam and Gopuranallur villages.
Residents of Gopuranallur village have to cross the intersection to reach Kattupakkam as the Panchayat office, PDS outlet and many commercial establishments are located there. Residents of Kattupakkam go to Gopuranallur as the latter has many schools and healthcare centres.
For residents of both villages, the facilities they seek on the other side of the intersection are located within walking distance. The only problem with these trips is having to cross the intersection, which is characterised by an almost continuous flow of vehicles. The intersection provides access to Sennirkuppam, Nazarathpet, and Thiruverukadu.
Residents suggest that constructing speed-breakers, a few hundred metres from the junction, will help reduce the risk of accidents.
Residents said that unlike the intersections at Iyyapanthangal and Porur, which are found on the same thoroughfare, the junction at Kattupakkam is narrow due to encroachment of shops.
“Commercial establishments have eaten into the road space around the Kattupakkam junction,” says S. Vimal, a resident of Kattupakkam.
Residents say that despite repeated pleas, the State Highways Department has not taken any step to demolish the unauthorised buildings found near the junction. Residents have pointed out that the Iyyapanthangal and Porur intersections were made wide by removing the encroachments.
“A traffic signal will be installed at the junction after a consultation with the traffic police,” says a State Highways official.