The Chennai Traffic Police is planning to barricade a half-a-kilometre stretch of Mount – Poonamallee Road, near Sri Ramachandra Medical College (SRMC) in Porur. As per the proposal, vehicles will not be allowed to take a right-turn to reach the Chennai Bypass via the service lane. The proposed traffic arrangement will be tried out for a week.
The plan is aimed at streamlining traffic and preventing blockades, near the institution, during rush hour.
“Vehicles should be prevented from taking a right-turn at least during rush hour. Earlier, we waited at the Porur junction. Now, we wait at the junction near the institution,” says S. Raghuram, a resident from Porur. Farmers from Padapai Panchayat Union in Kancheepuram district use this junction to take their produce to nearby markets. The junction is also the shortest route to reach Bangalore Highway (NH 04) via Kundrathur and Poonamallee. Next, the junction is a key link to reach Tambaram and Puzhal from Porur. At present, many motorists take a right-turn at the junction to reach Chennai Bypass near the toll plaza to reach Maduravoyal, Thiruverukadu and Vannagaram. These localities are around two kilometres from Porur and can be reached in 10 minutes via Chennai Bypass. On the other hand, vehicles from Porur have to take a de-tour of 15 km via Iyyapanthangal and Thiruverukadu to reach these places after negotiating traffic snarls along the route. Police sources say that with regard to this proposal, it will convene a meeting with the State Highways Department, which maintains the stretch. In fact, the service lane on Chennai Bypass is too narrow and ridden with potholes.