Roads safer with lanes for trucks, buses: Cops

CHENNAI: Since the beginning of 2018, Chennai City Traffic Police (CCTP) have started designating separate bus bays and lanes for container trucks at more than 100 spots and filled gaps in the medians to prevent pedestrians from crossing roads haphazardly.
These measures may have helped reduce fatal accidents by 26 this year. In 2018, 191 people have been killed in road accidents, while last year 217 people were killed during the same period.

As part of the measures to curb accidents along the Ennore highway which usually has heavy container traffic, separate lanes have been allotted for container trucks and the roads have been barricaded from Ennore east point until Form 13 and from MFL junction until Sathangadu.

At least 100 new bus bays have been erected exclusively for MTC buses in the bus stops. Police will also check if the vehicles adhere to the rule. To prevent jaywalking, police identified 56 gaps in between medians across the city and filled them up. Pedestrians are often seen using these gaps to cross the road, putting them at risk of accidents.

"Enforcement will continue and we will strive to reduce fatalities in the remaining months," said A Arun, additional commissioner (Traffic) . Further, in co-ordination with the city corporation, garbage trucks have been instructed not to ply on the arterial roads during peak hours.

Visible markers have been erected at accident prone zones to alert motorists. "Speed breakers and pedestrian crossings have been repainted at 160 locations in the city. We will come up with more such innovative steps," said joint commissioner, traffic (south), R Sudhakar.