Cycling gives way to parking

The exercise to widen footpaths in KK Nagar has had an unpalatable side effect – traffic congestion.

“People commuting through P. T. Rajan Salai, Ramasamy Salai and Lakshmanaswamy Salai seem to be bearing the brunt of the problem. For, ever since the footpaths were extended, residents of these localities are facing acute traffic congestion. And, adding to the woes of commuters, one-way traffic movement has now been introduced in Ramasamy Salai and Lakshmanaswamy Salai. Commuters don't seem to have gotten used to the new arrangement; for, motorists travel both ways, leading to traffic blocks,” says Shiva Moorthy, a resident of K.K. Nagar.

The pavement-widening work was carried out to benefit not only pedestrains but also cyclists, who were provided with an exclusive lane.

However, the widened pavements are not serving the intended purpose, but have been turned into a space for parking vehicles and dumping garbage, especially construction debris.

Despite vehicles being towed away and warnings being issued by the police, vehicles still continue to be parked on the footpaths, making them out of bounds for pedestrians as well as cyclists.

Setting up kiosks and food stall, street vendors also contribute to the problem. P. Kumar, a staff at a departmental store on Lakshmanaswamy Salai, says: “Despite awareness drives and distribution of pamphlets by the police, the problem of vehicular encroachment has not been checked.”

The police have also announced that cyclists who have difficulty using the cycle tracks on account of these encroachments can alert the nearest police booth or station about the issue. The trespassing vehicles would be towed away immediately.