Commuters boarding Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses from Chennai Beach station bus stop have urged the Chennai Traffic Police and MTC to reclaim the boarding point which is being used as a two-wheeler parking lot.
The bus stop is located on Rajaji Salai and buses towards Tambaram, Saidapet, Poonamallee and Adyar ply through this stretch.
“Customers frequenting Burma Bazaar use this space to park their two-wheelers and we commuters have no other choice than stand on the road and wait for our buses. When the bus arrives, we have to zig-zag our way through the bikes and run amid the chaotic traffic to board the buses,” N. Vengadessin, a frequent commuter and a long-time resident of George Town said.
The bikers not only park at the bus stop, they have taken over the space on the carriageway as well. The police personnel on duty near the entrance of Chennai Beach railway station remain mute spectators to the blatant violation, said another commuter on condition of anonymity.
He said that the traffic on the stretch spins out of control due to the mindless parking of vehicles at the halting point.
The need of the hour is to create a no-parking zone around the boarding point and create a bus bay to prevent illegal parking.
A Chennai Traffic Police official said, “Even though we have made repeated requests against parking at the boarding point as it affects free flow of pedestrian and vehicular traffic towards the terminal and Broadway, the motorcyclists don’t seem to bother. We will soon deploy personnel at the bus stop itself to control this menace.”