Facing this bottleneck for days on end, commuters put the blame on authorities, including the police, for not taking action against those parking in the space haphazardly.

According to the regular commuters who board the train from Pallavaram station, the two-wheelers parked there belong to some of the passengers who do not want to use the parking facility provided at the station as it entails paying a fee. These vehicles parked there drastically reduce the space available for the others, especially during peak hours, rued P Revathi, a Pallavaram resident who has taken up the issue with authorities in the past.

“Many senior citizens particularly face difficulties to go in between the vehicles,” Revathi said. All the two-wheelers parked there have their anti-theft side locks engaged, making it difficult to move them to adjust for space, she added. 

Taking up the matter officially, Revathi and a friend had complained to the Pallavaram police station, which is just a few meters away from the railway subway. “But no one takes permanent action to solve the issue,” she said.  

S Venkatesan, an artiste at a publishing company hailing from Anna Nagar in Pallavaram recalled how he witnessed a pregnant woman getting jammed between the handlebars of the two-wheelers when she was negotiating her way through. According to him, it is not just that they park the vehicles illegally, it is done in such an irregular fashion that makes the nuisance worse. 

During monsoons, he added, the situation gets worse for the people. Pointing out how the authorised two-wheeler parking area there lies just few steps away from the subway, Venkatesan said, “Strict action should be taken against those who park their two and three-wheelers here.”

When asked, a policeman at the Pallavaram station admitted the area near the subway was not supposed to be used for parking. “However, some persons are repeatedly violating the rules. We are taking action regularly by imposing fine on the offenders. But the problem is continuing,” he added. Even while agreeing that deploying traffic policeman in that area would permanently solve the issue, he added: “But it may not be feasible to put a traffic cop for that area alone.” 

To this, Venkatesan has a suggestion that could at least reduce the menace of unauthorised parking: the traffic police personnel should conduct regular checks and seize vehicles that are parked in that area.