Traffic police say there is not enough staff to man the junction
Heavy vehicle movement on Cantonment Junction is the major reason for traffic block here
Chennai:
The traffic situation here was not so bad till last June. But the number of vehicles, including MTC buses, lorries and heavy-duty trucks, passing through the area increased due to the construction of a flyover on GST road in Pallavaram. As the construction of the fly-over is halfway through, all the vehicles coming from Tambaram to Chennai is being diverted through cantonment junction. Residents of the area find it very difficult to cross the junction. Parents said they fear for their children’s safety when they go to school because of the heavy vehicle movement and added that these vehicles often exceed their speed limit.
“We are not against the fly-over. But local authorities should ensure a traffic signal or policeman to regulate the traffic at peak hours,” S Venkatesan, a resident of Anna Nagar, said.
He also pointed out that since there are no speed breakers on the road leading to the junction, motorists do not slow down and poses a great risk to everyone, especially pedestrians.
A senior traffic cop attached to the Pallavaram station said that most of the policemen are manning the GST Road as thousands of vehicles take the road during peak hours. “If we are to man Cantonment Junction, too, we need more policemen,” he added. He also pointed out that the Municipality should take steps to construct speed breakers in order to reduce the speed of the vehicles.
K Balaji, a resident of Pammal, has to pass through the junction every day while going to office in the morning. He said that it will take at least 10 to 15 minutes to cross the junction due to heavy traffic. “We have lodged several complaints with the police and Municipality. But no action has been taken so far,” Balaji added. A senior official from the Pammal Municipality said, “We have taken up this issue with higher officials and the matter will be solved soon.”
It is a nightmare for motorists to drive through the Cantonment Junction at Pallavaram because of the frequent traffic jams here. Motorists complain that the absence of a traffic signal or traffic policemen at the junction has caused quite a few accidents in the past few months.
The traffic situation here was not so bad till last June. But the number of vehicles, including MTC buses, lorries and heavy-duty trucks, passing through the area increased due to the construction of a flyover on GST road in Pallavaram. As the construction of the fly-over is halfway through, all the vehicles coming from Tambaram to Chennai is being diverted through cantonment junction. Residents of the area find it very difficult to cross the junction. Parents said they fear for their children’s safety when they go to school because of the heavy vehicle movement and added that these vehicles often exceed their speed limit.
“We are not against the fly-over. But local authorities should ensure a traffic signal or policeman to regulate the traffic at peak hours,” S Venkatesan, a resident of Anna Nagar, said.
He also pointed out that since there are no speed breakers on the road leading to the junction, motorists do not slow down and poses a great risk to everyone, especially pedestrians.
A senior traffic cop attached to the Pallavaram station said that most of the policemen are manning the GST Road as thousands of vehicles take the road during peak hours. “If we are to man Cantonment Junction, too, we need more policemen,” he added. He also pointed out that the Municipality should take steps to construct speed breakers in order to reduce the speed of the vehicles.
K Balaji, a resident of Pammal, has to pass through the junction every day while going to office in the morning. He said that it will take at least 10 to 15 minutes to cross the junction due to heavy traffic. “We have lodged several complaints with the police and Municipality. But no action has been taken so far,” Balaji added. A senior official from the Pammal Municipality said, “We have taken up this issue with higher officials and the matter will be solved soon.”
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