Over the years, Madurai-Melur Road around Mattuthavani has a significant development after the (now re-named) MGR bus stand came into existence. The markets for flower, foodgrains, vegetable and fruits and the omni bus stand along with scores of hotels and lodges have added to faster development of the area on both sides of the highway.
Despite the widened highway, traffic congestion during peak hours has become unavoidable between the Industrial Estate junction and Uthangudi junction. A series of bus stops and junctions too have slowed down the vehicular movement.
And adding to the traffic jam is halting of buses, mini-buses and autorickshaws on the highway opposite the entrance of the bus stand.
“On any working day, we can see a large group of passengers waiting on the roadside in the mornings to board buses to various destinations in neighbour districts,” a traffic policeman said. As the buses, both State-run and private, halt here for a few seconds during the peak hour traffic, vehicles get piled up on both sides of the road.
With passengers stand on the edge of the carriage way, buses halt on the middle of the road blocking the way for other vehicles following them. This includes buses from K.K. Nagar side attempting to enter the bus stand and other vehicles trying to make a u-turn back into the city side.
Vehicles coming out of RTO Office Road and those from Melur Road trying to cross this junction towards RTO Office road are also not spared.
Amidst total chaos, vehicles start moving at a slower pace as and when the buses that had halted resume their journey. But, the same blockade returns to the spot within seconds as another bus halts at the same spot.
“Most of the passengers are government employees posted in Tirupattur, Sivaganga, Paramakudi and Virudhunagar. Since most of these regular travellers rush to the bus stand at the last minute, they do not prefer to walk all the way into the bus bays, fearing of missing the bus, find a short cut to walk across the Melur road,” the constable said.
The city police have somehow managed to prevent share autorickshaws from picking or dropping passengers at this point.
“Seldom do the passengers heed to our advice not to wait on the roadside and go to the bus stand to board buses. If educated people are not going to follow traffic rules, how can we implement it,” he asked.
The crew of the buses also stop here with an eye on their daily collection. “It is the traffic police who bear the brunt when traffic gets choked,” he added.
A drive for a week or fortnight will end this menace that leads to traffic congestion up to 120 Feet Road junction and further.