With the Royala Nagar police receiving reports of accidents at the intersection of Karampakkam Main Road and Arcot Road, frequently, the State Highways Department has stepped in to do what it could to enhance safety at the junction that is busy and narrow.
The State Highways Department maintains Arcot Road, and on the section of this road near the intersection, it has installed temporary steel barricades with concrete base. This exercise was carried out a few months ago.
While agreeing that these barricades prevent motorists driving on Arcot Road from jumping onto the opposite side of the road to reach the Karampakkam Main Road, motorists point out that the major reason for frequent accidents at the intersection is that motorists coming in the direction on Arcot Road and Karampakkam Main Road, cannot even remotely see each other till they reach the intersection.
When motorists from Karampakkam Main Road come at high speed, they often notice motorists coming from Arcot Road, at the intersection, suddenly.
Karampakkam Main Road is located parallel to Arcot Road.
A row of buildings, which mostly include commercial establishments, separates the two roads, and it blocks the view of motorists driving down these two roads
“During rush hour, traffic congestion is high at the narrow intersection. Widening the intersection will help ease traffic flow and also prevent accidents,” says B. Rajkumar, a motorist from Porur.
At night, the intersection and the connecting roads are marked by poor illumination.
Besides, the intersection does not have safety features like reflectors, and speed breakers with markings.
“Steps, which include provision of safety features at the intersection and connecting sections, will be taken,” says a State Highways official.