Vehicles take over MG Road footpath in Adyar

CHENNAI: The footpath along MG Road connecting Adyar and Besant Nagar has no space for pedestrians with mini-vans bringing grain to a mandy nearby and vehicles of customers of a restaurant on the opposite side of the road parked all over it. And, all this under the nose of traffic police manning the signal barely 100m away. Complaints from pedestrians and residents have brought no action.
A coconut vendor has permanently set up a stall on the footpath at the turn from Adyar to Besant Nagar and vehicles are always parked there. A restaurant on the opposite of the road allows its customers to park on this footpath as it has no parking space. Corporation officials and traffic police turn a blind eye.
“A few days ago, there was a police recovery vehicle parked on the road – next to the encroached footpath. But, the parked vehicles were not removed. The policemen were catching people without helmets and turning a blind eye to this encroachment of public space,” said TD Babu, a resident of Shastri Nagar. He pointed out that a number of barricades lying discarded near the Indira Nagar water tank could be used to secure the footpath from vehicles.
Commuters waiting for MTC buses at the Shastri Nagar bus stop are the most irked. “Because of the vehicles parked there, people waiting for buses can’t see them coming and the drivers can’t see if there are passengers waiting to board. So, many a time, buses drive past without stopping,” said Vidya, a regular MTC commuter. She added that all major shops and business establishments encourage their customers to park on the footpath.
Corporation officials from the zone said they had begun issuing notices to eateries and shops functioning without parking for customers. “We will take strict action against such establishments if they fail to comply. We are seeking support from the traffic police as well,” said an official.
A traffic inspector under whose jurisdiction the area comes under said that on Friday evening, parked vehicles were removed and the owners were fined. “We have been removing vehicles. We are levying penalty to precent such acts. I will try to implement barricading of the area to prevent encroachment,” said the inspector.