With flyover works going on at Koundampalayam, GN Mills and Periyanaikenpalayam areas, vehicle movement on Mettupalayam Road has been affected. Rain and the damaged service roads are only adding to the risks that the motorists face.
The service roads are so badly damaged that they look more like a mancala (Pallanguli) game board, says M. Devendran, secretary of Coimbatore District Road Protection Committee. On Saturday and Sunday, the traffic was relatively less as companies and educational institutions were closed for festival holidays. The traffic snarls are expected to be worse on Monday when these will reopen. The Committee had made several representations to the Highways Department but there is no action yet, he claimed. The police should at least post more personnel and divert the vehicles to different roads so that the congestion eases, he said. The encroachments should be removed at the earliest to make the service roads wider.
M. Abdul Hakkim, secretary of Jammat e Islami Hind, Coimbatore, said he had also represented the issue to the District Collector and Corporation Commissioner. The recent rain has only made the roads worse and it is risky for motorists. It is common to see women on two-wheelers falling down not only on the main road but also on the diversion routes. With more rains expected in the coming days, driving on Mettupalayam road is a problem, he said.
Road users have urged the district administration, the civic body, and the Highways Department to take necessary steps to ensure that Mettupalayam road, especially at Koundampalayam, GN Mills and Periyanaikenpalayam, is safer for motorists.