Chennai: The next time you accelerate on an open stretch after descending from a flyover, be overly careful as these spots are deadly accident zones. In the last three years, 180 people lost their lives on short, wide sections connecting flyovers to regular roads.
Half of the top ten accident hotspots in Chennai are on these off-ramp roads, according to a Greater Chennai Traffic Police (GCTP) study between 2021 and July 2024. Roads linking Kathipara Junction to GST Road (223 accidents), Maduravoyal (143) and Koyambedu (104) interchanges on Poonamallee High Road, and areas around Anna Arch (190) and Napier Bridge (155) are among the most hazardous. Over-speeding and wrong-side driving remain the primary causes.
R Rajmurugan, a transportation engineer who worked on several urban road projects, said, "Frustrated by the congestion on main roads, often narrowed by CMRL barricades, motorists accelerate when they hit open stretches, trying to make up for lost time. This quick shift to high speeds drastically reduces reaction time, making drivers vulnerable to speeding vehicles from side lanes or sudden lane shifts." For instance, while driving at 50 km/h gives drivers about 1.5 seconds to react, many push to 80 km/h, cutting reaction time to only 0.9 seconds.
To make roads safer, GCTP, in partnership with the civic and highways departments, introduced radar guns to book violators, speed breakers, and limiters in accident-prone areas, along with road repairs to prevent mishaps, said R Sudhakar, additional CoP (traffic) GCTP. Additionally, potholes on 15 major arterial roads, including Kamarajar Salai, Wallajah Road, and Anna Salai, were repaired to improve commuter safety.
The traffic police analysis showed that transit hubs also see higher accident rates. Roads near Chennai Central Metro, Broadway bus terminus and Nehru Park metro station recorded over 50 pedestrian deaths in the last three years.
Sudhakar said bollards were installed at select locations to separate bus stands from the main road, traffic signals were added for safer crossings, and bus stops near blind curves were relocated.
Although pedestrian subways exist, poor signage and detours often force people to cross at unsafe spots on roads, said D Subramanian, a resident-activist from Chromepet who campaigns for safer roads.
Urban planners urge the govt to prioritise pedestrian space and adopt 'road dieting,' a technique from developing Asian countries that reduces road width for vehicles, giving more room to pedestrians and cyclists—a move that could make city roads safer for everyone.
The GCTP study also identified Y-shaped junctions as accident hotspots due to nine potential collision points at each intersection. Ideally, these junctions should be redesigned as roundabouts or equipped with traffic signals to reduce accidents. As a short-term solution, deploying traffic officers at these locations would help, said Subramanian.