Chennai: Illegal U-turns slow down traffic near Duraisamy Subway

As you turn onto Duraisamy Road from North Usman Road in T. Nagar, you enter a bustling street, lined with shops, that is fairly well paved and accompanied by proper footpaths, barring the occasional broken ones. But as you move towards the Duraisamy Subway, you are greeted by traffic so chaotic that you are forced to inch forward cautiously and manoeuvre through a maze of vehicles.

This is especially true during peak hours and the monsoon season. The subway road, afterall, is infamous for chronic flooding and poor maintenance.

What adds to the problem are the illegal U-turns taken by motorists coming from the service lanes of the subway road. “Ideally, when you enter Duraisamy Road from the service lanes to head toward the Mambalam side, you are supposed to go all the way up to Saravana Elite, take a U-turn, and return. But nobody has the time, so they end up taking a U-turn directly from the service lanes,” says an autorickshaw driver.

This means that traffic often moves at a snail’s pace during peak hours — usually from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays. Weekends are no better, as the street sees equally chaotic traffic, with T. Nagar being a shopper’s den.

The traffic police should strictly enforce one-ways on the service roads, so that traffic movement is not affected as much, said Suresh Rodrigo, a shop owner in the area. “Moreover, during peak hours and weekends, customers struggle with parking in the area,” he added.

Often, when heavy vehicles such as large trucks and lorries pass through the subway road, despite it being a crammed space, traffic gets disrupted, observed another motorist.

A traffic police personnel, on condition of anonymity, said that U-turns from the service lanes are not permitted. “Since the subway road lies on lower ground, vehicles tend to slow down as they ascend and descend the slope. This may be why traffic is relatively slow-moving here, especially during peak hours,” the personnel added.

Flooding woes

The subway road is in poor condition, with cracks and crevices along its surface. During heavy rain, the low-lying stretch floods quickly. Although the water is eventually pumped out, it causes traffic delays.

The footpaths along the subway road are also not conducive for pedestrians, as wires hang from the sides and water sometimes leaks from above, said S. Govindarajan, a resident of the area. While there is adequate lighting at night, some sections of the footpaths are broken, with garbage strewn on the sides, he added.

K. Elumalai, Councillor of Ward 133, Zone 10, Greater Chennai Corporation, said there are motors attached to the subway that pump out water during heavy rains. The water is collected in a nearby well. “There are adequate drains along the subway road. When the rains are light, the water easily seeps through the drains,” he added.