Karur Bypass Road chokes with chaotic traffic, unchecked roadside parking

Karur Bypass Road, an arterial road in the city, is literally choking with traffic these days due to rapid commercial development, unchecked roadside parking and inordinate delay in completing the road over bridge near Fort Railway Station on Salai Road.

Once developed as a model road by Tiruchi Corporation with pedestrian pavements and broad carriageways, the road is now literally bursting at its seams almost right through the day. Being a key entry/exit route, it soon became one of the busiest in the city as it connects Salai Road and Tiruchi-Karur Highway.

Over the past couple of years, the road has also emerged as one of the major commercial areas in the city. The mushroom growth of retail showrooms, hotels and eateries has proved to be a bane as unrestricted parking seems to have defeated the objective of widening the road.

Many of the establishments do not have parking space and visitors park their vehicles on the roadside. “Almost one-third of the carriageway is used for parking on either side of the road. The traffic police turn a blind eye to the practice. The onus of providing parking space for customers is on the commercial establishments,” observed R. Gopal, a city resident.

Apart from traffic signals on two ends of the road, the Annamalai Nagar intersection also witnesses frequent traffic hold-ups. Vehicles entering and exiting Annamalai Nagar often trigger the hold-ups as roadside vendors and parked vehicles leave little space for manoeuvring.

“Traffic frequently comes to a standstill on the road, especially during peak hours. At times it takes more than 30 minutes to cross this road of just a km,” said Rajendran, an autorickshaw driver held up in a traffic snarl.

A few police men deployed on Salai Road and Karur Highway intersection struggle to regulate the traffic and often seem to remain hapless bystanders. Even ambulances struggle to make their way through the traffic.

With construction of the road over bridge on Salai Road dragging on, motorists have to necessarily go via Karur Bypass Road to reach the Main Guard Gate, Teppakulam, Chathiram Bus Stand and other parts of the old city. “Until and unless the road bridge is completed quickly, the situation is going to remain bad. The traffic police too seem to be struggling with limited manpower. The traffic management system seems to have failed in the city,” said P. Ayyarappan, president, Road Users Welfare Association.

Frequent traffic pile-ups have been a major irritant for motorists, leading to calls for regulation of parking. Traffic police say they are doing their best. “The city police and the Corporation should work in a coordinated manner to ease the situation at least by preventing roadside parking,” Mr. Ayyarappan added.