Motorists flouting stop lines at major junctions hinder pedestrian movement in Erode

Violation of white stop lines at traffic signals has become a common sight on city roads, causing inconvenience to pedestrians using zebra crossings and disrupting vehicles coming from the opposite direction.

Stop lines at signals mandate that vehicles halt when required by traffic lights or by traffic police personnel. However, at several major junctions — including Collectorate Junction, Panneerselvam Park Junction, Kalaimadu Silai Junction and Poondurai Road — many two-wheelers and four-wheelers routinely ride past the stop line. Motorists often inch forward even when the signal turns red, and some stop only after vehicles from the opposite direction begin to move.

“Crossing stop lines and jumping signals is very common at most junctions every day. But traffic police personnel remain mute spectators and focus mainly on booking motorists without helmets,” said V. Raja of Palayapalayam. He added that zebra crossings are rarely respected, causing hardship to pedestrians.

“The indiscipline of a few motorists affects overall traffic flow and leads to accidents,” said T. Sundaram, an employee of a private firm.

Many motorists attribute the issue to faded road markings and lack of enforcement, which encourage repeated violations. “Free left lanes at Panneerselvam Park Junction, Swastik Corner Junction, Kalaimadu Silai Junction and a few others are always blocked by vehicles going straight,” said a two-wheeler rider.

Motorists also point out that traffic police personnel are posted only at Panneerselvam Park, GH Roundabout and Collectorate Junction, while several other busy intersections remain unmanned. “Violators continue to break rules as no action is taken,” said a pedestrian.