Random bus halts cripple traffic in and around Chathiram Bus Stand

Road users in the busy Chathiram Bus Stand area in Tiruchi are facing increasing hardship because of random parking and indiscriminate halting of city buses along the arterial roads.

Although adequate space is available inside the bus stand for buses, several city buses continue to be parked on either side of College Road. Poor management of vehicle parking has resulted in severe inconvenience to motorists and pedestrians alike.

Similarly, despite designated bus stops, some city buses skip them and instead stop at will along the road, obstructing vehicular movement, and worsening the already chaotic traffic situation. Such unscheduled halts block motorists’ visibility and occupy a major portion of the carriageway.

Residents point out that lax enforcement of rules has turned the stretch into a congestion-prone zone, where traffic jams are the norm and movement of vehicles becomes slow and stressful, particularly during peak hours.

The area around Chathiram Bus Stand is known to experience heavy vehicle accumulation and congestion, partly due to the absence of a comprehensive parking and traffic management strategy. “The traffic in and around Chathiram Bus Stand is unmanageable. Buses stop everywhere to pick up or drop passengers, and two-wheelers and cars are parked along the roadside, leaving little space for through traffic,” said N. Jamaludeen, a civic activist.

Road users have urged the authorities to enforce parking rules more effectively, regulate bus halting locations, and ensure better utilisation of existing parking infrastructure to ease congestion and improve safety in the busy commercial zone.

A senior police official said that instructions would be issued to bus crew to halt only at designated stops and that strict action would be taken against violators. He added that additional police personnel would be deployed during peak hours to regulate traffic.