By The Hindu Bureau
Copyright thehindu
In a bid to ease traffic congestion at the Little Mount junction, the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) plans to carry out a study soon.
Every day, thousands of vehicles travel along Anna Salai and Saidapet, passing through the Little Mount junction en route to Guindy or Adyar via Sardar Patel Road. During evening peak hours, the junction is often choked with traffic, and vehicles move at a snail’s pace, commuters say. To address the issue, the CUMTA plans to undertake a study shortly.
“This project is currently in the early stages of discussion. We will undertake traffic simulations to explore ways to improve traffic flow along this road, and see whether it would be feasible to convert it into two-way traffic. There is also a foot-over-bridge at Little Mount; we are considering adding escalators and elevators to it so that the signal at the location for pedestrian crossing can be removed. We are considering multiple options. We will have to have discussions with the Greater Chennai Traffic Police after the study, and carry out trials before implementation,” an official said.
Balaji S., a commuter, said he takes the Metro Rail from Anna Salai to Saidapet and then boards a bus to Kundrathur. “I take a bus from Saidapet to my residence. To cross that junction alone, it would sometimes take 15-20 minutes during peak hours. It would really help several commuters like me if the authorities came up with a solution,” he added.
A. Balasubramanian, who also frequently travels via that junction, said the road from Guindy and Saidapet is quite wide, but it narrows at Little Mount junction, resulting in congestion. “Whenever I have to go to Velachery or Thiruvanmiyur via that junction in the evening, I always end up getting caught in traffic. It is quite a frustrating drive from Little Mount to the Gandhi Mandapam Road-Sardar Patel junction,” he added.
