CHENNAI: To decongest West Tambaram, a draft comprehensive mobility plan (CMP) has proposed banning of parking of MTC and long-distance buses along GST road.
According to the report, since MTC buses are parked or terminated all along GST Road from Market Area till Tambaram Sanatorium Bus Stand, there is a need to shift the terminal to existing bus stand to avoid chaos in the already congested area.
The existing on-street terminal shall be used only as pick-up, drop off bays, the report said. The report said it has been observed from traffic surveys that a total of over 1.5 lakh vehicles are registered on GST Road. The road has a mix of heterogeneous traffic.
On-street parking has been a menace for pedestrians as vehicles encroach pedestrians’ usage area forcing them to walk on the carriageway.
An organised parking lot has to be planned at West Tambaram by City Corporation for the alleviation of on-street parking problems. It has been observed that while a few parking lots are operational at a flat rate of `25 for 24 hours servicing the railway station, no parking lots are observed in or near the Market Area, the report said.
It says that existing facilities of footpath on GST road are either too small not adhering to standards or totally encroached by on-street vendors.
“There is little or no pedestrian footpath observed in and around the market area - a minimum of 1.8m in the residential area and 3-4 m in commercial areas to be planned,” the report has suggested.
Challenges
Encroachment of pedestrian facilities on GST Road
Absence of footpath in internal roads
Huge demand of pedestrian crossing facilities
Existing subway not efficiently utilised by pedestrians
Excessive encroachment of subway
Absence of proper signages for existing facilities
No parking facilities on west side of GST Road