CHENNAI: Thousands of commuters heading out of Chennai to their hometowns ahead of polling on Thursday were caught in one of the city’s worst traffic snarls in recent years, spending hours stranded on key roads.
The gridlock on GST Road, the Chennai Bypass, and other arterial stretches began around 9 pm on Wednesday and persisted until nearly 1 pm on Thursday. A section of travellers said they spent five hours to cover the 31-km stretch between Koyambedu and Kilambakkam.
Bus termini in Chennai, including Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus (KCBT) and Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT), were overcrowded as thousands of commuters thronged them on Wednesday and Thursday. In the early hours of Thursday, a group of commuters staged a protest at KCBT, demanding additional bus services to the northern and delta districts.
The situation was no different in Villupuram and Coimbatore districts. At the Singanallur bus stand in Coimbatore, commuters waited for nearly five hours for buses to Madurai, Theni and Karur, prompting a section of travellers to stage a blockade in front of the bus stand. As a result, commuters were forced to travel in overcrowded buses hanging on the footboard in several parts of the state.
The transport department described the rush as unprecedented but maintained that it operated services efficiently. Officials said about 6.22 lakh commuters were transported between April 21 and April 23 (till noon), surpassing the 5.59 lakh commuters handled over five days during the 2021 Assembly elections. The department also rejected claims of inadequate planning.
Transport secretary Shunchonngam Jatak Chiru told TNIE that preparations had been in place since April 21 to handle the surge. “We operated 11,323 buses over two days, ferrying more than 6.22 lakh commuters, which is higher than peak festival demand. Those who arrived at KCBT between 1 am and 6 pm on Wednesday travelled comfortably.
Even after 6 pm, commuters managed to board buses without much difficulty. Delays were mainly faced by those who arrived after 11 pm due to congestion on GST Road,” he said.Chiru added that only a small number of commuters protested early Thursday, mostly seeking buses to places such as Kalasapakkam, Tiruvannamalai, Vriddhachalam and others, which were subsequently arranged.
Traffic movement remained disrupted throughout the night, with motorists facing the worst congestion on GST Road between 12.30 am and 1 pm on Thursday. Commuters took nearly four hours to travel just eight kilometres between Tambaram and Kilambakkam, a journey that normally takes 20 to 30 minutes. The Tambaram traffic police attributed the severe congestion to multiple factors, including a surge in private vehicles, the influx of omni buses attempting to enter KCBT, and the protest by commuters.
The situation worsened near the service road leading to KCBT, where several omni buses diverted on the Vandalur flyover. Vehicles exiting the flyover and those entering from the service road converged at a single point near the omni bus stand, creating a major bottleneck that stretched back to Perungalathur.
Further congestion built up at Perungalathur as vehicles from the Chennai Bypass and GST Road (Tambaram side) attempted to access the Irumbuliyur flyover, extending the traffic jam up to Tambaram railway station and beyond. The ripple effect slowed traffic along GST Road up to Guindy and on the Chennai Bypass for nearly 10 km.
Many commuters took to social media to share their experiences. Meanwhile, taking advantage of the shortage, mini-bus operators began running services to Karur, from Singanallur bus stand, charging Rs 500 per passenger.
(With inputs from S Senthil Kumar @ Coimbatore)