COIMBATORE: Passengers have requested the police department to take steps to curb frequent bus accidents at the Gandhipuram town bus stand by deploying traffic police. Considering the welfare of bus passengers, they have raised this demand with the police.
A bus passenger, V Naveenkumar, in the city told TNIE that in recent months, private and government buses have collided often at the town bus stand entrance after drivers attempt to overtake one another to enter.
"Some private bus drivers often cause accidents by trying to overtake stationary buses to pick up more passengers. Their careless driving causes accidents, and innocent people suffer. Recently, a college girl student was killed when a government bus, after losing control, rammed into the bus stand," he said.
Another passenger, P Balasaravanan, told TNIE that despite a police check post at the bus stand, police personnel focus only on maintaining law and order.
"There is an urgent need for traffic police to regulate bus movement alongside the internal timekeeper. Only then can these bus collisions be curbed. Therefore, the police department must deploy traffic police to regulate buses with the help of timekeeping staff, considering passengers' welfare," he urged.
Government bus driver P Kumar told TNIE that due to the lack of a monitoring office, drivers park buses improperly in the middle of the bus stand. He added that some private bus drivers refuse to move even after their scheduled time has passed, to pick up more passengers. He alleged that this causes heavy congestion inside the bus stand, particularly in the evening, and urged the traffic police to step in and regulate the area.
N Logu, secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Voice, told TNIE that in addition to deploying traffic police, the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation should take steps to expand the bus stand by acquiring government land, considering the rising population.
A senior officer from Coimbatore's traffic wing told TNIE that cases are being registered against buses which frequently violate norms. He added that steps will be taken to deploy traffic police to regulate bus movement at the bus stand.