CHENNAI: An evening shopping along the pedestrian plaza in T Nagar is an experience in itself. Small groups of youngsters have a hearty laugh on the pavement benches, parents hold on to children lest they wander off into the play area and senior citizens take a ride on the buggies across the stretch as their eyes wander along the line-up of shops. However, as the plaza is set to turn four in a few months, an issue that plagued it when it was first opened, continues.
A walk on the pedestrian plaza on a Saturday evening was nothing if not scary. Bike riders swerved on the footpath to avoid the traffic on the road. Glares from shoppers and others did little to discourage them. If that was not all, vehicles of shoppers line up on the plaza on busy days.
For instance, part of the footpath opposite the smart bike station serve as mini parking zones for shoppers in a hurry. The bylanes along the plaza are also used as parking spots. “The vehicles are parked in the middle of the pavement and pedestrians have to walk around it,” said Shreya (20).
Despite the parking arrangements, both on-street and at the multi-level car park, implemented by the corporation in and near the plaza, haphazard parking continues. When TNIE asked a pedestrian about the multi-level car park, Praveen (25), who has been working in the same vicinity at North Usman road for two years said he had no idea the facility exists.
When contacted, a senior corporation official said plans were on to permanently solve the parking issue in T Nagar by designating parking areas near the plaza. However, he said, it was also a collective responsibility to use the plaza as intended. “We need a certain extent of civic responsibility and the help of the police to ensure that the pedestrian plaza remains exclusive for pedestrians.”
Apart from this, the pedestrian plaza is the place to take in the sights, sounds and smells of the city, not too different from the bustling Pondy Bazaar that it was before the footpath was built. It was originally designed to build a sense of community and encourage non-motorised transport and was officially opened in November 2019.