CHENNAI: The unexpected showers that are sometimes accompanied by gusts have damaged the green shades installed at a few traffic intersections in the city, posing risk to commuters.
Though the Nungambakkam observatory recorded only light rain of around 1.5 cm from the showers on Tuesday, the spell was accompanied by bouts of wind.
Following the rain, the green shade near the new Avadi road junction was found dangling below, at a length that may hit the wind shields of heavy vehicles and potentially throw two-wheeler riders off balance. Last month, commuters told TNIE the shade near the fort station signal was similarly found torn.
North-Chennai based activist Jai Ganesh spotted a torn green shade at GNT Road in Erukkancheri on Monday, tweeting to officials for help. “This (the fallen net) is posing a serious threat to pedestrians and motorists,” he said in a social media post.
The Chennai corporation had installed the temporary structures during the summer to protect two-wheeler riders from the heat. To mitigate the danger, the residents suggest turning these temporary structures to permanent all-weather structures which can protect commuters from both the rain and the sun, as was envisioned by the corporation when they began the initiative last year. Officials, during then, had discussed replacing the green nets with PVC sheets, which can also turn out to be helpful for those riding in the rain.
“Let the structures be there throughout the year instead of repeatedly setting up these temporary structures year-after-year. The design can be tweaked accordingly and they can also save costs in the long run. Otherwise, this is a good idea to help two-wheeler riders cool down,” said Ashok Anand, who commutes by a two-wheeler.
The structures were mounted again this summer in 10 major traffic intersections, with each one costing the corporation between Rs 1-2 lakh. GCC officials were immediately unavailable for comment.
The rain also caused brief traffic snarls in the city on Tuesday evening. A tree was uprooted and fell on to Poonamallee High Road near Pachaiyappa’s College Metro station. As the tree fell on the median, traffic on both sides, towards Koyambedu and Egmore was briefly disrupted. The police along with the fire and rescue personnel cleared the tree within an hour. Traffic, in the meantime, was diverted along other routes, a police officer added.