TIRUCHY: On-road parking of buses outside the Chathiram bus stand is leading to frequent traffic snarls on College Road during rush hours of the day. Lack of the space inside the bus stand is cited as the major reason, sources said, and the police personnel are taking special measures to manage traffic on the road.
The Chathiram bus stand was redeveloped by the Corporation under the Smart City Mission at a cost of Rs 28.24 crore in 2019. After two years of construction, the bus stand opened in January this year. It has a total of 29 bays created in two parts, for town and rural buses. The 11,000 sqm facility sees the movement of over 650 buses every day.
Though most of the buses are stopped inside the new bus stand, buses proceeding to Kulumani, Woraiyur, Thillai Nagar and Srirangam route buses are made to halo outside owing to space issues. However, poor management in parking the vehicles creates trouble to road users. Often other route buses, which are meant to be parked inside the bus stand, also stop on the road, creating traffic snarl near the Kamarajar statue. This is a spot where where the College Road joins with NH 81 and Karur Main Road.
"Often, over 50 per cent of the road is occupied by the buses, from St Joseph's College to the Kamarajar statue. The buses more often stop in the middle of the road to pick up passengers. Such situations often lead to traffic bottlenecks. We hope the police takes steps to regulate traffic on the road," Arun Kumar, resident of Mainguard Gate, said.
Kumar of the Tiruchy Private Bus Owners Association, said, "The the new bus stand is a little smaller than the old one. As there are no alternative options for us to park the buses, we stop on the road to drop and pick up passengers . However, we have strictly told our drivers to stop the buses only along the sides so that it does not create traffic snarls."
Speaking to TNIE, a senior police official said, "Private buses, which ply in Thiruverumbur, Thuvakudi and Kallanai route, often arrive much earlier than their allotted time and occupy the bay in the bus stand. This increases bus population within the stand, forcing other buses to park outside. The department has started booking cases against buses which are not properly following their arrival and departure time chart and also parking in an improper manner. On an average, about 150 cases against buses have been booked in the last couple of weeks."
The official also added that additional police personnel and also traffic marshals are deputed on the particular stretch during rush hour to maintain order.
Police personnel are being placed to monitor and regulate bus parking on College Road.