TIRUCHY: Motorists in Tiruchy city are increasingly frustrated over poor traffic management, as heavy vehicles continue to ply through the city during the peak hours, causing severe congestion and posing risks to other road users and pedestrians.
Despite repeated complaints, large trucks and goods carriers are frequently spotted on busy stretches such as Chathiram Bus Stand, Srirangam, Thiruvanaikoil Gandhi Market, Woraiyur among other places, particularly during morning and evening rush hours.
Motorists report that traffic snarls often extend for hundreds of metres, forcing two-wheelers to squeeze through narrow gaps and pedestrians to walk dangerously close to moving vehicles. Along the Gandhi Market- Palpannai stretch, heavy trucks are regularly seen unloading rice bags on the roadside near godowns, blocking half the carriageway and leaving little room for other vehicles to pass.
On Vayalur Road, residents allege that heavy trucks continue to operate in violation of traffic rules. Many commuters blame the lack of consistent police presence at key junctions for the worsening situation. “Every day, traffic crawls during peak hours. The presence of heavy trucks on narrow, crowded roads makes road users unsafe.
We avoid venturing out in the evenings because we know we will be stuck for at least half an hour,” said S Kumar, a resident of Varaganeri. “Traffic police are either absent or too few in number during peak times,” he added. G Suganya, a commuter from Srinivasan Nagar said, “On Saturday, a heavy truck blocked Vayalur Road for nearly half an hour.
We were stuck there, and when we informed the city police, no one turned up to clear the traffic or penalise the driver. I don’t even know where to file a complaint anymore. Like in other major cities, a ‘no-entry’ rule for heavy vehicles during peak hours, along with better diversion routes, would significantly ease congestion.
Technology-based solutions like fixing CCTV and automatic fines could ensure better compliance,” she added. When contacted, a senior traffic police official said, “We are aware of the congestion issues and have plans to intensify monitoring at key stretches. We will check heavy vehicle movement and work on deploying more police personnel during peak hours.”