CHENNAI: The first day of the traffic modification led to increased congestion along Sardar Patel Road in the direction of Adyar and OMR. As per the new plan, all vehicles including MTC buses heading towards Madhya Kailash are now required to take the flyover. During the morning peak hours, vehicles experienced a delay of 10-minutes while taking the flyover.
While the new one-way arrangement on the flyover towards Madhya Kailash slowed traffic down, another major change was a mandatory left turn on to the Gandhi Mandapam Road.
When TNIE visited the spot on Wednesday morning, several motorists, unaware of the changes, took the service road as per their usual route. At the Adyar Cancer Institute signal, as many of them attempted to go straight or make a U-turn, both of which are now restricted, police at the spot directed the motorists to take the left onto the Gandhi Mandapam Road. This resulted in a footfall of vehicles along the service lane.
Lalitha (44) of T Nagar said, “I didn’t know the new arrangements. Now, I have to make a U-turn and then go towards Taramani.”
Another concern for motorists was the relocation of the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) bus stop. It has now been moved just ahead of the flyover towards Madhya Kailash. A police source said the intention was to ensure MTC buses used the flyover, preventing slowdowns along the service road. However, the buses stopping close to the flyover caused minor traffic pile-ups.
A student from a nearby college was found getting out of an MTC bus ahead of his stop and running to class. “If I wait for the bus to reach the stop, I will miss the beginning of my class,” he said.
To assist patients visiting the Adyar Cancer Institute, police arranged a free shuttle service from the relocated CLRI bus stop. While banners were placed in the morning to guide the public, police later added loudspeakers along the road to intimate the changes.
In the evening, the flyover was made two-way to accommodate vehicle flow in both directions, which is a regular practice, a police source said. Despite this, congestion persisted on both sides.
At the Adyar Cancer Institute signal, vehicles from Madhya Kailash heading to Kotturpuram, those coming from Little Mount to Kotturpuram, and vehicles moving from Kotturpuram to Raj Bhavan all faced significant delays due to signal waiting time. Though vehicle movement picked up once signals turned green, the flow remained slow and steady, just like any other working day.