SALEM: Chaotic traffic during rush hour has made a stretch of the Omalur Main Road in Salem city unsafe for pedestrians.
Horns blare, buses edge past two-wheelers, and pedestrians wait endlessly for a safe gap to cross. What should have been a smooth gateway to Salem's transport hub — the Dr M G R Central Bus Stand — has instead become one of the city's most confusing and unsafe roads.
This stretch adjacent to the Advaitha Ashram road is one of the main approach routes to the new bus stand. The bus stand, one of the largest in Tamil Nadu, was meant to ease congestion inside the city by shifting major bus operations here. Without a pedestrian crossing, proper footpath, or a traffic signal to regulate the flow of vehicles, the approach road itself has turned into a bottleneck.
The traffic signal at the next junction has little impact on this busy stretch. Every few minutes, long queues of buses and private vehicles pile up, while people on foot risk crossing through the gaps.
The problem gets worse near the flyover, which is a part of Dr J Jayalalithaa Two-Tier Flyover, which begins just a few metres from the bus stand. Some vehicles take the flyover, while others continue straight toward the terminus, and both streams collide at the same junction. On the other lane, a bus stop has also been placed right there, creating a choke point where buses stop, turn, and re-enter the flow of traffic.
Only when a traffic police officer is present does the movement become manageable. Otherwise, the area is chaotic with drivers honking and squeezing through narrow spaces, while pedestrians waiting nervously at the edge of the road.
Sometimes during peak hours it takes so much time to cross the road," said V Sharmila, a regular commuter on this route. "The end of the street and the bus stop meet at the same point, causing congestion. This slows down vehicles and delays pedestrians too. Pedestrians panic as vehicles come ramming in to either enter the bus stand or take the flyover. A signal here could have made it easier."
Residents say this is not an isolated issue but a symptom of poor town planning across Salem. They point out that several junctions in the city face the same problem - heavy traffic, no pedestrian crossings, and a lack of coordination between the highways department, the corporation, and the police. "There are many places like this across Salem," another commuter said. "Unless proper planning is done, every new road or flyover will just move the chaos from one place to another."
A simple traffic signal here, a designated pedestrian crossing, and clear lane markings could make a visible difference, locals say.
Until that happens, the road to Salem's new bus stand will remain a daily test of patience for the pedestrians.
