Traffic jams frustrate Chennai commuters at Chetpet signal

Peak-hour woes: The signal is located at a crucial junction on the road connecting E.V.R. Periyar Salai with Nungambakkam. The traffic comes to a halt at the morning peak hours.
| Photo Credit: Akhila Easwaran

Commuters travelling through the traffic signal at the intersection of Harrington Road, Dr. Guruswamy Bridge and Mayor Ramanathan Salai at Chetpet have raised concern over severe congestion, particularly during morning peak hours, resulting in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

The traffic signal is located at a crucial junction at Chetpet on the road connecting E.V.R. Periyar Salai (Poonamallee High Road) with Nungambakkam. It is surrounded by numerous educational institutions, commercial establishments, and residential apartments.

A long wait

R. Senthil Kumar, a commuter, says, “I have been using this road daily for the past four years. The number of commuters has increased significantly and the traffic comes to a standstill during the morning peak hours when a large number of vehicles from Poonamallee High Road enters the stretch through Dr. Guruswamy Bridge and Harrington Road. Commuters are forced to wait for a long time to pass through the signal. Sometimes, vehicles queue up from the signal all the way to the bridge.”

Pritam Singh, a parent whose children attend a school near the signal, highlights another challenge. “Since commuters from Harrington Road cannot directly cross over to the other side, they have to take a U-turn through the narrow subway under Dr. Guruswamy Bridge and the traffic signal to enter Mayor Ramanathan Salai. This causes a huge jam on the narrow stretch and increases travel time, especially during school hours in the morning.”

Better in the evening

Commuters also point out that delays at the signal often lead to reckless driving. Some road-users jump the red light, causing collisions. However, the situation improves slightly in the evening, says S. Anitha, a resident of Chetpet. While the congestion is lower, the number of vehicles passing through from Valluvarkottam High Road and Mayor Ramanathan Salai to the other side remains high, making those stretches crowded, she points out.

Some commuters say a large number of vehicles back up at the signal on Mayor Ramanathan Salai at evening hours when office-goers rush back home. This increases their waiting time to cross the signal.

Police plan more measures

According to police sources, traffic policemen posted at the police booth near the signal monitor the vehicular movement in real time and regulate the traffic. Additional personnel are deployed at peak hours to ease congestion, and further measures will be taken to regulate the traffic better at the junction.