Pedestrians, vehicles vie for space in T. Nagar

S. Sumathi, a mother of two has just finished Deepavali shopping and wants to board the bus at the T. Nagar Bus Terminus to go to Tambaram. To reach the terminus, she has to cross the road for which she is forced to wait for over 10 minutes. She missed the bus ultimately. This has always been the problem for those who want to cross Usman road near the bus terminus. Sure. this part of T. Nagar is a pedestrian’s nightmare. “There are days when pedestrians have to run for their lives to reach the other side to take the bus. Today with my heavy shopping bags, I could not quicken my pace,” Sumathi said. Woes of the pedestrians do not end here. On the opposite side of the terminus, buses from Kodambakkam stop. 

Though there is a designated bus stand, vehicles do not stop there, but halt anywhere on the road because pedestrians try to cross the road at several points.  This creates a lot of confusion. “Therefore, the number of buses present on this narrow stretch increases causing confusion. Buses rolling out of the terminus and those halting at the bus stop vie for space. To cross over, or to board a bus, one needs special skills,” says Kavitha D. 

This results in people running across the road at the sight of a bus. Though there is a traffic signal a few metres away, it’s of no use. Usually people wait for the crowd to gather to cross, interrupting traffic. “We might miss the bus if we walk till the signal,” says another commuter. This takes motorists by surprise too. As the footfall is so much, traffic personnel too are helpless. The terminus is a pet project for many NGOs who do regular events here. 

Recently, an NGO painted the walls around the terminus and almost every month there is a road safety event. The 1.5 acre facility has all the facilities like breast-feeding booths, shelters, restrooms, signboards etc but commuters say that there has to be a better management of people trying to enter the premises. “Most of the time, passengers stand at the entrance of the terminus adding to the confusion. Many school students board buses from here and wait in the middle of the road. A proper arrangement must be made to avoid the confusion,” says. Manish Kumar, a businessman.