Toll Gate terminus remains neglected with inadequate lighting, restrooms

Though the Toll Gate bus terminus on busy Tiruvottiyur High Road serves as the heartline for commuters in North Chennai to reach various parts of the city, it remains the most neglected facility in the city.

With the Metro Phase-I extension works under way along the Tiruvottiyur High Road, the passengers could only enter and exit the terminus through the North Terminus Road, which connects to the Surya Narayana Road. Meanwhile, the facilities inside the terminus are also either inadequate or in a damaged condition.

The surface area of the terminus is uneven, riddled with potholes. Commuters, especially senior citizens, find it difficult to walk on the broken carriageway. “The entry and exit of each bus gives rise to a dust storm. At times, we could feel the dust while we breathe. I have been using the terminus for the past 15 years, but the surface has become worse recently,” R Arivamudhan, a commuter, who works at Santhome said.

Poor lighting is another problem at the terminus. There have been incidents of commuters slipping and falling down, while rushing to board the buses, due to lack of illumination in the late evening hours. The entry point alone has some lighting. “We feel unsafe to get into the buses that are waiting at the facility. Women and senior citizens suffer a lot. The officials should not give any excuse for not providing enough lighting at the terminus which is used by thousands of people,” said T Dhanasekaran, a regular commuter.

Many commuters also complain about the buses not being operated on time. “Due to the Metro work, the buses are frequently delayed. We are finding it difficult to reach our workplace on time due to the traffic caused by the Metro work,” another commuter said.

An MTC driver said that the restrooms at the terminus were grossly inadequate to accommodate the drivers and conductors. “If a driver reaches the terminus after driving in the traffic for more than an hour, he should be able to access the restrooms immediately. But they don’t have enough place,” the driver said. He added the restrooms were spacious before and was divided to set up a breastfeeding room. “The room is seen locked ever since it was inaugurated. Only the crew members suffer because of the lack of space,” he said.

Another conductor said that due to lack of space, some of the buses are operated as cut services from Tondiarpet Depot. “The driver and conductor in the afternoon shift would start the service from Tondiarpet instead of Toll Gate,” he said.