Citizen Connect: Auto drivers take over College Road, create traffic snarls in Nungambakkam

“Around the classes start and end at the college, the road is choked. Also, the portion of the road is too narrow even small cars cannot pass through when there is an MTC bus stopped to board passengers,” M Siva, a motorist, said.

Siva added that he uses the road every day to commute to work. “Adding to the woes, several autorickshaws are parked there, blocking the bus lane, forcing the drivers to stop the bus in the middle of the road,” he said.

When DT Next visited the spot, on Thursday, many autorickshaws were found parked at the bus shelter, while share autos stopped and boarded passengers before moving away. Close to the bus shelter, there is a name board earmarking the spot as an auto stand. Also, autorickshaws were found parked at the entrance of the college.

A shop owner, on the condition of anonymity, said, “If the students want an auto ride, they will go to the auto stand. The Greater Chennai Corporation and traffic police should streamline the autorickshaws and move the stand to any of the nearby interior roads,” he added.

Apart from the unregulated parking on the road, two-wheelers of employees of nearby firms are also parked on the pedestrian pavement, the shop owner pointed out.

K Santhosh, another motorist said that the road, expect near the college, is mostly free of traffic snarls. The only problem is the haphazard parking of autorickshaws.

“It is completely unnecessary to have an auto stand on a major bus route. While the auto drives encroach the road near the college, share autos encroach the road near DPI on the same stretch,” he added.

When asked, a Corporation official assured that the civic body would take measures to free the road in coordination with traffic police.