Citizen Connect: Private vehicles parked inside Tiruverkadu bus terminus cause inconvenience to commuters

Every day, hundreds of two-wheelers are parked inside the bus terminus, sometimes even on the bus bays, say MTC crew members. Transport employees claimed that this was dangerous for them as well as the general public.

“Every morning, dozens of commuters from the surrounding areas park their two-wheelers inside the terminus and board MTC buses to their destinations. They return late in the evening and the vehicles remain parked there throughout the day,” said Ramamoorthy of the Netaji Transport Workers Union.

Commuters, especially women and children, often find it difficult to board buses because of these vehicles parked illegally. “We wait at the entrance of the terminus to board the buses as we are unsure which vehicle would leave the depot first. But, several two-wheelers are parked even at the entrance of the terminus making it difficult for us,” said Kumari, a government employee who travels to her work place in Kilpauk form Tiruverkadu daily.

MTC staff at the Tiruverkadu terminus claim that this has been an ongoing menace. “We have made several attempts to clear the vehicles, but we failed as we did not get sufficient help from the police,” said an MTC official on condition of anonymity.

“We have even placed boards stating that the open space is meant for buses to ply freely and any obstruction would be considered illegal. But, many don’t heed to it and continue to park their vehicles,” he added.

Locals pointed out that the problem was owing to the absence of any designated parking area near the bus terminus. “This is a busy neighbourhood with thousands of commuters using MTC buses and there is also a market nearby. Hence, the area can get quite congested. Despite this, there is no public parking facility in the municipality. Unless we have a specific parking area, this parking problem will continue,” said Murugan, a two-wheeler owner who often parks his bike in the terminus.

Tiruverkadu municipality officials, however, claim that they have not received any such request either from the MTC officials or the public. “If we get a formal representation, we will consider our options,” saidan official.