Major highway junctions in Chennai are witnessing persistent traffic chaos and heightened safety risks due to rampant wrong-side driving and illegal turns by motorists. Key corridors like the 100-Feet Road, Poonamallee High Road, and the Grand Northern Trunk (GNT) Road are severely affected, especially during peak hours, leading to frequent bottlenecks and endangering pedestrians and commuters alike.
Hotspot Junctions: A Pattern of Violations
At busy intersections including Arumbakkam, Nolambur, and Basin Bridge, drivers routinely flout rules by taking illegal right or left turns. This reckless behavior narrows carriageways and disrupts the smooth flow of traffic. Pedestrians, often forced to walk along road margins, bear the brunt of these violations.
In Arumbakkam, beneath the Metro Rail station, numerous motorists take an illegal right turn onto the wrong side of 100-Feet Road to access MMDA Colony. Despite a designated left turn and U-turn facility available near the SAF Games Village, just 200 meters away, many choose the dangerous shortcut. "Once one person does it, many follow," explained K Kaushik, a local pedestrian.
This illegal maneuver creates a domino effect. When the signal turns green for vehicles heading towards Vadapalani, the wrongly-turned vehicles clog an entire lane, effectively reducing the usable road width. Kaushik highlighted the peril for walkers: "Dustbins block walking space, and pedestrians often get their knees hit by bike crash guards or elbows by handlebars."
Enforcement Challenges and Parental Dilemmas
A similar scene unfolds at the Nolambur–Poonamallee High Road junction. Here, motorists from Nolambur and Nerkundram illegally turn right, ignoring a proper left-and-U-turn diversion located barely 20 meters away. These violations often occur in plain sight of traffic police personnel.
Observations revealed that many of the violators are parents transporting school children. S Kannan, a parent, justified the action, saying, "If we take the left and then a U-turn, we get stuck at the signal. That's why many take the illegal right. At least barricades can be placed." However, enforcement remains a challenge. A traffic inspector at the junction, which has a K10 police booth, cited manpower constraints. "We have four personnel working in two shifts, mostly engaged in manual signal management. Additional manpower will help curb violations," the inspector stated.
Nighttime Anarchy and Political Push for Solutions
The situation deteriorates after dark at the Basin Bridge four-way junction on GNT Road. Commuters from Cochrane Basin road frequently take illegal right turns onto the flyover. "After 9pm, once cops leave, barricades are pushed aside, causing traffic from all four directions to pile up," said commuter K Kamesh. The congestion has been exacerbated by the recent shifting of the Mint MTC bus terminus to this junction.
The issue has reached the legislative assembly. Royapuram MLA Idream R Murthy disclosed that he and Perambur MLA R D Sekar have raised the matter six times. Murthy proposed a long-term fix: "A permanent solution would involve demolishing the existing bridge and creating an eight-way corridor. We need a railways NOC. Adequate land is available, and this can be taken up by the next government."
Until such structural changes are implemented, the chaos at these critical Chennai junctions continues, posing daily risks and frustrations for thousands of road users, underscoring an urgent need for stricter enforcement and immediate remedial measures.
