Trouble for public at Old Mahabalipuram Road

A month after the authorities blocked two U-turns on I.T. corridor (Old Mahabalipuram Road) between Madhya Kailash Temple and Tidel Park junctions, residents of Kanagam and Kalikunram — two colonies landlocked between IIT campus and Taramani — are simmering with discontent.For them, the U-turns made for easy access to Indira Nagar and Adyar. A footbridge just opposite the crossover in front of the Women's Polytechnic provided access to schools, shops, clinics and banks.But the new arrangement has turned the half-a-kilometre journey to Indira Nagar into a 6-km roundabout trip, requiring them to travel up to Madhya Kailash junction. The trip to Adyar is even more tedious as they have to travel all the way up to the U-turn below the Gandhi Mandapam flyover, as there is no right turn at Madhya Kailash junction.

Over the past month, several cyclists and pedestrians have been jumping the median, risking their lives in the process. L.Ranganathan, a resident of Kanagam, said the authorities had sacrificed the interests of 40,000 residents of the colonies. "We have no problems with the TNRDC (Tamil Nadu Road Development Company Limited) providing better facilities for the I.T. companies. But let them provide us an alternative arrangement like a subway. We feel that our rights have been sacrificed," he said.The residents also pointed out that the problem would become acute once the schools reopen. E. Velu, a plumber residing in Kanagam, said the residents were worried about how the students would commute to school. "Is it reasonable to expect them to cycle 6 km extra every day?" he asked.

Voluntary Health Services (VHS) and other institutions of the Science City cluster in Taramani, including M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, have joined the protest. Heads of the institutions are worried that the difficulty of access had undermined the importance of the Science City concept itself.VHS hospital authorities have said the longer commute for ambulances could mean precious moments in times of emergency. The vehicles that took a U-turn near Central Polytechnic now have to travel up to Tidel Park junction, which would add another three km to the journey. N.S. Murali, honorary secretary of the hospital, said the poor and lower middle class availed themselves of the services of the charitable hospital. It was not fair that they be forced to spend more to reach the hospital.The decision to close the U-turns, VHS and other institutes complain, was sudden and without consultation. There was a traffic signal that managed the U-turn in front of VHS. But suddenly it was shut down and the U-turn closed.

At present, there is only one pedestrian foot overbridge near Tidel Park that is nearing completion. There are no other pedestrian foot overbridges on the road. As a result, students studying in many institutions in Taramani and the patients visiting VHS find it difficult to cross the road.Experts say that the TNRDC's conception of the IT corridor as a high-speed road within a crowded city needs to be rethought.Much of the problem could have been avoided if the IT corridor has been more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly. Subways and bicycle crossings should have been included. As a short-term solution, traffic planners suggest that a simple manned junction or barricade could provide ambulance access to the VHS and make it easier for the patients.

Residents of Kanagam and Kalikunram, meanwhile, said a crossover in front of the Women's Polytechnic was essential. They said the only other thoroughfare, Kalikunram Main Road-Sriram Nagar Main Road, that connected to Sardar Patel Road was not dependable, especially during rainy season. During floods, the IIT compound wall has often crashed, rendering the stretch unusable.The TNRDC, on the other hand, feels that allowing frequent openings was not possible on the IT corridor, as it would hamper speed and safety. K.R. Viswanathan, Director-in-Charge of TNRDC, said that they could have junctions only at intervals of 2 km.He said the State Government had arrived at the norms after consulting the traffic police and other authorities.He ruled out the possibility of subways since the road had been laid with underground cables and drains. But, he promised, more pedestrian foot over bridges would be built soon.