No parking space for two-wheelers at CMDA’s 3 new termini
The terminus, once dilapidated, was reopened in August after a Rs 6 crore upgrade and now serves commuters from Kolathur, Perambur and Agaram. It handles over 50 buses on seven routes daily.
Two-wheelers parked along the bus bay at the newly opened Thiru Vi Ka Nagar terminus on Tuesday
CHENNAI: Three newly upgraded bus termini opened by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) in recent months – Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, Periyar Nagar and Ambattur Industrial Estate continue – to operate without any designated two-wheeler parking, forcing commuters to leave their bikes near bus bays.
The lack of parking has become especially evident at TVK Nagar, where bikes line the frontage and bus bays, narrowing the turning radius for MTC buses.
The terminus, once dilapidated, was reopened in August after a Rs 6 crore upgrade and now serves commuters from Kolathur, Perambur and Agaram. It handles over 50 buses on seven routes daily.
The Periyar Nagar terminus in CM Stalin’s Kolathur constituency, redeveloped at Rs 12 crore, faces the same issue despite improved passenger amenities. The most recent terminus at Ambattur Industrial Estate, inaugurated by Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin, and rebuilt at Rs 11.81 crore, includes a two-storey commercial block, nursing room, senior citizens’ hall, driver and conductor rest areas, ATMs, purified drinking water points, modern toilets and space for 20 buses across three platforms.
But even here, there’s no designated space for two-wheelers. Commuters depend on a private lot next to the terminus, paying around Rs 40 for 24 hours. Many said a government-managed option would be more affordable.
Apart from these termini, the CMDA has undertaken modernisation of the termini at RK Nagar, Kannadasan Nagar, Mullai Nagar and Avadi. “Designated parking inside the terminus has been our demand for a long time,” said V Dhayanantham, general secretary of the CITU-affiliated Arasanga Pokkuvarathu Uzhiyar Sangam. “Metro stations, railway stations and even rural bus termini have parking facilities, but they are not doing it in Chennai. How will they encourage people to use the bus?. If the planning authority is really considering the future while designing, bike-parking facilities are necessary.”
KP Subramanian, former professor of Anna University, urban engineering, noted that parking was essential for seamless multi-modal travel. “Two-wheelers are the last-mile mode for most city residents. A safe, designated place to park at a terminus makes bus-use more practical and a viable option for commuters,” he opined.