Chennai Citizen Connect: Anna Salai stretch near GP Road choked with haphazard parking
Nearly two-thirds of the main carriageway is taken over by parked two-wheelers and four-wheelers, leaving commuters with little space to manoeuvre during peak hours.
It is total mess on Anna Salai near the GP Road junction with haphazard parking of vehicles near the restaurants after 7 pm every day
CHENNAI: The Anna Salai stretch between the Cosmopolitan Club and the GP Road junction is choked with parked vehicles every evening, as thousands throng the many restaurants along the arterial route.
Nearly two-thirds of the main carriageway is taken over by parked two-wheelers and four-wheelers, leaving commuters with little space to manoeuvre during peak hours.
Regular users say the road, though one of the city’s widest, is effectively narrowed as bikes and cars are left along the kerb.
Buses, cars, autorickshaws and other motorists are forced to share the remaining space, leading to heavy congestion from around 7.30 pm.
A Nandha Kumar, a Triplicane resident, said, “Three signboards clearly prohibit parking near the eateries, and the traffic police do tow away vehicles that flout the rule. However, they often focus on bikes near the Government Estate Metro station rather than the main stretch.”
Another commuter, Harish TR, added, “The government must instruct restaurants to provide parking for their customers. Travelling from Parrys to Nandanam via Anna Salai is chaotic with diversions and redevelopment works. It took me nearly 45 minutes to reach the YMCA grounds during the evening peak.”
Managers of several commercial establishments and restaurants said they provide parking a few hundred metres away and coordinate with the traffic police to manage crowds.
Traffic police personnel confirmed that additional staff are deployed nightly.
“Large numbers of people come to dine on both sides of the road. We regulate traffic until midnight every day,” an officer said.
