Chennai Citizen Connect | Find permanent solution to parking woes in Perungalathur: Residents

CHENNAI: Residents of Perungalathur are urging authorities to find a permanent solution for the unauthorised vehicle parking beneath the flyover on Srinivasa Raghavan Main Road, which leads to the Perungalathur railway station.

The street, which comes under the Tambaram corporation, has become an informal parking lot, with more than 500 two-wheelers parked there daily.

Commuters from nearby areas, such as RMK Nagar, Gundumedu, Mudichur, and Old Perungalathur, who travel to Chennai and Chengalpattu by EMU trains often leave their vehicles under the flyover before heading to work.

Residents said the large number of parked vehicles occupies road space and causes traffic congestion on Srinivasa Raghavan Main Road, a key access route to the railway station.

The situation is the same near Sankaran Street, which branches off from the main road. Several hospitals and diagnostic laboratories are situated on the street, making it a vital route for patients and emergency vehicles.

According to residents, ambulances carrying patients often struggle to pass through the area due to the congestion. They say the problem not only affects daily traffic but also poses risks to people seeking urgent medical treatment because illegal parking encroaches on the dividers.

Mahendra Boopathy, President of the Perungalathur Welfare Association, said that while police periodically monitor the area and prevent vehicles from being parked there, constant enforcement is not possible. As soon as officials leave, hundreds of two-wheelers return to the same location. He pointed out that passenger traffic at Perungalathur railway station has increased significantly in recent years, but adequate parking facilities have not kept pace.

Many travel several kilometres on two-wheelers to reach the station and rely on the space beneath the flyover due to the lack of designated parking areas nearby. While acknowledging that the practice is unauthorised, they say the absence of proper facilities leaves them with little choice.

Residents and motorists are now calling on Tambaram Corporation to establish a dedicated parking facility near Perungalathur railway station and provide a long-term solution to the problem.