CHENNAI: Lack of parking in the city is so rampant that even bus shelters, in a neighbourhood that’s as busy as Saidapet, are not immune to encroachments. Despite the construction of five shelters at the Saidapet Court (Taluk Office) bus stop, commuters are unable to use them as the structures have been encroached upon by the public, lawyers and autorickshaw drivers to park their vehicles, and also by notary services. Thousands of passengers board the buses at the stop every day.
Even the adjoining service road is crowded by haphazard parking. This has left passengers, including students and senior citizens, to be at the mercy of Mother Nature to wait for buses on the busy Taluk Office Road.
Regular commuters blamed poor enforcement of traffic rules and the absence of deterrent fines for persistent encroachments, which have pushed commuters onto the carriageway and pavements while waiting for buses.
S Sivaprakasam, a senior citizen and long-time resident of Saidapet who uses the stop daily, said that buses often do not pull over at the designated point, forcing passengers to step onto the carriageway during peak hours. “Public funds were spent on building the shelters, but they remained largely unusable due to encroachments,” he added.
A woman commuter said the service road was occupied by parked vehicles and notary services, leaving little space for passengers. “While younger commuters wait on the carriageway, senior citizens are forced to sit on the pavement,” she lamented, urging Corporation and traffic police to clear the parked vehicles. “Buses coming out of the Saidapet depot stop opposite the Taluk Office, and other services halt at different points, adding to the confusion.”
P Akash, a college student, criticised the disregard for traffic rules in the area. “Those who are expected to uphold the law are violating it,” he fumed. “Why is another bus shelter being constructed even as the existing ones remain unusable?”
A senior Corporation official said the bus shelters have been handed over to the State Highways Department for maintenance, while enforcement against illegal parking falls under the traffic police. “The civic body is also considering installing handrails opposite the shelters to prevent vehicles from parking in front of them,” added the official.