New signal poles join a crowd of hurdles blocking pavements in Chennai
Spaces to hop on to the pavements are often placed several meters away from zebra crossings, creating an additional barrier for those trying to enter the walkways
At Ambika Appalam signal in Adyar, space to cross the road from the pavement located metres away from zebra crossing; traffic poles and EB junction box block access on the pavement in RA Puram
CHENNAI: The city’s pedestrians face a gauntlet of obstacles — from newly installed automatic signal poles and handrails to unused cement blocks, sand sills, banners, and hawkers — a simple walk is like an obstacle jumping course.
The Greater Chennai Traffic Police’s recent installation of new signal poles, set to replace old ones, seems to be sending wrong signals to pedestrians. Instead of clearing the way, the poles have been installed directly on pavements in some areas.
There are other hurdles too. For instance, at the Ambika Appalam signal in Adyar, metal handrails block the zebra crossing, leaving only a narrow gap that is itself occupied by a signal post, post box, and lamp post. “It’s always a struggle to get through, especially during peak traffic hours,” said A Chidambaram, a pedestrian. “A simple adjustment, such as realigning or widening the handrail gap, would make it much safer.”
In Anna Nagar, new signals are poorly positioned. “They not only block drivers’ view of the lights but also occupy portions of the road, making it difficult for pedestrians to walk across. The size of these signals is disproportionate to the width of the road,” noted Sandhya Vedullapalli, a lawyer and activist.
Spaces to hop on to the pavements are often placed several meters away from zebra crossings, creating an additional barrier for those trying to enter the walkways.
In RA Puram, the pathway near Billroth Hospital has been missing for ages – previously blocked by old, unused signals and now by a new pole, along with transformers and unused cement blocks. “We’ve been complaining about it for a long time,” said Sundar, treasurer, RA Puram Residents’ Welfare Association. “Authorities removed the old poles from the ground and replaced them with new ones, once again blocking the pathway.”
When contacted, an official from the GCTP said, “We’ll look into it and see what can be done.”
