Raise median heights in OMR to prevent jaywalking, accidents: RWAs to CMRL

CHENNAI: As the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) nears the completion of its major corridor works along Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), the ongoing reconstruction of central medians has sparked sharp public criticism over severe design flaws. The Federation of OMR Residents Welfare Association (FOMRRA) and daily commuters alleged that the newly built medians measuring barely 2-3 feet in height were poo physical barriers.

Instead of deterring jaywalking, the low dividers allow pedestrians to easily step or jump directly into fast-moving lanes. This sudden surge in mid-block crossings is forcing motorists to swerve unpredictably, leading to a rise in near-misses and minor accidents.

FOMRRA stated that these low medians undercut the massive public investment in Foot Overbridges (FOBs) by incentivising dangerous at-grade crossings rather than directing foot traffic toward designated facilities.

Highlighting past infrastructure flaws, Harsha Koda, co-founder of FOMRRA, pointed out, “FOBs were installed in low-footfall areas like Kalaignar Karunanidhi Road near the Pratyangira Temple, while critically high-density zones like Sholinganallur Junction, SRP Tools junction, BSR Mall junction, and the Sathyabama and Jeppiaar colleges were ignored. This means a high-density population still crosses at ground level, exacerbating traffic jams.”

Commuters also highlighted the disparity in infrastructure, noting that OMR, despite carrying a substantially higher daily traffic volume than the East Coast Road (ECR), but has been provided with a vastly inferior median structure.

RWAs are demanding that CMRL, Highways department, and Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC) intervene. They have urged officials to standardise OMR’s median heights to a minimum of 4-5 feet or install sturdy pedestrian guard railings before traffic along the corridor returns to full capacity.

While ongoing Metro construction has necessitated the removal of several obsolete bridges, authorities have promised that future pedestrian crossings will be seamlessly integrated into the new Metro stations. However, residents remain sceptical. Many question the overall engineering foresight, wondering why pedestrian subways, which require fewer steps to navigate than overbridges, were not incorporated into the broader Metro Rail design.