Traffic diversions introduced on Chennai’s Anna Salai – Times of India

CHENNAI: The Chennai city traffic police have blocked the right turn at the Wallajah Salai junction on the Anna Salai, and vehicles are being diverted via the Dams Road and the Blackers Road to enter the Anna Salai at Tarapore Towers. This new one way, which was temporarily introduced on Saturday and Sunday, has been extended due to the overwhelming response from motorists, according to the traffic police.
Vehicles coming from the Wallajah Salai and headed to the Pallavan Salai are diverted towards the left on the Anna Salai at the Wallajah Salai-Anna Salai traffic junction. Heavy vehicles and light vehicles except autorickshaws have to go up to Tarapore Towers via the Dams Road and the Blackers Road and merge on the Anna Salai to proceed towards the Pallavan Salai. While two-wheelers and autorickshaws from the Wallajah Salai to the Pallavan Salai are allowed to take a u-turn opposite to the Bata showroom.
The road from Tarapore Towers point to Bata Showroom has been made one way. Vehicles from the Pallavan Salai are allowed to go towards LIC, while the vehicles from Spencer Traffic Junction headed towards the Pallavan Salai are diverted via the Dams Road and the Blackers Road and to enter the Anna Salai to proceed towards the Pallavan Salai.
A team comprising 20 traffic police personnel have been deployed at the traffic junctions to regulate vehicle movement. Joint commissioner of traffic east Chennai J Rajendran said, “We introduced the traffic changes to put an end to the traffic snarls on the Anna Salai, the Wallajah Salai and Dams Road. We studied the flow of traffic before making the changes.”
“While conducting a survey at the Wallajah Salai-Anna Salai junction, we found that at least 500 vehicles ply on both sides on the Anna Salai every three minutes, especially during the peak hours. When we stopped the vehicular movement briefly, the vehicles piled up on the Anna Salai even up to Gymkhana Club in the east and extended up to LIC in the opposite direction. Moreover, the vehicles parked zig-zag outside the couple of restaurants and eateries on the Anna Salai opposite to Tarapore Towers also posed a major hurdle for the vehicular movements,” he said.
The police have asked the restaurant owners not to allow their customers to park their vehicles outside their eateries. Instead they have been asked to park their customers’ vehicles using temporary drivers.
MTC bus driver Siraj said: “Though these traffic modifications certainly would make a few people travel another one kilometre to proceed from the Wallajah Salai to the Palavan Salai, there is no wait for any vehicles at the traffic junctions even during peak hours.”