Traffic signals are meant to ensure the smooth flow of vehicles. The installation of electronic signalling systems at certain junctions in the city has only compounded the problems of motorists. This issue has been repeatedly raised at Janamaithri police meetings. At a meeting some months ago, several citizens wanted the police to have a relook at the functioning of the signals at Uppidamoodu.
The signals, the residents said, turned fast creating confusion among motorists. The new signals at Kuravankonam, where five roads meet, is yet another example of unscientific signalling, the residents say.
The chaos which prevails at the junction after the signals start functioning is testimony to this, they say. Long queues of vehicles form in no time and there is a traffic bottleneck, particularly towards the Nathancode and Ambalamukku sides, during peak hours.
With the onset of the monsoon, people wading through a pool of water in front of the Government Siddha Hospital at Enchakkal is a common sight. The mouth of the Old Airport Road, leading to Vallakadavu, has been witnessing water-logging since the onset of the monsoon. The problem can be attributed to the lack of drains on either side of the road in the area. The place has a bus stop. People who wait for buses usually are splashed with muddy water as vehicles pass. The situation is expected to worsen with the monsoon intensifying, much to the chagrin of the residents.
A few months ago, city residents started noticing a black line, a patch rather, passing haphazardly across major roads. The patches were the result of Reliance Jio’s cable-laying work for 4G services. Though these were filled up within minutes of laying the cable with the use of advanced machinery, most of the patches were uneven and two-wheelers often lost their balance while passing over it. In recent days, following the heavy summer rain, the problem has been compounded by the peeling off of the patches. Many of the patches now resemble long and narrow pits, right in the middle of the road. With such cables being laid across most roads in the city, more such pits are bound to be formed during the coming monsoon.
