Widening of carriageways usurping pedestrian pathways in Madurai

The curve on Alagarkoil Road-Bharathi Ula Road junction being widened in Madurai.
| Photo Credit: G. MOORTHY

Pedestrians often rue that their pathways along the arterial roads in the city are shrinking.

While in the commercial areas, the shopkeepers keep their paraphernalia like nameboards, and goods on the sidewalk, roadside vendors also spread their goods.

Thus the pedestrians are forced to walk on the edge of the carriageways that often leads to road accidents.

If this is one way of denying safe passage for pedestrians, the city planners are also usurping the available pedestrian promenades in the city while widening the carriageways to meet the increasing flow of vehicles.

Similarly, an attempt is being made at two junctions on Alagarkoil Road to ease the flow of traffic at sharp turns — one at Race Course Road junction and another at Bharathi Ula Road junction.

The work has been going on for the past two weeks.

The officials have acquired small pieces of land from Madurai Corporation at the corners.

While demolishing the compound wall of the Corporation office at Bharathi Park near Ambedkar statue junction and the Lotus Tank premises, the officials have also removed a good stretch of pedestrian pathway.

“These measures are aimed at providing the drivers of heavy vehicles, especial city buses, to easily negotiate the sharp curves. The bus drivers are finding it difficult for the right turn from New Natham Road junction while going towards Periyar statue junction. Similarly, buses proceeding from Alagarkoil Road find it difficult to take left turn on Bharathi Ula Road,” a traffic police officer said.

Though the work is welcomed for it would prevent congestion by way of easy turning for vehicles, the missing link of pedestrian pathway will be felt more when the speed of the vehicles at the turnings will increase, say another police officer.

The need for pedestrian promenades would be more necessary at Bharathi Ula junction as every day scores of people from various southern districts visit the Regional Passport Office located at a stone throwing distance from the junction.

A sidewalk with minimum width for two persons to walk simultaneously from opposite directions will help the pedestrians.