Cops allow right turn from OMR under new flyover

Chennai: As traffic bottlenecks continue to plague Madhya Kailash junction despite a new flyover linking Sardar Patel Road and Rajiv Gandhi Salai (OMR), commuters blame flawed signal management and poor on-ground enforcement for persistent congestion. Motorists say the city traffic police continue to operate the traffic signal beneath the flyover, permitting a right turn from Sardar Patel Road onto OMR. When the signal turns green, vehicles heading from Adyar towards Anna University are forced to halt, resulting in long queues and critical delays, particularly during peak hours. Road users emphasise that the flyover was built precisely to eliminate such conflict points.
A senior police official said the right turn from Sardar Patel Road to OMR could be removed, making it mandatory for motorists to use the flyover. However, no changes have been implemented so far. Commuters allege that the lack of decisive action undermined the purpose of the new infrastructure. S Rajarathinam, a frequent road user, said he was surprised to find the signal being operated to allow right-turning vehicles, leading to a blockade around 1.30pm on Saturday."The very idea of a flyover is that traffic moves at two separate levels without interaction. If that is not achieved, the purpose of spending crores rupees is wasted," said Harsha Koda, co-founder, federation of OMR resident associations. Additional commissioner of police (traffic) G Karthikeyan and deputy commissioner of police traffic (South) Kumar were unavailable for comment.