Why pedestrians dread Mount-Poonamallee Road

CHENNAI: Pedestrians using the Mount-Poonamallee Road are at risk of being mowed down by vehicles as there are no usable pavements anywhere on the 11-kilometre route between Ramapuram bridge and Poonamallee, except for a short stretch in front of an IT park at Manapakkam.
The few pavements that exist are damaged and encroached on, pushing pedestrians on to road.Unlike other major roads maintained by the state highways department in the city, the width of Mount-Poonamallee Road ranges from nine to 13 metres. A short stretch at Manapakkam alone is 22 metres wide.
R Sajith, a resident of Iyyappanthangal, said that he is frightened of walking on the road. "Pedestrians need to have eyes in the back of their heads to avoid speeding vehicles. It is extremely difficult to walk as there are absolutely no pavements," he said. Sajith, who recently moved to Iyyappanthangal from Alandur, observed that GST Road was comparatively convenient for pedestrians as it had pavements all along.
"The worst affected here are senior citizens and school students," he said adding that there was a grave threat to pedestrians from two-wheelers, riding down the wrong side of the road.
At least five schools are located on the road between Manapakkam and Poonamallee and children have to dart between fast-moving vehicles. Traffic police say anywhere between 80 and 100 vehicles bound for Porur and Poonamallee pass through Mugalivakkam every minute during peak hours. The Indian Roads Congress specifies the width of pavements on major roads should be a minimum of 103 inches (about 2.54 metres)
G Ganesh, a software professional at Manapakkam, said the road was always a risk for pedestrians. "Encroachments on the roadsides leave pedestrians hapless," added K Saravanan, a resident of Iyyapanthangal.
A traffic policeman, however, said pedestrians were rarely hit by vehicles! The divisional engineer of the state highways department in Tiruvallur district, which maintains the road, could not be reached for comment.