Congested Melur road to get traffic signal near MM hosp

Madurai: Finally, the congested Melur Main Road near Meenakshi Mission Hospital is all set to get a traffic signal in a month. Choked by increasing footfall at the hospital and a rise in the number of commercial outlets, the stretch has been experiencing pileup of vehicles often. Commuters have been demanding a traffic signal in front of the hospital to manage pedestrian crossings and reduce the frequent minor accidents on the stretch.
“The passenger traffic unit near the hospital is around 20,000 per day and it is tough to manage it with cops. So we have decided to erect a signal for the safety of pedestrians and commuters,” said D Kumar, deputy commissioner (traffic). One of the busiest roads in the city, Melur Main Road stretches for more than five kilometre from K K Nagar to the Trichy-Madurai highway. It bypasses significant landmarks such as Mattuthavani market, mofussil and private bus stands, and the Madurai bench of Madras high court. Despite the State Highways department carrying out road widening between K K Nagar junction and Uthangudi junction for 2.2 kilometre at a cost of Rs 23 crore, the stretch remains congested due to increasing traffic, especially near Meenakshi Mission Hospital.
Although bus bays have been erected on either side of the hospital, passengers struggle to board buses due to crowding and share autos. “Pedestrians crossing the road without a signal is the major reason for the traffic congestion near the hospital,” M Nishant, a commuter, said. He added that the newly opened Saravana Stores, 200 metre away, also attracts a huge footfall.
Even though there is dedicated parking for the hospital inside and outside its campus, some people still park on the road. “Melur Main Road will be even more congested in the coming days as the TIDEL park is coming on the same stretch,” T Nageshwaran, a traffic activist, said. To resolve the parking issues, he suggested that the govt consider establishing a parking facility on the road.
Deputy commissioner D Kumar also said that traffic police have suggested to the Madurai corporation to remove encroachments made by street vendors.