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Mods- I don't know whether this deserves a new thread , if it doesn't please merge with any of the existing threads.
The East Coast Road (ECR) is a highway which lures city motorists to step on the pedal. On this road, there are no speed breakers and traffic lights, and only the occasional police patrol - all killjoys of speeding vehicles.
But ECR, unlike a highway, is congested; encroachments have eaten into the road space; jaywalking pedestrians dart across like in city by-lanes; the lack of streetlights makes night driving dangerous. The result: ECR ranks among the top five accident-prone roads in the city with many of the accidents happening late night or early morning. Yet, the destination hospital for the lone ambulance in Uthandi is in Chengalpet. On Sunday night, while two accident victims died on the spot, one died on the way to the hospital 30km away. While ECR ranks below Anna Salai and EVR Salai in the total number of accidents, it is a leader in the number of fatalities. "With no speed breakers, medians or street lights, the motorists usually go way past the stipulated speed limit of 40kmph resulting in fatal accidents," said S Premkumar, a resident of Mamallapuram.
Encroachments on the sides of the road also contribute to the accidents. For example, an extended compound wall of a timber depot has shrunk the total width of the road there to less than 20 feet (on the Sholinganallur side) from the original 75 feet.
The road is a freeway for pedestrians, too. According to state highways department, which maintains the four-lane stretch between Tiruvamiyur and Sholinganallur (a distance of 11.8kms), there are 94 streets on both sides of the stretch and 38 pedestrian crossings between the two points. More than half of the pedestrian crossings are within 50 metres of each other and located in front of private resorts and farmhouses rather than in front of lanes connecting residential areas with the ECR.
Residents complain that free availability of liquor is another nuisance. There are 11 Tasmac outlets at Tiruvanmiyur, Kottivakkam, Palavakkam, Injambakkam (2), Akkarai, Kanathur, Kovalam, Vadanemeli and Mamallapuram. The Injambakkam outlet opened last month despite objections by residents. "Motorists may be tempted to have a drink while coming back from holiday trips. Awareness on safety is necessary to prevent accidents," said a Kancheepuram police official.
In December 2010, under the Comprehensive Road Infrastructure Development Project ( CRIDP)) 2010-11, the state highways raised the height of the median between Tiruvanmiyur and Sholinganallur and closed 19 unwanted pedestrian crossings between these points at a cost of 1.6 crore to ensure the stretch is safe. However, the stretch between Sholinganallur and Puducherry, a distance of around 140kms, remains dangerous.
Source: TOI
The East Coast Road (ECR) is a highway which lures city motorists to step on the pedal. On this road, there are no speed breakers and traffic lights, and only the occasional police patrol - all killjoys of speeding vehicles.
But ECR, unlike a highway, is congested; encroachments have eaten into the road space; jaywalking pedestrians dart across like in city by-lanes; the lack of streetlights makes night driving dangerous. The result: ECR ranks among the top five accident-prone roads in the city with many of the accidents happening late night or early morning. Yet, the destination hospital for the lone ambulance in Uthandi is in Chengalpet. On Sunday night, while two accident victims died on the spot, one died on the way to the hospital 30km away. While ECR ranks below Anna Salai and EVR Salai in the total number of accidents, it is a leader in the number of fatalities. "With no speed breakers, medians or street lights, the motorists usually go way past the stipulated speed limit of 40kmph resulting in fatal accidents," said S Premkumar, a resident of Mamallapuram.
Encroachments on the sides of the road also contribute to the accidents. For example, an extended compound wall of a timber depot has shrunk the total width of the road there to less than 20 feet (on the Sholinganallur side) from the original 75 feet.
The road is a freeway for pedestrians, too. According to state highways department, which maintains the four-lane stretch between Tiruvamiyur and Sholinganallur (a distance of 11.8kms), there are 94 streets on both sides of the stretch and 38 pedestrian crossings between the two points. More than half of the pedestrian crossings are within 50 metres of each other and located in front of private resorts and farmhouses rather than in front of lanes connecting residential areas with the ECR.
Residents complain that free availability of liquor is another nuisance. There are 11 Tasmac outlets at Tiruvanmiyur, Kottivakkam, Palavakkam, Injambakkam (2), Akkarai, Kanathur, Kovalam, Vadanemeli and Mamallapuram. The Injambakkam outlet opened last month despite objections by residents. "Motorists may be tempted to have a drink while coming back from holiday trips. Awareness on safety is necessary to prevent accidents," said a Kancheepuram police official.
In December 2010, under the Comprehensive Road Infrastructure Development Project ( CRIDP)) 2010-11, the state highways raised the height of the median between Tiruvanmiyur and Sholinganallur and closed 19 unwanted pedestrian crossings between these points at a cost of 1.6 crore to ensure the stretch is safe. However, the stretch between Sholinganallur and Puducherry, a distance of around 140kms, remains dangerous.
Source: TOI
![[frustration]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Frustration.gif "Frustration [frustration]")
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