Jammed railway gate adds to traffic jam woes

Jammed railway gate adds to traffic jam woes
Deccan Herald

Traffic was jammed near the railway crossing on Wheeler’s Road on Monday morning and vehicular movement was affected on Lazar Road, Mosque Road, near Clarence School, Pottery Road and M M Road, following a mechanical defect in the railway gate.

The gate was closed at 7 am for the Chennai Express to pass, but could not be opened till around 12 noon, as the cable wire attached to the gear lever broke. Mechanics were soon pressed into service.

Motorcyclists and cyclists were seen ducking under the gate, as commuters on heavier vehicles plying on the stretch to and from Lingarajapuram and M G Road had no choice but to travel an extra six km along Lazar Road, Mosque Road, Pottery Road and M M Road.

Such traffic snarls are regular in the area, according to commuters and a traffic policeman.

They added that repeated appeals to the Railways to replace the old gate had failed. The gate is at least 50 years old and Railways seems reluctant to move ahead with time, a senior citizen remarked.

A similar problem had occurred a month ago and traffic was disrupted for over 10 hours. When Deccan Herald contacted a senior Railways official regarding the problem, he shot back, “What do you mean by old gate?”.

He assured of discussing the issue “sometime later” after consulting with his colleagues and the Frazer Town traffic police, who had commented on the “complacency” of the Railways in replacing the gate.