Traffic snarls on West Marret Street in Madurai on Sunday. | Photo Credit: R. ASHOK Vehicle users had a tough time owing to rainwater on Alagarkoil Road in Madurai on Sunday. | Photo Credit: R.

ASHOK Four days ago, an ambulance was struck at the integrated bus stand in Maatuthavani on the Madurai-Melur Road for more than five minutes. It was not a peak hour.

Still, the traffic police had to run to the spot and help the emergency vehicle get out of the chaos and proceed to the hospital.Motorists using the road and locals say this is not a stray incident. It has been so for the last two-three months.

The situation is not only in Maatuthavani, but everywhere. Many main thoroughfares in the city have become non-motorable in a smooth fashion.Though there were many reasons, road users attributed the problem to three issues.Firstly, the enforcement by the custodians of law has become weak.Haphazard parking is the root cause for all the traffic jams, road users say.

Even pedestrians find it tough to walk freely on roads due to violation. When people parked their two-wheelers on the walk-ways and road sides, pedestrians have to use the roads, which led to shrinking of the carriage space.Netaji Road, Marret Streets, Masi Streets and Bullion Bazaar areas are some locations, wherein the encroachers occupy the walkways as a right to parking of their vehicles permanently from morning till evening.

Only when the police used locks or evicted or towed the vehicles, such violators would be discouraged, a shopkeeper in Avani Moola Street said.Many police personnel managing the traffic do not act, but react, say motorists obeying the road rules.“Coming on the opposite direction in a one-way traffic system has become a common affair. Even police violate this rule and no one seems to take action.

A classic example is the 7.3 km long Madurai-Natham elevated corridor, wherein bikers and sometimes even four-wheelers come on the wrong side giving shockers,” they say.Secondly, encroachment of carriage space has multiplied in the city. Be it narrow roads or broad stretches.

All types of vendors have taken over the pedestrian pathways, thus forcing the public to use the roads.Public using two-wheelers and four-wheelers park according to their wish and do not care about the inconvenience they caused to other vehicle users. With diwali around, shoppers are moving everywhere in the city for purchasing all types of goods for their homes including textile and among others.The city traffic police personnel should be impartial, which alone would pave the way for strict enforcement.The motorists have said that the police should earmark space for the auto rickshaws and share-autos as their stand. “The traffic police alone should provide space and there should not be any violation.”The two-wheelers/four-wheelers cannot be parked in front of a cinema house or any showroom obstructing traffic for other vehicles.

Either the shops shall provide parking inside their premises or find an alternative. Valet parking should be made mandatory.The lorries or vehicles carrying goods shall be permitted inside the city limits only during non-peak hour.When The Hindu contacted, a senior officer in the City Traffic Police said that they are in the process of deploying more personnel in and around shopping areas and regulate traffic.

Already, showrooms/cinema houses and eatery outlets have been sensitized to ensure that vehicles coming to their premises obeyed road rules, he added. Published - October 25, 2026 08:26 pm IST