Tamil Nadu - Erode

Bus routes in Erode hamper vehicle movement

PHOTO: M.GOVARTHAN

Traffic congestion: Movement of buses on various routes hinders smooth flow of vehicles in Erode. —

ERODE: Bus routes in the city somehow do not seem to reflect traffic realities.

They remind one of Erode’s municipality days, when vehicles were not as much as it is today.

Take for example bus services on routes 1, 1C, 2A, 3, 3B, K1 and K2.

Government’s State Transport Corporation and private players, including mini bus operators, start and terminate services on the routes at the Government Hospital, Erode.

Private players operate about 15 services a day and the Corporation 22.

They ply the buses from Government Hospital to Bhavani, Pallipalayam, Ulagappanpalayam, Bhavani via Surampatty and Komarapalayam.

At the Government Hospital, the operators terminate services by entering the nearby Palaniappa Street and re-entering on the reverse the EVN Road to start a fresh service.

For operation of such a kind, there is hardly any space on the EVN Road, near the Hospital, which is at no distance from MGR Statue junction, one of the busiest in Erode.

There the buses’ back and forth movement hinders smooth flow of traffic.

The obstruction is felt strongly because on their side of the road there is hardly any space to manoeuvre, what with parked vehicles encroaching upon every little space available.

Particularly, on the GH side of the road ambulances, private vehicles, push carts and auto rickshaws have eaten into the road.

The GH terminus is hardly about 250 m from the Erode Bus Stand, from where scores of bus services are available to the aforementioned places.

Given the proximity between the bus stand and the terminus, it is time the transport authorities had a fresh look at transport service.

The same is true of bus services to Panneer Selvam Park junction.

The bus operators on routes 2B, 12, 12A, 12B, 12D, 12E, 12/P9 and 31 are supposed to make a ‘U’ turn at the Park but do not.

They instead turn the vehicles in front of Mariamman Temple on Brough Road, causing inconvenience to road users.

The Corporation alone operates 23 services on the route, and private eight, including four mini bus routes.

They ferry passengers to Perundurai, Thudupathi, Seenapuram, Kallakulam, Vallipurathan Palayam and Ingur.

There again, there is hardly any manoeuvring space.

The bus stop near the temple is well connected by bus and share auto rickshaws.

Citizens concerned say the bus operators will do well not to have a ‘U’ there and instead extend the services to some other place where there is enough space for parking.

The same holds good for services with a ‘U’ turn at the State Bank Road Cutchery Road junction.

The citizens say there is an urgent need for bus operators to look afresh at the bus terminus issue because every day 60 vehicles are registered in the city alone.

At present Erode has 1.37 lakh vehicles, apart from the 12,000 transport vehicles.

Erode is high on the list of the cities with high accident rate.

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