Padi flyover at night leaves motorists in dark

CHENNAI: The lack of lighting and the poor upkeep of the Padi grade separator pose a constant threat to motorists using the flyover after sundown. With streetlights functioning only along the six arms of the separator, the elevated rotary is plunged into veritable darkness after dusk. Battered speedbreakers and potholes are potential death traps for two-wheeler riders.Ramesh, a regular user of the flyover, says, “I have no choice but to use the grade separator when I travel towards Anna Nagar. After dark we manage to cross the rotary only with the help of our headlights, because otherwise it is pitch dark.” He adds that very few of the cat’s-eyes (reflectors) are visible any longer, and he has to slow down to look for the speedbreakers for fear of damaging his car.When the grade separator was inaugurated in February 2009, it was expected to ease the traffic woes of those crossing Padi junction and, to a large extent, it has. It is now the safety of motorists using the flyover that is in question.Heavy vehicle movement on the bridge adds to the danger. Senthil, a motorist who uses the flyover every day, says, “Many times at night I have had narrow escapes from the huge trailers which use the bridge after 10 pm. Although I have not met with an accident, I do know of  colleagues who have had minor and major accidents, including some broken bones as a result of going too fast over a speedbreaker that they did not know existed.” The Tamil Nadu accident statistics for 2010, however, show that out of a total of 5,069 accidents, none were caused by bad roads.Bus commuters also lament the poor condition of the road. “We are thrown about when the bus driver suddenly realises that there is a rut in the road and hits the brakes,” says Abhirami S, who travels in a 248 bus up to Ambattur OT.A lone policeman on duty in the darkness atop the Padi rotary says, “Many two-wheeler riders fall from their vehicles and injure themselves. The high-mast lights have not been working for a while.” He adds that measures are being taken to fix the issues faced by motorists on the stretch.All these problems are in sharp contrast with the condition of the other major grade separator in the city, at Kathipara Junction. With fully functioning high-mast lights, numerous signboards and reflective paint on the side walls, the Kathipara flyover is much easier to traverse. B Suresh, resident of Ambattur, says, “The Kathipara flyover is maintained because VIPs use it regularly. If the same treatment was meted out to this grade separator, the lives of motorists who use it every day would improve.”