Can you trade in safety for convenience?. If you are like me driving every day in Ranganathan Street and Panagal park shopping areas in Chennai, you will conclude that pedestrians who come here have clearly opted in for convenience. Whether it is the T.Nagar Bus Terminus area (where for some reason people will start crossing only when the traffic light turns green, fighting in between the slow-moving cars and two-wheelers) or Pothy’s junction (where just after policemen has asked traffic to resume, few people will manage to run in between the slow-moving vehicles) or the Ranganathan Street/Usman Road junction.

Negligence of Safety while crossing in Ranganathan Street

Negligence of Safety while crossing in Ranganathan Street

In the picture above (taken from my car today at 7PM while I was coming home) in front of Annai Sathya Bazaar (near Ranganathan Street), as you can see the authorities have kept barricades to prevent pedestrians (or to prevent vehicles going to the footpath) from crossing over into the two-way traffic road. If you see closely in the photo you will find two men (who came crossed the traffic from left) pushing the barricade and squeezing in; just after them over half-a-dozen followed the same route. All this in spite of the fact there is a zebra crossing with a policeman to control traffic just 10 feet away.

God save Chennai Pedestrians from harm from both themselves and our poor-planning civic authorities!

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