Pedestrians voice safety concern over insufficient traffic regulation in front of Tiruchi GH

A view of pedestrians crossing EVR Road on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: Judah Jerusalem

Patients and visitors at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) Tiruchi have voiced their concern over insufficient traffic regulation at the entrance of the hospital.

The MGMGH sees footfall upwards of 3,000 a day on an average. Patients from rural areas in Tiruchi as well as from surrounding districts, including Perambalur, Ariyalur, and Karur, come to the hospital to receive medical treatment.

A section of the visitors, most of whom are family members and relatives of the patients admitted at MGMGH, stays put in Tiruchi for the duration of the treatment. As such, the hospital continually sees visitors walking in and out of the premises.

However, the patients and visitors expressed concern over the poor traffic regulatory mechanism.

On account of inadequate traffic regulation along EVR Road, the road in front of the MGMGH, becomes blocked with traffic. Vehicles, including government buses coming in from Bharathidasan Salai and Major Saravanan Road, are often held up along the road blocking ambulances.

“I go to the other side of the road to get free food that is distributed every day. It is very dangerous for the public to navigate on the stretch as the traffic signals do not work, and vehicles show no regard for pedestrians. Considering the situation, an effective traffic regulatory arrangements should have been made at the earliest and traffic personnel should be deployed immediately,” said P. Elumalai, a resident of Perambalur.

“The overhead traffic signal needs to be fixed as many pedestrians cross the road without any safety measure in place,” said P. Ayyarappan, a road safety activist.

A senior police officer told The Hindu that there are plans to replace the overhead blinkers. Additional traffic police would also be posted there for the safety of the pedestrians.