Trichy folk seek curbs on entry of heavy vehicles

We are used to seeing heavy vehicles plying on city roads any time of the day, but how many of us know that there are restrictions on their entry into city limits ? But then, such restrictions exist only on paper and are not enforced.
As traffic snarls continue to wreak havoc, particularly in Gandhi Market and on Madurai road simultaneously, members of the public have demanded that the district administration and the stakeholders concerned ‘revive’ the restrictions and bar heavy vehicles from entering city limits between 6 am and 9 pm.
According to police sources, at present the entry of trucks carrying loads towards city limits was allowed only between 8 pm and 4 am and during daytime between 1 pm and 4 pm. However, load carriers can be seen entering the congested Gandhi Market vicinity via Thanjavur road round-the-clock. The violation of regulations prescribed by the district administration — which jeopardises road safety — has been happening despite the presence of police personnel manning Palpannai roundabout considered a gateway for load carriers to Gandhi Market.
“The restrictions on time prescribed by traffic police to prevent congestion were not ideal, yet the entry of load carriers happens rampantly throughout the day and night. We have proposed a revised time period during which heavy vehicles should be barred from entering the market,” M Sekaran, president, Air, Rail, and Road Travellers Federation, said.
The restrictions which were sought to be enforced on entry into the market were implemented years ago without proper field study on the exact time during which load vehicles caused bottlenecks. With the relocation plans of Gandhi market in limbo, it was evident that the district administration had to regulate vehicular movement through the century-old market facility which had turned a hotspot of congestion.
“There is absence of clarity in implementing the ban on heavy vehicles’ entry. Often the load carriers with daily wagers cite their day’s meagre earnings to plead with the traffic constables fielded at entry points. On humanitarian grounds, they allow the trucks in,” an official source in traffic police wing said. The traffic police have been looking forward to an order from the district collector specifying the prohibited time period on entry of heavy vehicles. Sources said that an awareness meeting with truck owners and drivers was the need of the hour to gain their cooperation. “Truck drivers as well as the owners are not clear about the prohibited period of entry into Trichy city,” the police officer added.
The associations working for road safety have planned to meet district collector K Rajamani to prepare a roadmap for decongesting the city and to enforce the ban on heavy vehicles in the city between 6 am and 9 pm.

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