But aside from the inconvenience of a bumpy ride, potholes are also very dangerous. Vehicles - especially bikes and autos - swerve to avoid them without thinking; and in doing so put themselves at risk of being hit by a vehicle coming up from behind. The state of the roads also make it impossible to contemplate ever having any sort of lane discipline. How can you stay in the left lane when it usually is a mess of potholes and raised manhole covers (not to mention encroachments and pedestrians).
Year after year we have the same complaints. As soon as the roads are laid, they get dug up for the metro water pipes, the electricity lines or for laying cables. And then, if you're lucky, they get patched up - really badly. Even a child could tell you that this is the wrong sequence. So why can't we get it right? - Because it takes coordination. It needs people to talk to each other and agree on a plan of action. It needs one supervising authority that can see the whole picture. And plan for the future - not just for today.
I came across some encouraging news that the corporation is constructing 'model' pavements on L.B. road in Adyar. They're removing encroachments, moving junction boxes and creating a landscaped 'safe zone' between the pedestrians and the traffic. Sounds wonderful - I can't wait to see how it turns out! But while thinking about it, I suddenly wondered if it was possible to shift some utilities from under the roads to under the pavements. That would make it easy to create maintenance hatches, so that the roads do not have to be dug up every time. (And while they're repairing the pavements, they should also lay stormwater drains, which seem to be sadly lacking in our city.)
Am I being naive, or is it something that could work. Do you have any ideas to improve the state of our roads? I was pleased to find that the Corporation of Chennai has an impressive website. It looks like they even have a suggestion 'box'. Maybe if we came up with some good ideas, we could send them in. What do you think? Please leave your comments or email me at childof chennai@gmail.com .
I totally agree with the utilites under the pavements. It would work and does so in large township developments in developed countries where the Right Of Way (Town Planner term for road and pavements)includes a designated zone for utilities (power, water, sewerage, drainage, telecom, fire services) under the pavements. And where the streets are narrow, the utilities are tucked below the center lane divider. The key would be to make sure that the town planning guidelines, the infrastructure requirements, and the infrastructure build-out are coordinated and executed as per the intended design.
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