Traffic congestion remains a major concern at Gandhi Market in Tiruchi

Haphazard parking of cars, two-wheelers, and trucks reduce the space for movement of vehicles and cause congestion on most days, say shopkeepers

Traffic congestion at Gandhi Market remains a major concern for road users and commuters in Tiruchi. 

Trucks carrying produce to vendors, in addition to holding up traffic, are parked in front of the entrances to shops along Thanjavur Road. They are often urged by the traffic police to move.

Traffic congestion has become a norm on streets such as the Big Bazaar Street, Nellai Pettai Street, Marakadai, and Vengayamandi Street, and Palakkarai Main Road because of haphazard parking of trucks.

Road users complained that on these narrow streets, many vehicles are indiscriminately stopped to haul cargo causing much traffic hold-up around those areas. Some trucks usually arrive at Gandhi Market around 4 p.m. and continue loading and unloading till 10 p.m.

Gandhi Market is the nerve-centre of the vegetable retail trade in Tiruchi. Most of the produce here is sold directly to other districts. Many city buses operate in the area. “Though the police have made some roads and streets one-way, many violate the rules. They park cars and two-wheelers at will,” says a shopkeeper on Big Bazaar Street.

“The situation can be remedied by removing the street hawkers and vendors who constrict the road. The buses coming from Thanjavur and the local buses are notorious for stopping in the middle of the street while passengers board or deboard the vehicle. More than two vehicles can pass through these narrow roads at a time,” said N. Jamaludeen, a civic activist.