Amidst rising tourist footfalls during the summer vacation to Mukkombu, a popular picnic destination near Tiruchi, local residents have called upon the district authorities to install an automatic traffic signal to regulate traffic on the narrow barrage which serves as a link road road across the Cauvery.

Visitors to the recreation spot and residents of villages commuting across the barrages across the Cauvery and the Kollidam have been facing much hardship in recent weeks because of frequent traffic gridlocks witnessed on the barrages across both rivers. It takes considerable time and effort, often by the tourists themselves, to clear the traffic snarls.

Situated about 18 km away from the city, Mukkombu, known as Upper Anicut, is a popular recreation spot for those in Tiruchi and tourists passing by. The barrages are under the control of Water Resources Department as they are important structures to regulate the water flow to the delta region.

Normally, Mukkombu attracts a large number of visitors on weekends. But during summer vacation and the other holidays, it sees a surge in footfalls.

Visitors have to cross the barrage across the Cauvery to reach a park situated on the island between the two rivers. With many visitors arriving by cars, vans, and buses, traffic snarls have become frequent on the narrow barrage, which can barely accommodate two-way traffic. A similar situation prevails on the newly built barrage across the Kollidam as many local residents use the structures to cross over the rivers between the Tiruchi-Karur and Tiruchi-Namakkal highways.

“Tourists had a torrid time at Mukkombu last Sunday due to traffic gridlocks on the Cauvery barrage. Unfortunately, there was no police or WRD staff to regulate the traffic. The problem has become chronic and the authorities should install automatic traffic signals for allowing one-way traffic alternatively,” said K. Anandaraj, a resident of Perugamani.

Residents call for establishing parking lots on both entry points on Tiruchi-Karur and Tiruchi-Namakkal highways. “Battery operated vehicles could be deployed to transport visitors from the parking lots to the park on island,” Mr. Anandraj said.

When contacted, a senior WRD official said the possibility of installing automatic traffic signals in coordination with the police department would be examined.

Another official pointed out that automatic traffic signals installed on the Kollidam barrage a few years ago had failed due to the problems in ensuring proper synchronisation/ timing. Automatic signals could be installed only after a proper study taking into the account the traffic volume, the time taken for vehicles to cross the barrages and other factors, the officer said.