Motorists are complaining that the focus lamps kept inside Chennai Metro Rail Limited’s barricades on roads, including Rajiv Gandhi Salai and Mount Poonamallee Road, do not shed enough light on the carriageway and also end up seeing only lights for a few seconds.
The lamps, placed in pairs, are at a lower level than usual streetlights. While one lamp throws light on Chennai Metrorail’s work sites, the other one is turned to the side of the road. Since the work is happening along the median, the original streetlights have been removed.
“Highway lighting is covered under the Indian Roads Congress and these lights do not conform to that code in any manner. Streetlights don’t cause temporary blindness and ensure that there is enough light on the carriageway. The lighting is necessary for safe driving in the dark. Pedestrians also depend on streetlights to navigate their way,” explained a retired highway engineer.
Proper street lighting clearly shows signages and hazards outside the beam of the vehicle headlights. “Public lighting should not be lit intermittently, as this requires repeated eye readjustment which implies eyestrain and temporary blindness when entering and leaving light. Studies have shown that a large number of accidents happen after sundown, especially at locations that have bad lighting,” he explained.
Rajiv Gandhi Salai resident Harsha Koda said that people who drive on the extreme left side of the road are affected by this bad lighting. “Points like near Tidel park when coming from Madhya Kailash and near Karapakkam are especially bad. At Tidel Park, there is only a crash barrier in the middle and the height of the road on the left side is more than the right side and that too adds to discomfort during driving as vehicle headlights from the opposite direction also blind us temporarily,” he said.
On Mount Poonamallee Road, the barricades have been placed for long distances making the lives of pedestrians difficult. “We cannot cross the road even during normal times due to heavy traffic. Now, I am afraid to cross the road by myself since the road is quite dark. There is only a smattering of light. I prefer to wait for a few people or vehicles taking a U turn to go to the other side,” said Manikandan, who works in the area.
Officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) said that they have taken cognisance of this issue and that it would be addressed at the earliest. “These powerful lights are placed at such a height because the entire construction area should be adequately lit up and there should be no safety lapse at any point. But if it is causing issues for commuters, we will find a way to place it in such a way that neither are commuters inconvenienced nor safety is compromised. We will resolve it soon,” an official said.
(with inputs from Sunitha Sekar)
