Chennai: Riding against the flow of traffic to save a few minutes has become routine among commuters. Two-wheelers and autorickshaws frequently enter one-way stretches from the wrong end or travel against traffic even on busy arterial roads. With traffic police enforcement lackadaisical, wrong-side driving and riding has become a scourge on several stretches, putting other motorists and pedestrians at risk.
In Chennai alone, wrong-side driving has claimed at least 300 lives over the past five years.
Advocate C Suresh Kumar said enforcement needs to be more consistent, as violations often resume when police personnel are absent. Additional commissioner of police, GCTP, B Shamoondeswari said smart barricades fitted with cameras have been deployed at several points to identify offenders. “In the last eight months, we have booked 1.89 lakh cases against motorists indulging in wrong-side driving,” she said.