U-turns Risky, Say Pedestrians; Want Traffic Signals Restored

Senior citizens say they find it difficult to cross arterial roads in city

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Coimbatore

WITH the introduction of U-turns to replace traffic signals across the city, police have put the safety of pedestrians at risk at many junctions. Pedestrians have accused the police of neglecting pedestrian safety, which has led to an increase in accidents. Police records show that there were 124 pedestrian fatalities in road accidents in the city over the last 15 months.

KM Karunakaran, a retired bank employee from Ramanathapuram who frequently uses the Tiruchy Road, recently met with a minor accident while crossing a junction after being hit by a speeding bike. He said that the junction was recently made signal-free, but without safe permanent passage for pedestrians to cross.