Chennai's OMR After Dark: Motorists Grapple with Jaywalking Peril

After sunset, Chennai’s bustling Rajiv Gandhi Salai transforms into a hazard zone for drivers. Motorists navigating the IT corridor’s key stretches—Thoraipakkam, Sholinganallur, Navalur—report a sharp rise in risky pedestrian crossings after dark, turning nightly commutes into a tense, high-stakes game of vigilance.

Infrastructure gaps amplify risks

Promised lighting upgrades have fallen short, leaving long stretches dim and unpredictable. Lamp posts are still missing along the road, and lights fixed on Chennai Metro Rail structures simply don’t cast enough glow to make pedestrians visible to drivers. Harsha Koda, co-founder of the Federation of OMR Residents Welfare Associations, doesn’t mince words: “The height of the median in many places is not as tall as it should be. Since there are no proper zebra crossings and foot overbridges at necessary spots, the public is forced to clamber up the medians and jump over.”

Close calls and moving barriers

For locals like Sridevi Kothandapani of Thazhambur, the danger is personal. She describes how blue-grey steel shutters meant as barriers are often shifted aside by pedestrians desperate to cross. “Recently, when I was trying to cross the road at night and was holding on to one shutter, it moved and I fell on the road. Luckily for me, there was no vehicle on the road at that time,” she recalls—her voice layered with relief and lingering alarm.

“At Kottivakkam, if one is not careful, hit and run cases could almost become the norm at night.”
— G. Gurumurthy, Thoraipakkam resident

A cry for urgent action

With every near-miss, frustration grows. Gurumurthy’s warning hangs heavy: improved lighting days ago did little. Until medians are raised, crossings are clearly marked, and lights properly installed, both drivers and pedestrians will remain at risk. Night on OMR shouldn’t feel this dangerous.