Chennai: Evening rain brought traffic to a near standstill across several parts of Chennai on Monday, with vehicles crawling for hours on key arterial roads and commuters reporting unusually long journeys and higher auto or cab fares to get home.Bumper-to-bumper traffic was reported in T Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Virugambakkam, Thousand Lights and around the Anna flyover. Among the worst affected stretches were Rajiv Gandhi Salai, Poonamallee High Road and Nelson Manickam Road. Karthika, who was caught in heavy traffic in Ashok Nagar, said her auto had to take a circuitous route from West Mambalam to Virugambakkam. The journey, which normally takes less than 30 minutes, stretched from 7.30pm to 9.30pm, and cost nearly ₹100 more than the fare initially indicated on the app. In south Chennai, traffic virtually came to a halt on the stretch from Second Avenue in Adyar toward Taramani.Motorists heading from Guindy toward Porur also faced congestion, with traffic-prone Rajiv Gandhi Salai bearing the brunt. “Vehicles were not moving for more than two hours,” said Kalpana, a Taramani resident. The gridlock also affected IT employees heading for night shifts, with several reaching their workplaces late. Motorists complained that the absence of traffic personnel at several congested junctions added to the confusion. Commuters relying on app-based rides faced difficulties as well. “I had to abandon a bike-taxi journey because of the rain and pay a considerably higher fare for an auto,” said Vidhya, a resident of Virugambakkam.A senior police officer of traffic (south) attributed the slowdown at some locations to water stagnation following the rain.
