Where there's a cop, there's a location tag

Time of India

29-06-2025

Chennai: "Thadi Chikkom" "Police irupanga, helmet podungo" "Chikkom mamey" These are real-time location tags on Google Maps that help riders across the city dodge a fine and tell others while they're at it.
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From Phoenix Mall to T Nagar, riders are using these alerts, drawn from local slang, to mark traffic police checkpoints warning others to steer clear of surprise checks.
With fines reaching rs2,500, and enforcement getting tighter, these crowd-sourced alerts have become part of daily commute. Riders use them to prep for checks, change routes, or avoid delays.
It started near Phoenix Mall and spread fast. Now, at least 10 junctions including Burkit Road in T Nagar, Cathedral Road, Cenotaph Road, parts of Nungambakkam and Anna Salai have turned into a live, crowd-edited map of police sightings.
At Saidapet and near Loyola College signal, officers stand behind curves, flagging down violators. Riders often take sudden U-turns, especially those without helmets or riding triples. That's where many of these tags first showed up.
"There's a checking point just 150m from my street," said S Mahadevan, a local from Saidapet. "After a few neighbours got fined, we dropped a tag. It worked. Then others joined in."
This isn't used just to dodge fines.
Even riders with documents now use these alerts to skip long queues at checkpoints, especially during the morning rush. Sometimes, the tags act as reminders — wear your helmet, carry your papers.
The idea isn't new. In New York and parts of Europe, taxi and delivery drivers have used ride-sharing apps to flag police presence. Bengaluru has seen similar Google Map tags in recent months.
Google's map-editing tool lets users suggest locations or updates. These are reviewed by Google and confirmed by others, allowing the data to stay current.
Neither Google nor Greater Chennai Traffic Police have commented on the trend. But the tags keep coming.