Police restrict Maa morning traffic after rain, breakdowns
Times of India | 20 July 2024
Kolkata: Police on Friday restricted vehicular movement on the Garia ramp of the Maa Flyover for more than 10 minutes during the early morning hours, after a gap of several weeks, due to sluggish flow of traffic. The vehicular traffic got affected due to reduced visibility caused by rain and multiple breakdowns.
Even after the movement resumed, at least four sergeants, 10 constables and civic volunteers were deployed on Maa Flyover to ensure vehicles keep moving.Even as the cops allowed movement on the ramps alternately (either Salt Lake or Garia), they remained extremely congested.
Commuters claimed the movement was slowest between 7.30am and 9.30am, hours which witness the rush of school and office-goers. “It took over 25 minutes to cross the flyover around 7.30am ,” said Soumyajit Mazumdar, an IT consultant.
The Kolkata Traffic Police has now decided to carry out a survey of school-bound vehicles taking the Maa flyover between 7.15am and 8.30am each morning, most of which exit from the Park Circus ramp instead of travelling all the way to PTS.
Several schools are located close to the 7-Point Crossing. Police sources said due to the rain, many students left their homes early. Though the timings of different schools vary and have a gap of at least 10 to 15 minutes, the early exit of students led to larger volumes of traffic on the flyover, sources added. “We are mulling to change signal cycles on the route leading to the schools,” said an officer.
Imposing curbs on movement on the Garia ramp is another solution. At present, it is being done only when green channels are created or vehicles breakdown, said cops. Over 150 vehicles reach the 7-Point Crossing from the flyover every minute in the morning, claimed a cop. The cops have also decided to use alternative routes like Wood Street, Pretoria Street and Lord Sinha Road to push out vehicles whenever they stagnate at any given point, especially during school dispersals.