For motorists, commute below Maa is as bad as on the flyover
Times of India | 10 November 2024
123 Kolkata: For motorists opting to take the road under Maa Flyover to avoid snarls on it during peak hours, the commute seems to be equally bad.
Several users, who now take the Park Circus Connector as an alternative to the Maa Flyover, wrote to cops, complaining about the traffic snarls at smaller intersections like Doctor Biresh Guha Street, Rifle Range Road and Gorachand Road with the Park Circus Connector.
The two major issues, cops said, seem to be the illegal crossovers and auto menace.
The Kolkata Traffic Police has formed a high-level team with officers from the East Traffic Guard to address traffic challenges near Bridge 4.
Recently, a commuter wrote on X: "Traffic at the crossing of 4 No Bridge Park Circus is in a total mess or in a shambles. Your sergeants are not able to control it… Why can't the police control the traffic, especially the autos who think they are always right?"
The police responded, stating that the concerned guard has been asked to look into the issue.
Officers at Lalbazar said attempts to normalise traffic crossovers on this stretch remain a challenge, including the pedestrian crossovers. The area has seen multiple accidents in the past, including one involving an embassy vehicle. The East Traffic Guard said several new steps have already been taken to ensure that those using the Park Circus Connector do not get caught up in the rush at the crossings here.
"We have set up a channel, complete with guard rails, at Bridge 4 of Park Circus to stop commuters (coming out of Park Circus railway station), the autos and buses from creating a ruckus in the middle of the bridge, especially on the Science City-bound stretch. Passengers can get on and off the public transport either at the start or end of the bridge. This is also aimed at stopping jaywalking. This will ensure that vehicles can move unhindered just like on the Maa Flyover," said an officer.
Police said a similar effort has been planned for the other end, where jaywalking is a major challenge. Similarly, just near the Dargah Road-New Park Street crossing, traffic cops have set up channelisers and kept the autos inside the channel so that they do not block the normal flow of traffic. "We have been receiving feedback to rein in the auto raj. This is one step towards that direction," added the officer.
Police said they were also searching for alternatives to fix the lane change issue that often leads to minor collisions, thereby delaying movement during peak hours. "After the recent posts on social media by motorists that they were disallowed to take Maa Flyover, we left it to motorists to decide if they preferred to take the flyovers or the Park Circus Connector as an alternative. We are doing whatever we can to make the alternative work. We even advertised the time being taken on the alternative route using Google Maps," said an officer at Lalbazar.