Pre-Christmas rush prompts Kolkata cops to switch to manual traffic control, deploy extra personnel
Times of India | 21 December 2024
12 Kolkata: Rush on roads, especially around recreational hotspots in city, on Friday indicated that the pre-Christmas festive mood has already set in with its effects on the vehicular traffic clearly visible. With several city hotspots like Alipore Zoo, Victoria Memorial, and Science City witnessing crowds comparable to any year-end Sunday footfall, the concerned traffic guards were forced to switch to manual mode and deploy extra personnel on the roads even after noon.
The traffic near Alipore Zoo was so heavy that it slowed down on DH Road at Ekbalpore Crossing. As crowds descended on National Library Avenue, adjoining roads like DL Khan Road, Alipore Road, and Belvedere Road experienced slower traffic flow. The fact that zoo visitors got off on AJC Bose Road and crossed over towards the zoo near Zeerut Bridge, traffic from Vidyasagar Setu was also affected.
With several Christmas festivals and carnivals held on the campuses on Friday — the last day of school before the onset of winter vacation — the city saw major crowding around schools. This added to the traffic load. By evening, there was a steady stream of visitors heading for the Park Street Christmas festival, keeping traffic flow sluggish at the crossings on AJC Bose Road.
The Kolkata Traffic Police has taken up additional steps to ensure that pre-festival roads this winter — covering the Park Street-APC Road-AJC Road zone — remain unclogged while enhancing overall pedestrian safety. Pedestrian drop-gates have been functional for a couple of months now and become a permanent structure at the crossing. Police have deployed more personnel — especially sergeants — to control the traffic here. The police have also freshly marked zebra crossings and stop lines at multiple points like Free School Street-Marquis Street crossing. This is the first time in several years that road markers have been set up in this area. "We have major plans to use some roads around Park Street as alternate options during emergency for passing vehicles. The plans will be implemented in phases," said a traffic department source.
This will also include streamlining of the movement of autos. "We are deploying men at the two ends of the FOB (flyover bridge) there to ensure that there is no stampede-like situation," he added. The various traffic guards have also been instructed to ramp up presence on JL Nehru Road and Maidan.