Middle-of-road bus halts, blind-side entry of bikes under lens
Times of India | 11 January 2025
Kolkata: The Kolkata Traffic Police has formed special squads to carry out surprise checks at major bus stops to ensure that passengers can safely alight or board buses without having to deal with traffic in the middle of the road. The cops are also pulling up bikers entering the leftmost lanes despite seeing passengers getting on or off the buses.
"We have repeatedly instructed bus drivers to stop in the left lane. Those not following our instructions are being fined. Also, some bikers tend to keep driving, often at high speed, even at bus stops where bus passengers are still on the road. We are prosecuting all such riders," added the officer.
The focus, claimed sources, is around Dalhousie, Esplanade and Maidan after a biker killed a conductor of a Digha-bound bus when he was picking up passengers on Dufferin Road. "We have advised drivers and conductors to keep an eye out for bikes pulling up from behind. However, on certain routes, like S-12 and S-9, we found that there were problems in managing the passengers and drivers not stopping where they actually should. We are planning to send the footage to their respective bus depots for action. We are also ensuring that passengers are aware of the dangers of getting off in the middle of the road," a Lalbazar officer said.
Almost 28% of all bus accidents (both fatal and non-fatal) take place because passengers try to board or deboard while the vehicle is still in motion or has stopped in the middle of the road, Kolkata Traffic Police claimed on Friday. The figures are comparable to the high number of accidents where victims fell in the blind spot of the bus driver. Buses contributed to 14% of all road accidents in the past 1.5 years and ended up with the second-highest number of fatalities.