Speed checks intensified on Maa, 24 bikes procuted daily
Times of India | 14 January 2025
Kolkata: Speed checks for two-wheelers on Maa flyover have been strengthened following Kolkata Police commissioner Manoj Verma's fresh instructions to Lalbazar and the traffic guard this weekend, after the night curbs on two-wheelers were removed on the direction of chief minister Mamata Banerjee. The police are also likely to add more speed cameras on this stretch. Kolkata Traffic Police has been prosecuting around 16-24 two-wheeler riders each day for overspeeding ever since the 40 kmph speed limit was enforced. However, sources said the numbers could be much higher, given they are roughly calculating overspeeding by studying the peak hours and then averaging the same.
"In addition to our monitoring through speed cameras at certain points of the day, the speed cameras independently record overspeeding throughout the day. After a while into this drive, we will extract data minutely to arrive at the exact number of violations," said an officer.
Online challans are being issued only through speed cameras and is led by a dedicated team headed by an ACP. "At present, there is no human intervention in this regard on top of the flyover," said an officer.
"We recorded 65 cases of overspeeding at the beginning of last year, which went down by the year end. In contrast, about 80-90 speeding cases were noted in the pre-Covid period. This is because it is visible we are using technology and prosecutions are being made with proper evidence. We plan to bring the number down," an officer said. "On Maa, at least, motorists are alert when boards are set up to record speeds. Thus, more cameras will act as a deterrent," said another officer.
Two-wheeler riders, though, wondered if these speed cameras were "overdoing" things. "Even when driving at 40 kmph, these are sending out alert signage," a biker said.