Road pain for drivers, two-wheelers in rainy season
The Statesman | 13 July 2025
Stretches on important roads have become a death trap for drivers of two and four wheelers after the torrential rain that hit the city recently, washing away the top layer of the streets.
The wavy and bumpy roads are causing massive traffic jams during the morning and evening peak hours and the situation turns worse during heavy rain when the potholes are filled with water.
An orthopaedic surgeon of a state-run hospital, preferring anonymity, said the number of road accidents in the city where two wheeler riders with heavy injuries are admitted to hospitals to undergo surgery. “The situation can only be improved if the roads are repaired properly much ahead of monsoon. The bikers are admitted with head injury and broken arms, legs and collar bones. There are occasions when emergency surgeries have to be conducted as well,” he maintained.
A stretch on VIP Road, opposite Anupama Housing Complex, is a death trap for bikers and drivers of vehicles. The situation has worsened because of the construction of Metro railway. A traffic sergeant on duty said: “Road accidents on this stretch have become a regular feature. The bikers, in a bid to negotiate potholes, have to go for panic braking and are being hit by the vehicle coming from behind. Traffic jams have become a regular feature.”
The road at the intersection of Sealdah Flyover and Mahatma Gandhi Road has become a death trap for drivers. The road approaching Howrah Bridge on Strand Road has also become unfit to drive.
The driver of a private transport liner that offers service from Kolkata to Siliguri said: “The maintenance cost has doubled due to bad road conditions. The wheel bearings and suspension are badly damaged. Though most of the buses that cover long distance routes and run by private transport operators are either manufactured in Sweden or Germany, are fitted with very powerful suspension but despite that they are developing snags and have to be repaired immediately,” he said.
A senior engineer of state public works department (PWD) said because of heavy road traffic the top layer of the roads is heavily damaged. Because of the ongoing monsoon season, the affected stretches cannot be repaired and the patch repairs can only start after the rainy season is over.”
The owner of a premium vehicle, who is a resident of Barasat said: “I have to go to Sector V everyday and it has become a nightmare. I take not less than one-and-a-half hours on most of the days to reach my working place because of traffic jams. The wear and tear of the car has gone up and the vehicle has to be sent to the workshop once in a month.”