The New Town authorities and the Bidhannagar commissionerate are banking on a slew of measures that will be in place from December 23 till January 2 to ensure that traffic does not get stalled near Eco Park.
The 480-acre park in New Town is one of the biggest crowd-pullers in the city during the Christmas-New Year’s Day period. In the past couple of years, the park had recorded a footfall of over a lakh on Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Even in the run-up to the festive week, thousands are heading to the park, triggering snarls on the Major Arterial Road (MAR), a 10.5km-long road on which the park is located and which connects the airport with Salt Lake and New Town.
To ensure that traffic doesn’t get stalled on MAR, Hidco, the park’s custodian, and the Bidhannagar commissionerate have drawn several measures aimed at decongesting the stretch.
Hidco has constructed a slip road near the parking plaza at gate number 1 of the park and Mistika Banquet. Visitors travelling to the park in their cars or hired vehicles will enter through existing gate 1 route — turn left from the Eco Park traffic signal and enter the parking lot.
While exiting, they can access the Major Arterial Road through the new slip road.
The 7.5m-wide slip road will temporarily serve as a second exit from the parking lot.
A large number of people travel through MAR to reach the airport.
During the Christmas-New Year’s Day period, airport-bound vehicles may be diverted from Salt Lake and Sector V towards Tata Medical Center from the Kolkata Gate crossing, an officer in the Bidhannagar commissionerate said.
After crossing Tata Medical Center, the vehicles will turn left and move towards the Ecospace bus stop, from where they will take Aliah University Road and access MAR via the Akankha More.
This diversion will ensure that airport-bound vehicles avoid the Eco Park stretch of MAR, which is likely to witness huge volumes of traffic during the Christmas weekend as well as New Year’s Day.
A senior officer in the commissionerate said they will install signage in the next few days so that motorists who regularly use the route get familiar with the diversion.
“We will have cops on the ground, who will divert vehicles as and when required. Senior officers experienced in handling traffic in New Town on Christmas and New Year’s Day will be posted at key crossings,” the officer said.
Gaurav Sharma, police commissioner of Bidhannagar, said more than 3,000
cops will be deployed in the commissionerate area on Christmas and New Year’s Day. A sizeable number of them will be posted in front of Nicco Park and Eco Park.
“We are taking every measure possible and will have a sizeable force on the ground to ensure traffic keeps moving. Specialised teams and units will be posted outside
parks and malls to prevent any untoward incident,” said Sharma.
Bus and big vehicles ferrying visitors to the park will have to be parked at designated parking areas.
Installation of barricades has started to prevent pedestrians from crossing the Major Arterial Road. Only pedestrian subway systems, near gate 2 of the park, have to be used if one needs to cross the arterial road on foot.