In the past four days, two buses have killed three Kolkatans, injured more than three and smashed at least eight cars.
In the first instance, early on Monday morning, the private bus was being driven by an alleged thief who was trying to get away from a chasing police squad. In the second, the bus was being driven by the kind of driver that Kolkatans are more familiar with — those who do not follow basic traffic norms.
According to records available in the traffic section of Kolkata police, of the 196 fatal accidents that were reported in the city in the year 2021, 59 were caused by buses.
Over Thursday and Friday, The Telegraph spent several hours on the road and spotted various types of traffic offences in the city. Here’s a list
Bus stop? Where?
Buses packed with passengers were stopping in the middle of the road to pick up or drop off passengers, almost all the time.
The violation was rampant at Gariahat, where buses were trying to overtake others on the same route and stopping in the middle of the road to pick up more passengers than they could from the designated stop.
Buses were dropping off passengers in the middle of Rashbehari Avenue and Gariahat Road crossing, too.
The passengers who were dropped off in the middle of the road had to run to the pavements to prevent themselves from being run over by other vehicles.
A bus stops well past the zebra crossing at a signal, forcing pedestrians to make a detour from behind the vehicle, in Shyambazar on Friday afternoon
Zebra crossing? What?
Many buses that stopped at red lights were on zebra crossings — supposed to be reserved for pedestrian movement.
According to the rule, pedestrians should cross the road only when the signal is red for vehicles and the crossover should be only through the nearest zebra crossing.
“But how can we avail of the zebra crossing if it is encroached upon by vehicles?” asked a pedestrian trying to cross the road at the Shyambazar five-point crossing.
On Friday afternoon, a physically disabled person with a walking stick was seen taking a detour from behind a private bus that had blocked the zebra crossing at Shyambazar, forcing pedestrians to take a dangerous detour from behind the bus or in front of it.
Similar violations were common on Rashbehari Avenue and Esplanade.
Amber light? Speed up
According to the rules, motorists are expected to slow down when the traffic signal turns amber.
“An amber light is meant to alert drivers that the signal is about to turn red and that they should slow down at the crossing to prevent pressing the brake suddenly when the signal turns red,” said a police officer of the traffic department.
On the ground, buses were doing the opposite on seeing the amber signal.
A private bus that was heading towards Kasba from Rashbehari almost doubled its speed when the signal turned amber.
The bus managed to speed past a line of yellow taxis and autorickshaws endangering the lives of many pedestrians. It did not manage to get past the signal. It was well past the “stop line” when the signal turned red and the bus screeched to a halt.
All this to reach the next stop before another bus that was trailing it, almost equally reckless.
A bus makes a dangerous turn at the Gariahat crossing on Thursday
Reckless driving
Jumping lanes to overtake other buses, moving zig-zag on a busy thoroughfare, blocking the way for vehicles behind it and stopping too close to vehicles at red lights are some violations that Kolkatans see every day. Thursday and Friday were no exception.
“It is scary to stand even on the kerb side because buses do not follow any rules. Buses do not stop for most passengers. They expect you to get on or off a moving bus in the middle of the road. They keep calling passengers to the middle of the road,” said a college student.
“It is a challenge,” an elderly Kolkatan said at Gariahat.
She had not been able to summon the courage to get on one of those slowed-but-not-stopped buses.