Use Park Street to reach central Kolkata if you are coming from the east of the city, police are urging commuters in an attempt to decongest a route where long snarls have become a routine affair.
Several police officers The Telegraph spoke to cited a study that found that the majority of cars from EM Bypass prefer plying through the Parama flyover and the AJC Bose Road flyover to reach Esplanade and the Dalhousie area.
As a result, snarls are quite common on that route, especially during rush hours.
Almost every day, the police are forced to stop the entry of vehicles into the Parama flyover from the Bypass for some time to manage snarls on the flyover.
Long waiting time at the AJC Bose Road-DL Khan Road crossing (the Race Course-end of the AJC Bose Road flyover) is also common during rush hours on working days.
Banners with the appeal have been put up along the AJC Bose Road flyover. The Facebook page of the city’s traffic police also carries the appeal.
Traffic cops believe that if a fraction of the cars that now take the AJC Bose Road flyover can be diverted to Park Street, the snarls or the waiting time on the flyover can be cut down.
The police are also urging commuters to opt for Beleghata Main Road if they are moving towards Sealdah or Esplanade from east Kolkata.
“The snarls on the Parama flyover can be reduced if a section of commuters who now drive through the Parama flyover can be encouraged to move through Beleghata Main Road to reach Sealdah or Dalhousie,” said a police officer at the city police headquarters in Lalbazar.
“The idea is to distribute traffic to other roads that have the capacity to handle more traffic,” the officer said.
Police officers told The Telegraph the public appeal was made after studying car movements recorded by CCTV cameras installed on roads and flyovers.
“On a working day, about 1,400 cars take a right turn towards the Maidan from the western end (Race Course-end) of the AJC Bose Road flyover. These cars are headed to Dalhousie and Esplanade and come from the east,” said an officer.
“Between 10am and 11am and between 11am and noon, the number of cars taking the right turn remains almost the same,” said the officer.
As a large number of cars wait to take a right turn, traffic on other roads at the intersection is impacted.
“Vehicles on DL Khan Road as well as those from west (Howrah) have to wait for a long period at the intersection. On the other hand, if we increase the duration of the green signal for traffic on these two roads, snarls form on the AJC Bose Road flyover,” said another police officer, explaining how traffic will benefit overall if some of the cars move through Park Street or Beleghata Main Road.
A Salt Lake resident who regularly takes the flyover to commute to central Kolkata said some of the other routes were fraught with risks.
“I have sometimes taken Beleghata Main Road and the road along the Beleghata canal. Beleghata Main Road has encroachments. Besides, autorickshaws and buses stop wherever they want and do not leave space for other vehicles behind them. The police must solve this problem if they want more people to take this route,” he said.
The surface condition of both roads, he said, is another reason why many avoid them. “There are so many undulated stretches. The ride is bumpy and uncomfortable. Flyovers are much better,” the Salt Lake resident said.