Bus operators asked police on Thursday to clear up some of the roads through which vehicles will be diverted once the Tallah bridge is shut down at midnight on January 31 for demolition.

Some of the operators want at least five bus terminuses along Girish Avenue, in Bagbazar, removed so that the entire width of the road could be used. One of the terminuses is near a fuel station.

The other concern was pedestrian crossover on the stretches through which vehicles will be diverted, such as RG Kar Road, which remains congested most of the time.

The state government had announced a ban on the movement of buses, trucks and other heavy vehicles on the 57-year-old north Calcutta bridge on September 29.

Smaller vehicles are allowed to ply on the bridge but they, too, will have to be diverted once the structure is closed. That will further increase the volume of traffic on the roads through which buses are being diverted.

“We have asked the police to shift some of the bus terminuses from Girish Avenue to Galiff Street so that the road is free of hindrances,” said Pradip Narayan Bose, a leader of bus operators from north Calcutta. “Over 350 buses on nine routes are taking detour. That’s quite a volume.”

The meeting where the bus operators raised the issues was chaired by Rupesh Kumar, deputy commissioner of police, traffic. It was called to brief the operators about the impending change in routes and how bus and minibus operators should gear up to face the challenge till a new bridge comes up.

The operators told the police that as the volume of traffic was set to rise manifold on certain stretches, footpaths need to be cleared to allow pedestrian movement and minimise chances of accidents.

The Telegraph had earlier reported about lack of infrastructure on Cossipore Road and Khagen Chatterjee Road, two of the streets through which vehicles will be diverted.

“Unless pedestrian movement is restricted on RG Kar Road, diverted vehicles would struggle to move. The footpaths along the road are not pedestrian-friendly and people are forced to walk down the carriageway,” said Tapan Bandopadhayay of the Joint Council of Bus Syndicate.

According to a plan drawn up by Calcutta police, all BT Road-bound vehicles from south would ply through Girish Avenue and the Lockgate flyover. Buses headed towards Shyambazar from the direction of Dunlop would be diverted through Dum Dum Road or Paikpara to reach Belgachhia, which will result in a detour of around 8km.