West Bengal: Bypass black spots safer, but new zones worry cops

KOLKATA: EM Bypass, which has been featuring on the top of the list of accident black spots over the past few years, fared comparatively better in 2019. The number of fatal accidents on Bypass dropped last year when compared to 2018. Cops have managed the killer stretches better but they still have a long way to go as some new zones have turned risky for commuters. Police said new localized strategy are likely to reduce accidents further.
The 2km stretch from Mathpukur crossing (now known as the Metropolitan bus stop) to Salt Lake stadium, which was once called a “killer stretch” after repeated accidents in 2017 and 2018, has now emerged as a perfect example for Lalbazar in controlling fatal accidents. In 2018, this stretch saw seven deaths but the number came down to two in 2019. The Beliaghata traffic guard’s overall fatal death count has come down from 16 in 2018 to 13 last year. However, there are also some reasons for cops to worry about.

“There have been deaths on both Dhapa and Tangra bylanes where as the number of vehicles has gone up. We are mulling a new signalling system for these roads,” said a police officer.

The situation around APC Road is almost similar, with cops shifting focus from the Maniktala-Sealdah stretch to Canal Road, which is witnessing a rise in vehicular load after Tallah Bridge’s partial shutdown. The Sealdah traffic guard recorded 11 deaths in 2019 while 14 deaths took place under their jurisdiction in 2018. There were four deaths near Sealdah station in 2018, but there hadn’t been any road deaths in the area in 2019.
However, fatal accidents have increased on both Canal East Road and Canal West Road. Some traditional black spots are still of concern — one is the Ultadanga-Khanna stretch and Basanti Highway the other. In most cases, failure to control killer buses continues to haunt police.
It has been decided that for now, vehicles from Maa flyover will have to halt for one minute to allow other vehicles using EM Bypass to move. Similarly, vehicles on the service lane will have to halt to allow other Chingrighata-bound vehicles to move from Science City.