Tech upgrade plan after cars crush dividers at accident spot in Kolkata

KOLKATA: Dangerous driving at night is not necessarily confined to wider roads. Neither is drink-driving to areas hemming with pubs. Barely 72 hours after the fatal accident that killed one pedestrian and injured six others opposite Krishna Glass Factory, Jadavpur traffic guard learnt it the hard way. Barely 24 to 36 hours after they finished setting up plastic cones at Sulekha crossing, several of them were found damaged on Tuesday.
“We had to remove some of them as they had been damaged beyond repair. While it can be argued that motorists were not expecting them in the middle of the road, this proves that lane jumping and speeding is common even on the two-lane SC Mullick Road,” said a traffic cop. “We have indeed decided to remove or replace a few cones,” said DC Traffic (South) Atul V. Raids at Jadavpur and Garia guards after the accident have led to at least 10 drink-driving prosecutions.

Across important but heavily congested roads like SC Mullick Road, NSC Bose Road. MG Road (Haridevpur connector) or James Long Sarani, cops are planning to install multiple CCTV cameras. While speed guns have already been installed at SC Mullick and NSC Bose Road, a proposal has been prepared to install a few more. Other necessary traffic technology — like use of reflective mirrors and median strips — has been proposed.
“A major change in street furniture — like setting up of additional traffic signals — has brought down speeding on all roads leading to Garia. Now, instead of pedestrians, speeding and reckless driving are leading to accidents,” said a senior officer from the planning department.
The cops, however, are putting maximum focus on prosecutions. “There cannot be a better way of crackdown than prosecutions. That process is already underway. We hold naka checks each day. We have also formed special teams who will man the roads and take appropriate action against violators. But importantly, we are trying to set up strong evidence against the accused and trying to keep him in custody for a longer duration,” said an officer.
“There isn’t any one reason behind negligent driving, hence there is no one-fix solution. Road conditions, a sudden urge to speed, inadequate lighting and the rise in the number of pedestrians on the carriageway are all to blame,” said an officer from the fatal squad of traffic police.