Kolkata: Drivers keep ignoring bus-bay rule

Kolkata: Two months after traffic cops started enforcing the bus-bay rules and penalizing the vehicles breaking the rules, the buses are back to violating the norms.
At major crossings like Ruby More, Ultadanga, CR Avenue and Jawaharlal Nehru Road, buses have been blatantly ignoring the designated bays. Instead of slowing down and getting into the single-lane demarcated space, they stop further away or in the middle of the road to pick up passengers.



According to traffic rules, all buses must compulsorily take the designated lane. There should be demarcated areas on all major thoroughfares for the buses to travel through. Under guidelines set by the Supreme Court, it is mandatory for buses to ply on the left most flank and if they cross over to another lane, they can be fined.

At Ruby crossing, when buses turn left towards Science City from the Kasba Connector, they ignore the bus bay and speed ahead. At Gariahat crossing, the bus bay has turned into an auto stand, giving bus drivers an excuse to ignore the rules. At the Ultadanga crossing, buses race with each other. Entering abus bay would mean slowing down and allowing a competing vehicle to pick up all the passengers.

“Entering the bus bay slows down the vehicle and it means we cannot exit the bay till the vehicle ahead of us does so. With several buses on one route, we are bound to lose out on passengers this way,” said a member of the West Bengal Bus Owners’ Welfare Association.

“Bus bays have been demarcated using guard rails and orange markers, but are hardly used. The vehicles avoid the bus bay and create a bottleneck at the crossing. This poses a risk for commuters ,” said Pinakesh Mitra, who regularly travels by bus.

In January, traffic police cops decided to demarcate bus bays on key stretches like Park street, Diamond Harbour Road, Kidderpore Road and Jadavpur. Special teams started enforcing the rule and repeat offenders stood the chance of temporarily losing their licence.

At present, traffic constables and home guard personnel divert buses into the designated lane. Traffic sergeants also penalize buses that do not take the bay. But cops admit it is impossible to monitor the movement of buses at every crossing and deploy personnel individually.

“It is a collective responsibility of the police, citizens, and bus drivers and owners. If passengers decide to board the bus only at the designated stop, the bus drivers will be forced to follow the rules. In the coming days, we will be stricter in enforcing the busbay rule,” said the officer in charge of a traffic guard in south Kolkata.

Timesview