Only 15 on Kolkata cops' new list can now breeze through traffic

KOLKATA: The Kolkata Police has come up with a list of 15 dignitaries, who will be allowed right of way on city roads, in an attempt to minimise arbitrary traffic disruptions for everyone else.
The list currently comprises constitutional posts (the governor, chief minister, Calcutta High Court chief justice, the speaker of the state assembly, the leader of the opposition, the city mayor); senior bureaucrats (including the chief secretary, the home secretary, the personal secretary to the CM); four senior police officers; and an MP.

A police source said the list was likely to be pruned, in deference to the wishes of some dignitaries who said they wanted to travel "like a common man".
Senior police officers said the formalising of such a list would ensure a green channel for these - and only these - VIPs. This, they said, would spare the city frequent traffic hold-ups because of arbitrary decisions by various traffic guards on who should get VIP treatment, in the absence of a formal list.

This arbitrary list often included ministers, MLAs, mayoral council members, senior police officers and other persons who wield local influence.
‘It will take some time for cops to implement order’
Senior officers said the traffic police had been asked to strictly adhere to the newly drawn-up list of 15 VIPs while extending the privilege of right of passage. There can, of course, be exceptions — such as during out-of-state VIP visits — but those would require the sanction of the local or central police control room.
A police officer said it would “take some time” for cops on the streets to implement the order, just like whenrestrictions were placed against the arbitrary use of beacons on cars.
While traffic cops turn road stretches into green corridors by synchronizing automated traffic lights, when the identified VIPs will now travel, cops will manually turn the lights green at the intersections they pass, in order they do not have to wait.
Cops now also use manual signalling when dealing with an event that could disturb normal traffic flow, such as end-of-school hours, when there is a sudden surge in traffic on some roads, and during political rallies. Sources said that the Kolkata traffic police have completed automation andsynchronisation of traffic lights in more than 90% of the city’s major roads, including C R Avenue, J L Nehru Road, Ashutosh Mukherjee Road, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Road and the EM Bypass. Work has also beencompleted on stretches covering the Park Circus SevenPoint crossing, Syed Amir Ali Avenue, Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue and Gariahat Road South, right up to the Jadavpur Police Station crossing, in addition to Sarat Bose Road, from the Minto Park to the Southern Avenue crossing.
Police said automatic signalling and synchronization has been devised keeping in mind the average speed of traffic, traffic volume and signal cycle timings. Even though wait time at major crossings would not change much, motorists might have to stop less frequently at nonimportant crossings, saving time during peak hours.