Kolkata: Kolkata Traffic Police has decided to use cutting-edge technology to put a brake on speeding on flyovers and bridges that have witnessed several accidents this year. Police has either installed latest cameras or deployed part-time speed-reading cameras and laser speed guns at multiple such bridges.
Howrah bridge has became the latest to get a speed-camera signage — on the Howrah station-bound flank end. This is a spot where, cops claimed through data, that buses trying to complete their trips on time often overspeed. Such a facility is already existing on Maa flyover and AJC Bose flyover.
“The aim is to stop buses and private cars from suddenly speeding towards the down slope. If this happens, chances of accidents always tend to be higher. In the past one month, we saw such accidents on Vidyasagar Setu where trucks ended up hitting two-wheelers. On Durgapur bridge, a private car hit a bicyclist and on Brabourne Road flyover, a bus ran over a man. We have drawn a conclusion from experience that vehicles remain alert when such boards are set up to record speed. There is a fear that they might get prosecuted if they overspeed,” said an officer.
DC (Traffic) Arijit Sinha said there was a dynamic process of choosing the spot to set up cameras. “Our priority areas get changed according to ground realities and our internal surveys. As of now, we are keen on cutting down road accidents on flyovers. Recording the speed of vehicles, especially on bridges, is important,” said DC Sinha.
Motorists, however, wondered if these speed signage were “overdoing” things. “Even when driving around 40km/hr, these are sending out alert signage,” wondered one motorist.
Cops said they had identified the spots from where bikes get “unrestricted access to flyovers without any checks”. “We have informed Lalbazar that we need access control at these points. We want strict access control on Garden Reach and Lake flyovers,” said an officer.
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Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/tech-brakes-on-speeding-on-kolkata-flyovers/articleshow/85080693.cms