KOLKATA: The Kolkata traffic police has been focusing on two-wheelers during the Road Safety Week. East, Beliaghata and Jorabagan traffic guards offered crash course to courier and food delivery boys on how to ride safe at odd hours when they tend to speed on empty roads. Some of the delivery staff who have warehouses in Dhapa were even taken to various accident prone zones on EM Bypass and explained why speeding and lane jumping can prove fatal.
The Beliaghata traffic guard said its course included an interaction with delivery agents. “We know that they race against time. They work under tight deadlines and often end up flouting norms. However, we shared with them incidents and related photographs that showed how a small mistake can cost them their lives,” said an officer.
At the East traffic guard, the onus was on safe lane riding. All these bikers were asked to take up a lane riding challenge and those successfully completing were handed a token of appreciation. Many two-wheeler riders travelling through the Park Circus seven-point crossing in south Kolkata on Friday were stopped and asked to drive through an 80-metre-long and eight-inch-wide lane as part of a small test. “Almost 40% of all accidents involving bikers take place due to illegal lane jumping. The delivery boys are sometimes forced to take risks. We tried telling them that taking risks were not worth it,” explained an officer.
Several other neighbouring guards, like south and south east, have pledged to run such awareness classes at least once a week. “We know that they work under a tight deadline. But that cannot be an excuse to break rules and put their lives at risk,” said an officer from Lalbazar.
Several traffic guards in areas with restaurants have decided to write to companies asking them to consider the actual road condition before setting deadlines to its delivery boys. “Suppose there is more fog at night, the speed at that time cannot be same as that of a clear night,” explained an officer.
The Jorabagan traffic guard, which too, held a Safe Drive Save Life campaign got minister Sashi Panja and actor Paoli Dam to stress on how two-wheeler accidents have claimed over a thousand lives in the city. Joint CP (traffic) Santosh Pandey was also present.
