Battery-operated three-wheelers, like totos and e-rickshaws, have been banned on the Major Arterial Road (MAR) in New Town.
The 10.5km-long, six-lane artery with service lanes on both flanks that connects New Town with Salt Lake and Sector V on one end and VIP Road on the other, has a high traffic load which travels significantly fast. Vehicles can ply legally up to a speed of 60km per hour along the MAR.
Posters have come up across the length of the MAR announcing that totos, e-rickshaws and engine vans would not be allowed on Biswa Bangla Sarani and Hidco Road (MAR extensions). “This is an existing rule which we are raising awareness about as the old signages have got damaged or got torn. We have put up about 40-50 posters,” said a traffic police officer.
Police sources say the toto drivers are aware of the rule but choose to ignore it. “Sometimes, we detain a few of them and then they are careful for a while, before they gather the courage to flout the rule again. This time we have decided to enforce the rule strictly,” the officer added.
Totos are not licensed but according to a rough estimate, around 1,000-1,200 totos ply in New Town. There are toto stands near Eden Shop, at the New Town Bus Stand, at DLF 1, at the Street 102 corner in AE Block and in front of NBCC Vibgyor Tower in CE Block — in Action Area 1 alone. The number is higher in Gauranganagar, adjacent to Bagjola Canal, where e-rickshaws also ply.
“These are slow-moving vehicles, which are not allowed to ply along the main road. They slow down the traffic. And we have to consider their safety features also,” said a senior officer of the traffic wing of the Bidhannagar Commissionerate. “They can ply in the lanes inside the blocks,” he added.
Totos would be allowed to use the crossroads to move from one side of the MAR to the other, he clarified, but they have to maintain a maximum speed limit of 25km per hour.
Goutam Mitra, former secretary, New Town Millennium Tower Residents Welfare Association, said he used totos earlier to reach the New Town community market across the MAR. “But now with the pedestrian underpass newly fitted with an escalator available for use right at our main gate, it is more convenient to cross over on foot,” said the resident of the housing complex, which is right on the MAR.
Srestha Talukdar, a student of DPS Newtown who stays in AB Block, said the enforcement of the rule would not affect her much as long as auto-rickshaws and public buses continued to ply along the MAR. “Totos are not always available in my area, and even when they are, they often refuse rides because they follow fixed routes. Of late, though, we are using Uber Totos, which is a more flexible alternative. So while the move might be well-intentioned, it’s important that authorities ensure proper alternatives before implementing the decision,” she said.
The toto drivers promise to staying off the MAR. “Yes, we know about the rule that totos can’t take the main road. We follow fixed routes within New Town itself. We don’t go beyond that. Most of our passengers are local residents, so it doesn’t really affect our daily work,” said Jayanta Mondal, who operates from the Rohra Heights Toto Stand.
The Bidhannagar traffic police are disciplining mechanised three-wheelers after an elderly lady in BL Block in Salt Lake was hit by an e-rickshaw on May 1 and succumbed to her injuries later. An upper speed limit of 25km per hour has been set on e-rickshaws across the commissionerate area since then. Both e-rickshaws and totos can reach speeds of 35-45km per hour speeds but their brakes and other safety gear are not foolproof.
Additional reporting by Srijita Talukdar