Buses will have to move through lanes that will be demarcated near bus stops on stretches of Diamond Harbour Road in Behala, police said.
To begin with, 100m-long lanes will be demarcated in front of the bus stops at Pathakpara and Ashoka cinema, and the No.14 bus stand.
Buses will have to move through the lanes on these stretches, leaving the rest of the road space for other vehicles.
“Any deviation will invite a penalty,” said a police officer.
The move to demarcate lanes for buses comes within three days of a goods vehicle mowing down a couple from Bishnupur in South 24-Parganas on Diamond Harbour Road, near the Pathakpara bus stop.
Fazlur Rahman Sardar and wife Razia Sultana were riding a scooter towards Taratala from Behala on Thursday morning when a goods vehicle hit the two-wheeler from behind and subsequently drove over the two as they lay on the road.
On Monday, a team of senior officers inspected the accident site and stretches adjoining it and drew up a plan to enforce lane driving for buses.
“The challenge on Diamond Harbour Road is mixed traffic. We face the same problem on several other thoroughfares in the city such as Central Avenue and AJC Bose Road. The road space is comparatively less here because of the heavy presence of hawkers on either side,” said a senior police officer.
“We want to segregate buses, particularly near bus stops, by forcing them into a demarcated zone on the left side of the road. This will ensure clear passage for other vehicles and offer a clear view of the road ahead,” the officer said.
Diamond Harbour Road in Behala is one of the most congested stretches in the city. The viaduct of the Joka-Taratala Metro runs atop the median divider.
A market opposite the Behala tram depot and a Kali temple near the Behala market draw hundreds of people every day, who cross the thoroughfare on foot.
Hawkers and auto stands on either side of the road eat up a portion of the road space, forcing vehicles to move in a haphazard way.
“After bus lanes are demarcated on Diamond Harbour Road in Behala, stretches of the road towards Thakurpukur will be taken up in a week or so,” said an officer.
“Most buses tend to stop in the middle of the road to pick up passengers, forcing vehicles behind to suddenly slow down. The practice of stopping at designated bus stops is almost gone,” said Alokananda Ghosh, a resident of Nafar Das Road in Behala.
Found dead
A Bangladeshi national, whom police identified as Mojir Mia, 41, was found dead at a hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street on Monday. Mojir was suffering from chronic liver disease, cops have learnt.
