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 on how fit they are for lane driving.
Some managed to ride without veering out of the lane, while others found it difficult to stay inside.
The initiative, which began on Tuesday, is part of the ongoing traffic awareness week by Kolkata police.
The police said they were conducting the test to make motorists aware of how important it was to move in a single lane.
Soumen Sarkar, a resident of Jadavpur who rides to his Park Street office daily, said he was “pleasantly surprised” when a cop approached him and requested him to spare a few minutes for the test.
“I have a Royal Enfield. I could not ride the entire stretch staying inside the lane. But it was a very different experience. It made me realise how important it is to at least try to ride in a straight line,” Sarkar told The Telegraph.
Another motorist, Kamal Pandit, a resident of North 24-Parganas, said he did not mind spending five minutes on the road doing this activity while returning home from his Park Circus office. Pandit cleared the test.
According to Lalbazar records, a large number of road accidents that are reported from across the city involve two-wheelers.
“If motorists start practising lane driving, speeding and overtaking can be averted,” said an officer of the East traffic guard, which looks after the area where the test was conducted.
As part of the traffic awareness week, the police also tried to address the problem of riding without helmets, especially in areas surrounding Park Circus.
The stretch along Syed Amir Ali Avenue and Jhowtala Road near Quest Mall — where multiple traffic violations are reported daily, particularly by two-wheelers — was divided into zones. Helmet cut-outs were placed there for taking selfies by motorists who were not wearing helmets.
The violators were also made to write a pledge on a white board that they would not ride a two-wheeler without wearing a helmet.
Around 40 motorists were prosecuted near Quest Mall for not wearing helmets on Thursday and Friday.
Man arrested for 'abetting' suicide of 15-year-old girl
A 30-year-old man was arrested on Friday for allegedly abetting the suicide of a 15-year-old girl.
She was found hanging at her home on Motilal Nehru Road in south Kolkata on Thursday.
He was arrested based on her parents’ complaint.
