Hundreds of daily commuters have been deprived of the convenience of quick travel after entry on the Parama flyover from Park Circus was barred recently.

A chain of roads running parallel to Syed Amir Ali Avenue and converging on the No. 4 bridge could have compensated for this if only the arteries were rid of illegal parking. The less taken route is not only an alternative to the more popular but snarl-prone Syed Amir Ali Avenue and the Park Circus seven-point crossing but also shorter by nearly a kilometre.

But cars, autorickshaws and vans parked on either side make this alternative route narrower, prompting many commuters to take Syed Amir Ali Avenue, where they get stuck in a worse logjam.

The change in traffic circulation on the Parama flyover has therefore brought frustration to many more commuters than it has brought cheers. Reaching Park Circus from the Bypass now takes 15 to 20 minutes on an average, but there is no guarantee that you won't be greeted by a logjam at the end of the elevated route. For those headed for the Bypass from Park Circus, the journey is agonising.

The route less taken could have eased traffic pressure on the Park Circus seven-point crossing by diverting a chunk of Bypass-bound traffic through it. But despite this option being available, police have done little to prevent illegal parking and help commuters avail themselves of an easier route .

Metro travelled through the chain of roads on this route to find out how a little planning by police could have helped commuters skip the entire choked stretch from Ballygunge Phari to the seven-point crossing.

BROAD STREET 

This is the first road on the route. A commuter trying to avoid Syed Amir Ali Avenue and the Park Circus seven-point crossing would take Broad Street from Ballygunge Phari. But cars are parked even on the pavements along some stretches, forcing pedestrians to walk on the road and slowing down traffic. Construction materials stacked along the road further reduce the width of the carriageway.

 “Since the Parama flyover was closed to traffic from Park Circus, I have been taking the roads parallel to Syed Amir Ali Avenue. I thought there would be fewer snarls, but this route is often as bad as Syed Amir Ali Avenue, if not worse,” said a bank employee whose office is in Sealdah.

RIFLE RANGE ROAD 

It is hard to say whether this is a road or a parking bay. On the pavements and on two sides of the roads there are cars, autos and vans parked. Crossing a 100-metre stretch can take up to three or four minutes because cars crawl on this road. 

Kaushik Basu, a schoolteacher, said there are no policemen on the entire road. “Cages with chickens inside them are placed on the pavement along the road. Pedestrians are forced to walk on the road. Cars crawl on this road. But I have never seen police trying to bring any order in this place,” he said. 

In front of Ustad Vilayat Khan Uddyan, there are vans parked on the road. Just ahead of them there are autorickhaws parked. To add to the woes, the autorickshaw suddenly stop to pick up or drop a passenger.

SHAMSUL HUDA ROAD 

This is the road that runs on the southern side of Quest Mall. Many commuters take the road that merges into Rifle Range Road. Rajib Pal, who works with a consultancy behemoth in New Town, has to drive through the maze of parked cars, jaywalkers and vendors every morning. 

“It takes me about 12 to 15 minutes to reach No. 4 bridge going through Shamsul Huda Road,” said Pal, who drops his daughter at Modern High School for Girls and takes the road to hit Park Circus-EM Bypass connector. 

A car can never pick speed above 10km/hr on the road.

BIRESH GUHA STREET 

The last road on the route. It starts where Rifle Range Road ends and extends to the number 4 bridge. There are a number of hospitals along this road. Ambulances are parked on the road. Besides some roadside garages are also located here. Vehicles are parked on the road waiting for their turn to be repaired. 

A traffic sergeant said that many of the cars parked on the road are owned by local residents. “The residents do not have any parking garage, so they park the cars on the road. We often fine them but the Rs 100 fine amount is too little to act as a deterrent,” said the sergeant.

Policespeak: V. Solomon Nesakumar, the deputy commissioner of police (traffic), said the police planned to “popularise” these roads. “We are trying to do that but it will take some time,” he said.