Encroachment by hawkers, lack of proper bus stops, unruly traffic and poor condition of roads make the Shyambazar five-point crossing a nightmare for pedestrians and motorists. Metro checks out the problem points:

Market mess

Both footpaths of APC Road, Bidhan Sarani, Bhupen Bose Avenue, BT Road and RG Kar Road, which meet at the crossing, have been taken over by hawkers, forcing pedestrians to walk down the carriageway. The situation worsens during shopping seasons, especially Poila Baisakh and Puja.

A traffic police officer blamed the hawkers and the growing vehicle count for the traffic chaos at the key crossing. “There isn’t much we can do to make people use the footpaths when more than half their breadth is occupied by hawkers,” he said.

The illegal extension of Shyambazar market on one of the footpaths along RG Kar Road poses serious problems for pedestrians and those waiting for buses. Vendors squat on both sides of the pavement while their customers occupy the space in between.

“With so many people walking along the carriageway, one can’t always blame drivers for breaking rules,” said Samrat Dutta, a 26-year-old MBA student.

Showpiece bays, bus stops

Buses flout the rules most often. With no designated bus stops on the five roads that meet at the crossing, the drivers pick up passengers wherever they please, sometimes in the middle of the road. “Private buses are always weaving in and out of the bus bays through gaps in the guard rails. It’s a wonder why there aren’t more accidents here,” said 70-year-old Animesh Basak.

Roads in a shambles

Long stretches of APC Road are almost inaccessible because of the re-laying of tram tracks. As a result, snarls are common.

“One has to stop at the traffic lights at least thrice from Khanna cinema to Shyambazar. Many vehicles avoid the road nowadays,” said 40-year-old Paresh Haldar, who drives buses on route 201, told Metro.

Bagbazar Street, which runs parallel to Bhupen Bose Avenue, has been dug up for re-laying of cables and pipes. It has been off limits to vehicular traffic for months now, contributing to congestion at the five-point crossing. The tram tracks on RG Kar Road have made the thoroughfare uneven.

Mixed signals

Traffic lights for pedestrians at the crossing either do not work or are ill-managed.

“The traffic volume is very high. Pedestrians hardly ever get a chance to cross the road,” said college student Jasvinder Kaur.

Pedestrian indifference

“More often than not, pedestrians are responsible for the chaos,” said a constable of the Shyambazar Traffic Guard, pointing to people crossing the road, away from Zebra crossings, while vehicles were in motion.

Official version

Policemen at Shyambazar Traffic Guard blamed a manpower crunch for not being able to handle large volumes of traffic and not doing enough to book errant vehicles.

“We cannot do much more under the current circumstances. This is one the most difficult crossings to manage in the city,” said an officer of the traffic guard.

Citu’s hawker wings and local political leaders have traditionally opposed any attempt to shift hawkers from Shyambazar to “any place where they would not find suitable clientele”.

— Meghdeep Bhattacharyya