Kolkata :

Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, which was one of several roads that became one-way after traffic direction was realigned in the 1990s to decongest major streets in the city, has been reverted to a two-way street following concretization of tram tracks.

The new traffic alignment will enable both south and north-bound traffic between Park Street and Bowbazar intersection to flow unhindered along Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road and Nirmal Chandra Street.

Actually, north-bound traffic can now flow from Park Street to Shyambazar while south-bound traffic will have to continue making the detour between Vivekananda Road and Bowbazar via Ahmerst Street.

Kolkata traffic police officers said that the new rule, which begun on Friday, was part of a “long-term experiment”.

“We are studying the results. We will wait for Monday to study the full impact. We will then take an informed decision on whether to allow parking on this road or whether to restrict it,” said DC-Traffic V Solomon Nisha Kumar.

Sources said that the South traffic guard had no reservations on two-way traffic on the road even if trams were re-introduced between Bata and Wellington.

“But we have to wait to study the impact and speak to Calcutta Tramways Company about it,” said a source. Kumar though insisted that traffic between SN Banerjee crossing and Lenin Sarani crossing will have to continue to take a detour.

Though the new alignment came into effect from Friday, north-bound vehicles were seen attempting to venture into the road between 8am and 1pm as Kolkata Police did not launch any drive to make commuters aware of the changes. Similarly, south-bound vehicles continued to avoid this stretch between 1pm and 10pm despite signs that mentioned that the road had been thrown open to two-way traffic.

Before Friday, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road and Mirza Ghalib Street (Free School Street) used to change directions alternately. When the former road was open to south-bound traffic, the latter carried north-bound vehicles.

While Mirza Ghalib Street remains a one-way road, traffic constables posted on the Park Street end and on Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road felt traffic will become two-way only after the traffic signals were suitably changed.

For motorists, making the road two-way will be a boon as frequent disruptions on SN Banerjee Road owing to political demonstrations will enable them to look for other alternatives. However, unless parking is banned along both kerbs on Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, the traffic will get impeded once trams resume service along the stretch. CTC managing director Nilanjan Shandilya has already indicated that trams would resume plying on the stretch sometime during November-December.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / TNN / November 09th, 2014