Airport lane tweaks fail to solve rush-hour problems on first day
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Kolkata: Bidhannagar Police on Monday introduced a slew of measures to reduce congestion and improve vehicle movement outside the terminal building at the Kolkata airport. While it seemed effective in the morning and the afternoon, officers were sent scurrying back to the drawing board to finetune the measures further after traffic snarls resurfaced during the evening rush hour.
Among the measures that were rolled out on Monday was a new lane demarcation system outside the terminal. Traffic cones and flexible posts with reflective strips were installed along the driveway, covering exit gates 1A/B and 2A/B.
"We started installing the traffic cones from Friday and from this week, the total lane demarcation system is up and running. We are, however, open for feedback from passengers to improve it further," said a senior officer of the Bidhannagar commissionerate.
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On Monday morning, TOI found cars negotiating the marked lanes as security personnel and traffic police monitored the situation. Cops said more signboards indicating "pick-up" points would be positioned ahead of the entry points, as the posts create a physical barrier to stop vehicles from cutting across lanes.
However, the problems resurfaced in the evening when traffic count shot up. Of the key reasons why the system hit a bump was VIP vehicles that blocked the lane next to the terminal building and led to a snarl.
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"When I first came out of the airport, the sight of the lane markers gave a sense of order and discipline that was missing outside the terminal building for years. But soon faults began to appear. As I stood outside gate 2A/B waiting for my driver to pick me up, he said he was stuck behind a queue of vehicles in the first lane and was unable to move out of the queue," said Goutam Chatterjee, a resident of Lake Gardens while waiting for his car.
The system currently has three lanes: two single-file lanes and one double-width lane. A traffic police officer stationed at the airport said they were advising drivers headed for gates 3A/B to use the double lane to avoid blockage in the single lanes. Officers are also requesting VIP vehicle users to avoid parking in the lane closest to the terminal. "These are early days. We expect the system to function better once additional signage is in place," the officer said.
The move had come after Bidhannagar police and Kolkata airport authorities had a meeting earlier this month to embark on a set of joint initiatives eliminate the chaos, clear the logjam, streamline traffic movement, and improve the first impression of travellers landing in the city. Among the measures decided were reopening the 2A/B exit gate.
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