Citizens flout boom barrier rule

KOLKATA: The four pairs of

boom barriers

finally made their much-awaited debut at

Exide

crossing on Thursday. But at least 22-odd traffic constables, homeguards and volunteers spent the entire day pleading and stooping to pedestrians to keep them rule-bound.

“I will plead before the a officer to send me to another place from tomorrow. It is impossible to manage these people, who simply don’t listen to us. We even pleaded to some of them with folded hands but they kept on with the violations,” said a homeguard.

Installed over a month ago, police said the four pairs of boom barriers were kept off service as

KMC

worked on plugging the gaps between the guardrails of the footpath to ensure people didn’t come on the road when the barrier would drop down. However, months of plugging the gaps and roping 9 volunteers from Exide showed little change on Wednesday as the barriers began its operation.

“Nothing changes in a day. The city is not habituated to this form of pedestrian regulation. Even if some people oblige, we will consider it as a job well done. With time, people will get habituated to stand behind the barriers and wait till the arm gets lifted,” said a senior officer at Lalbazar.

Though the violators outnumbered those who obeyed the new traffic regulations, some felt this initiative would go a long way in reducing accidents. “I have seen pedestrians hit by buses and cars in a bid to cross the road in a hurry. The boom barriers can certainly control jaywalking and save lives. I am going to abide by it,” said Arup Dutta of Lake Gardens.

Even as the likes of Dutta were patient enough to wait for the barrier to open before crossing the road, there were many who simply ducked underneath and continued to cross the road in a hurry.

“Why will I wait when I can see several others ducking under the bar?” said a youth in his 20s, who ducked and even caught up an argument with a female constable for stopping him.

With most buses and cars also sticking to their age-old habit of blocking the zebra crossing policemen were posted beyond the crossing to ensure vehicles stopped after the stop line.