Kolkata: A traffic timing and peak-hour vehicular movement analysis conducted by the Bidhannagar Police has shown significant improvement in vehicular flow and vehicular speed along the road to airport on VIP Road following a series of experimental changes in traffic arrangements, officials said on Thursday.The DCP (traffic), Meet Kumar, the changes were tested across both working days and holidays to assess consistency in results during a traffic survey over the past four weeks – between Feb 22 and March 18.“The revised plan involved shifting the signal-controlled right turn at Haldiram crossing to a free right turn for both directions in front of the Kaikhali sub-traffic guard office. Additionally, vehicles approaching from New Town were allowed a free left turn towards Teghoria, reducing stoppage time at the junction,” said a senior cop of Bidhannagar city police.Police said the impact assessment was carried out through multiple runs using non-police vehicles along the affected stretches to ensure real-world accuracy. “The study found that vehicles descending from the Baguiati flyover could reach Haldiram crossing in two minutes or less, while travel time from Kaikhali to the same point dropped to under one minute, with near-uninterrupted movement observed during the experimental phase,” said the officer.Cops said over the last one week, the Kaikhali–Haldiram stretch has shown remarkable visible decongestion following the changes. The findings were further corroborated by data from a third-party traffic analytics platform that uses Google Maps-based historical and live congestion inputs. On the Dum Dum Park to Haldiram stretch, peak-hour speeds increased by over 15 kmph — from an earlier 17–18 kmph to around 34–35 kmph after the new arrangement was introduced. Police said the corresponding delay on this route dropped sharply, bringing travel conditions close to free-flow levels.The Kaikhali to Haldiram segment recorded increase in peak-hour speed from around 12 kmph to over 25 kmph. Officials noted that this exceeds the typical free-flow benchmark for the stretch, indicating that congestion has been effectively eased.
