Dynamic lane demarcators, rule tweak to ease airport congestion
Times of India | 13 August 2025
Kolkata: From upgrading to dynamic lane demarcators to deploying dedicated lane managers and installing signage guiding vehicles to use the lanes, to banning illegal parking of VIP vehicles, Bidhannagar Police are implementing a slew of changes in the newly installed lane demarcators outside the Kolkata airport to improve lane use and reduce congestion near the terminal building.
TOI reported on Tuesday about how Bidhannagar Police installed lane demarcators using traffic cones and posts to alleviate congestion and improve vehicle movement outside the terminal building at the Kolkata airport. On Monday, while the system seemed effective in the morning and afternoon, officers were sent back to the drawing board to fine-tune the measures further after traffic snarls resurfaced during the evening rush hour.
"We believe these are teething troubles that surface with the introduction of any new system. However, we are trying to improvise it to ensure we can cut down on traffic congestion as per the plan. We are bringing in small changes from Tuesday itself and have started keeping a note of the exact problems that passengers are facing during different times of the day and will bring in some large-scale changes if needed from this weekend," said a senior officer of Bidhannagar City Police.
| Gold Rates Today in Kolkata | Silver Rates Today in KolkataThe system currently has three lanes: two single-file lanes and one double-width lane. On Tuesday, TOI found civic volunteers posted at the mouth of the lanes guiding private, commercial, and app cabs to different lanes. Cops stationed outside the airport were also seen asking drivers not to block the lanes while delaying picking up passengers.
"We have also made the traffic lane demarcators flexible and are thus in the process of removing them as needed to create gaps through which cars that get stuck in queues and snarls in one lane can shift to another," said an officer.
Cops said they are also advising drivers headed for gates 3A/B to use the double lane to avoid blockages in the single lanes.
A senior officer of the commissionerate said they are also not allowing the parking of VIP vehicles that were seen blocking the first channel closest to the airport, leading to a snarl on Monday. "We are pushing all the VIP vehicles towards gates 4A/B. There are some vehicles that are unwilling to drive that far. We are not allowing them inside the demarcated channels until the passengers have arrived and leave the channels quickly after picking up the VIP," said the officer.
Cops said they are also speaking to airport authorities to install more signage inside the airport urging passengers to use gate 2A/B while exiting the airport. "The gate has recently been opened after 5 years and hence not many passengers are aware of it. If more passengers come out of gate 2A/B, it will definitely reduce congestion on the road outside," said the officer.
Cops said they have also urged the airport authorities to speed up the collection of trolleys left behind by the passengers from the road outside the terminal. "These trolleys are blocking the lanes and are further slowing down traffic," the officer added.
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