The number of traffic rule violations in the city dropped considerably on the first day of the year compared with New Year’s Eve. But the number of violations on January 1, 2024, surpassed the violations reported on January 1, 2023.
The number of reported traffic rule violations dropped from 1,570 on Sunday to 823 on Monday.
Police said the number of violations involving two-wheelers decreased and there were fewer cases of drink driving.
“There was strict prosecution on New Year’s Eve. Maybe that’s the reason motorists were more cautious the next day,” said an officer of the traffic department.
The number of reported violations involving two-wheelers dropped from 773 on New Year’s Eve to 461 on January 1.
The number of reported cases of drink driving also decreased from 287 on Sunday to 146 on Monday.
Many Kolkatans who ventured out on Monday said there were fewer vehicles on the road.
“There were a lot of cops on the roads. But if we compare Monday night’s crowd on Park Street with that on Sunday, the drop was visible,” said Ankita Ray, a resident of Survey Park who went to Park Street on both Sunday and Monday.
Another family from Jadavpur who went out to dine on Monday said they had to hop around four locations to find a table for five but the roads were “relatively empty” after 11pm.
“We went to a dhaba on Ballygunge Circular Road around 11pm, only to see a huge queue outside. Next, we tried our luck on Sarat Bose Road, but saw almost a similar sight. The restaurant we tried on Park Street was about to close by then. We finally went to a place near Park Circus where we waited for 20 minutes to get entry. But as we criss-crossed the city on Monday night, we saw very few cars,” said the Jadavpur resident.
Cops holding breathalysers were spotted at various locations but there were fewer motorists to test compared with New Year’s Eve.
Compared with this year, the number of traffic violations and prosecutions on January 1 last year was even fewer.
Last year, 346 traffic rule violations were reported in the city on January 1, compared with 823 the same day this year.
Around 101 motorists were prosecuted for drink driving last year on January 1. This January 1, the number reached 146, an increase by almost 50 per cent.
