Three bikers skid on Kolkata’s rainbow flyover, raising road safety concerns

Kolkata’s “rainbow flyovers,” whose carriageways were painted in rainbow colours ahead of Durga Puja, sparked safety concerns after at least three motorcyclists were involved in accidents on the Chingrighata flyover on the EM Bypass, which connects Kolkata and Bidhannagar, on Tuesday afternoon.

A 10-second video clip, reportedly captured by a car’s dashboard camera, showed at least three motorcyclists skidding on the freshly painted carriageway of the flyover while it was drizzling. None was injured, police said.

This is the first Durga Puja since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in May this year with a sweeping victory. The new government has lined up a series of events to celebrate the festive season, including a grand ceremony in Kolkata on Mahalaya.

The carriageways of at least two flyovers, the Chingrighata flyover in east Kolkata and the Gariahat flyover in south Kolkata, as well as the iconic Red Road, were painted in rainbow colours. Alpona, a folk art comprising motifs and patterns, was also drawn at major intersections, including the five-point crossing at Park Circus.

“A video that surfaced showed three motorcyclists falling after their vehicles skidded on the Chingrighata flyover. It was raining at that time. Such accidents on rain-drenched roads have happened before. It is yet to be ascertained what caused the accidents,” said MK Sanjaykumar, deputy commissioner of police (traffic) in Bidhannagar city.

Some people had earlier raised concerns that painting roads and flyover carriageways could make the surfaces slippery after rain, causing vehicles to skid.

“It is deeply concerning to see my early-stage warning validated in such a dangerous manner this afternoon, given the clear safety hazards posed by reduced tyre grip on heavily painted road surfaces during wet weather conditions. Covering active vehicular roadways with decorative, non-standard paint drastically reduces the coefficient of friction. When exposed to rain, the painted asphalt turns dangerously slick, stripping two-wheelers and four-wheelers of essential road grip during braking and cornering,” said SM Ghosh, a Kolkata-based automobile expert.

West Bengal Congress general secretary Ashutosh Chatterjee also wrote to Agnimitra Paul, the state’s urban development minister, and Smita Pandey, commissioner of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, raising concerns over painting roads ahead of the festive season.

“We have already sent a team comprising the state’s director general of police, Kolkata Police commissioner, other officers from the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation and technical experts. They will check the roads and flyovers and give us a report. The roads and flyovers were painted as part of the festive celebrations. People loved it. It is also temporary,” Paul told HT.

The roads and carriageways were painted by various companies using corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds at the government’s request.