Kolkata, Oct 14 (PTI) Videos of motorbikes skidding on a newly painted road in Kolkata went viral on Wednesday, raising safety concerns among riders and environmentalists ahead of the Durga Puja festival.
Several roads in the city have recently received a fresh makeover, with the West Bengal government painting them in bright colours.
State Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul said the Gariahat flyover in south Kolkata, the Chingrighata flyover in the east, and a stretch of Red Road in the city centre had been painted in rainbow colours, “keeping safety guidelines in mind”.
“Alpana”, a traditional Bengali decorative art, has also been drawn near the Park Circus seven-point crossing and the Gariahat flyover to beautify the city and promote its heritage, Paul told reporters.
These paints will wear off in a few months, the minister said.
Dashcam videos showing bikers skidding on the rainbow-coloured road, which was wet due to rain, on the Chingrighata flyover went viral during day. PTI, however, could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
Environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh told PTI that any move to beautify the city was welcome, but such paints should not be allowed on motorable roads.
Ghosh said he had written to both Paul and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on the matter.
“I am worried; glossy oil paint on a motorable road is dangerous and should not be allowed. You can never paint the whole wheel-track area with ordinary house paint,” he told PTI.
“Painting can also conceal potholes, increasing the risk to road users,” he said, adding that peeling paint could soon leave the stretches looking unattractive rather than enhancing the city’s appearance.
Roads in the country are marked using paints in accordance with the Indian Roads Congress’s IRC:35-2015, the official Code of Practice for Road Markings (Second Revision), Ghosh said.
Glossy or oil paints should be avoided because they have very low skid resistance, the environmental expert said.
“Gloss forms a smooth film. When wet with water, oil or diesel, the coefficient of friction drops to a very low level. Two-wheelers and cars will skid,” he said.
The coefficient of friction on a road is the ratio of the frictional force resisting a vehicle’s tyre motion to the normal force pressing the tyre against the pavement.
Ghosh said road-marking materials were better substitutes for conventional oil paints because of their technical superiority, longer life and reflective properties.
Specific thermoplastic materials, rather than oil paint, are recommended for road markings on national highways and major roads, he said.
The minister rejected suggestions that the initiative was linked to the LGBTQ+ community or any particular social group.
“These rainbow colours have not been used on Kolkata’s roads with any particular community in mind. We have undertaken this initiative to highlight the city’s heritage, harmony and spirit of togetherness,” she said.
The minister said the work had not been funded with taxpayers’ money and had been carried out with support from firms using their corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds.
Environmental and social activist Naba Dutta wondered whether the purpose of painting roads in bright colours had been adequately explained and whether the initiative had sufficiently considered its impact on road users. PTI SUS NN
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