39-year-old Kolkata’s 1st cyclist to be booked for ‘drink-riding’ – Times of India

KOLKATA: A 39-year-old bicyclist became the first person in the city to be hauled up for failing in the breathalyzer test. He was detained by traffic police at Sovabazar crossing when he was cycling back to his Sinthee home on Thursday night.
The bicyclist was booked by Jorabagan Traffic Guard cops after a breathalyzer test. He was later handed over to Burtolla Police for necessary medical check-up. The detention comes barely a day after Kolkata Traffic Police announced it will subject cyclists to breathalyzer tests, a step that has not been probably taken anywhere in the country so far.
“It was around 10.30pm on Thursday when we came across this cyclist. He was initially bewildered by our action and kept asking why he was being taken to the police station. But we explained to him that rules will remain the same for anyone using the road. The Burtolla police drew up a petty case against him. In all, we checked 11 bicyclists across the Jorabagan Guard jurisdiction. All others appeared to be clean,” explained an officer from Jorabagan Traffic Guard.
Across other guards, around 50 bicyclists were made to take the breathalyzer test. “There are certain corridors used by cyclists, especially those cycling out of central Kolkata late in the night. We have identified those and similar checks will continue,” said an officer at Lalbazar. Three fatal accidents and 10 non-fatal accidents involving bicyclists in last 24 days have led Kolkata Traffic Police to implement this test even on non-mechanized two-wheeler riders.
“Carry the breathalyzer test for the cyclists too. Anyone found having consumed alcohol above the limit (30mg/100 ml) should be immediately handed over to local police so that they can prosecute such cyclists under IPC 290 or some other petty case. While Section 185 of the MV Act is not applicable in these cases, that doesn’t mean cyclists have a free pass to drink and cycle on roads and cause traffic nuisance,” the order stated.
The decision was taken after several rounds of consultation at the highest level of Lalbazar following analysis of CCTV footage that conclusively proved (and now shared by Kolkata Police) that several cyclists do not follow rules.