Bengaluru: Planners planning to give BMTC buses a dedicated lane

BENGALURU: The city's planners are making an attempt to prioritise public transport and also bring about a semblance of lane discipline on Bengaluru's chaotic roads. After trying and failing to enforce autorickshaw lanes, they are now planning to give BMTC buses a dedicated lane.
The Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) will pilot a BMTC bus lane on the Old Airport Road, starting from Trinity Circle to Hope Farm junction in the IT hub of Whitefield. This is in response to the BMTC seeking dedicated lanes for its buses on 12 roads.

Dedicated lanes for cycles and auto rickshaws mysteriously disappeared, the latter especially as it made grand promises of streamlining traffic movement in the city. "This is to promote and prioritise public transport," DULT Commissioner V Manjula said. "People think that if they take public transport, they reach their destinations late. As a result, they take out their own vehicles leading to gridlocks. Dedicated bus lanes, we hope, will reduce travel time in public transport."

Authorities believe the bus lanes should work as they can be implemented easily , unlike lanes for cycles and autos.

BMTC Chief Traffic Manager (Operations) Renukeshwar BC pointed out that BMTC lanes will be enforced only during peak hours. "Our buses will ply on dedicated lanes from 7.30am to 11am and 4pm to 9.30pm. Auto lanes failed because they were open all through the day," he said, adding that the decision to enforce this in a staggered manner was based on a detailed survey .

According to Renukeshwar, the 15km stretch from Trinity Circle to Hope Farm junction sees a bus added every minute during peak hours.

BMTC's own Sarathi patrol squad will ensure that BMTC drivers stick to their lane in the pilot.

The pilot project, if successful, will be extended to Old Madras Road, Hosur Road, Ballari Road and Bannerghatta Road. "These major roads are suitable for bus-priority lanes due to the frequency of public transportation," said RK Misra, an urban expert who was involved in planning the BMTC lane project.

With a fleet of 6,399 buses, the BMTC serves over 50 lakh commuters daily. "This is half the city's population, whereas the rest travel in over 50 lakh vehicles. Giving priority for public buses is worth trying," urban evangelist V Ravichandar said. "The challenge, however, is to make BMTC drivers stick to the lane."