Residents living along Old Airport Road, one of the busiest roads in the city, are unlikely to get a respite from traffic soon.
A project, which could have brought some relief by restricting buses to special priority lanes, has been caught in red tape between the various agencies involved. The pilot project for a bus priority lane, seen as an alternative to a Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) setup, has been on the cards since 2011. However, the pilot failed to take off this June as planned.
As part of the project, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) had submitted a list of bus shelters that will have to be built to replace bus stops so that two or three buses could stop simultaneously without adding to road congestion. However, the BBMP which is responsible for building the shelters says it has received no such request. “Neither the BMTC nor the Department of Urban Land Transport (DULT) has asked us for infrastructure. If they request it, we will provide it,” said BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad.
However, sources in the DULT said that the matter had been discussed at least twice in meetings chaired by the Additional Chief Secretary this February in which the BBMP had been asked to assist with the lane markings as well as the building of shelters.
BMTC officials say that the project deserves an earnest attempt. “We are ready with our plans which include how to handle traffic. Fast public transport is the only way to get more people to use buses,” said Ekroop Caur, Managing Director, BMTC.
