BENGALURU: It was 9.30am on Monday. The road in front of Byappanahalli Metro Station was jam-packed. Hoping the bus-priority lane would offer some breather, this reporter and a photographer boarded a BMTC

that was headed towards Central Silk Board.

Monday was the fourth day since the government inaugurated the 20km-long dedicated bus lane along Outer Ring Road (

). It, however, was the first day when the exclusive lane was actually facing the traffic test. The launch had happened on a public holiday, followed by weekend.

As the bus lane — extending from Byappanahalli and passing via KR Puram up to Silk Board — cuts through the tech corridor, most of the passengers on board were techies working with various multi-national companies dotting the stretch.

However, for all those who thought the bus would zoom through the lane, the first hurdle came soon after the trip began. Many two-wheelers had already spilled on to the dedicated lane, thereby slowing down the bus. Every time the driver tried to accelerate, private vehicles came in the way. The yellow line, marked to bifurcate the priority lane, hardly served the purpose.

After KR Puram, the driver tried to pick up speed, considering traffic was thin. But he had to suddenly apply the brakes, thanks to a Bounce bike dumped by the roadside. Few kilometres on, we spotted a Vogo bike on the same lane. The ‘Only Bus’ markers painted in bright red seemed to make little difference as private vehicles indiscriminately entered the lane. Next came a mini-truck parked bang in the middle of the lane. In fact, along the 20km route, TOI spotted 12 parked vehicles, including Tempo Travellers.

Many bus passengers TOI spoke to said neither were they aware of the priority lane, nor did they notice much difference in the travel time.

Sachin K, a commuter to Marathahalli, said: "The idea of a priority lane is good. We need it in this part of the city, considering the heavy traffic here. However, the only way this lane can function properly is when the authorities deploy people to manage traffic in this area."

While many commuters were unaware of the priority lane, not more than three marshals were deployed to keep a check on errant private vehicles. There was complete absence of monitoring by BMTC staffers.

"So far, I don’t see anyone taking this bus-priority lane seriously. Considering traffic on this stretch is dense, a lane dedicated exclusively to buses will only increase chaos. Close to two cars and a few two-wheelers can occupy the space covered by a bus," said Pooja Subashachandra, who often takes one to Bagmane Tech Park. "I’m not against this initiative, but it can be managed better," she added.

By the time our bus reached Silk Board Junction, it was already 11.20am. Despite a priority lane, it took us almost two hours to cover the distance. According to the driver, before the dedicated lane, he’d take about two-and-a-half hours for the same trip.