Photo for representative purpose only

BENGALURU: With the wait for Namma Metro getting longer along the Outer Ring Road and motorists getting stuck in traffic bottlenecks, there’s finally a ray of hope in the proposed bus priority lanes.

Deputy chief minister and transport minister Laxman Savadi accompanied by senior government officials on Wednesday conducted an inspection from Tin Factory to Central Silk Board Junction to finalize the dedicated lanes for buses.

“The bus priority lanes will help to improve bus travel time and also increase public transport patronage,” said Savadi, who traveled in a BMTC Volvo bus.

The deputy chief minister accompanied by officials from transport department, BMTC, BBMP, DULT as well as Bengaluru Traffic Police inspected important junctions along the corridor such as K R Puram railway station, B.Narayanapura and Central Silk Board for the feasibility of the project.

Savadi directed BBMP to build adequate bus shelters and required infrastructure along the corridor and also instructed BMTC to analyse the route, prepare an action plan on the frequency, type and number of buses to be deployed. “I have also asked traffic police to check the provisions of Motor Vehicles Act to take action against other vehicles entering these priority lanes” he said.

Gaurav Gupta, principal secretary of transport department, said they will extend bus priority lanes to other stretches based on the response from the ORR pilot. “We have shortlisted 12 high density corridors in the city. BBMP has assured that they will complete the ORR work by November”.

The deputy chief minister also visited HSR Layout BMTC Volvo depot-25 discussed about operational process and interacted with employees. Further, he visited the new TTMC construction site at BTM Layout and inspected the ongoing civil work.

10km bus priority lane on ORR to be ready by November 1

BBMP officials said the proposed corridor from Tin Factory to Central Silk Board Junction is 18.5km. Of which, 10km stretch will be ready by November 1, 2019 and rest will be operational by December 2019. “We will improve the conditions of bus shelters along the corridor and also place barricades to prevent others entering into the bus lane ,” said a BBMP official

Better frequency

BMTC managing director C Shikha said they are planning to operate buses at a frequency of two-five minutes during peak hours. “It will have both AC and non-AC buses. The existing fares will be applicable for these buses as well. We are also thinking whether to come up with a new brand for these buses. Six depots in and around corridors are in the process of tweaking schedules and operating buses at a better frequency,” she said, adding that priority lanes will considerably increase the speed of buses.

Plan well: activist

Shaheen Shasa from the Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV), an NGO said: “The idea of bus priority lanes is really good. In fact, we have been pushing for this concept for several years. But officials should plan and consult with road users before implementing in the city. We should learn from the mistakes committed by other cities and prepare a detailed road-map before implementation.”

