Bengaluru buses to have separate lanes in 12 corridors from 1 November. If things go according to plan then citizens can cut down travel time in BMTC buses from the city centers to various destinations.
Separate lane for buses
The dedicated bus lanes will be introduced in 12 busy and high-density corridors and the first phase will be introduced from November 1. Anil Kumar, BBMP Commissioner, who inspected the Bus Rapid Transport system on Sunday along with BMTC, Bescom, DULT, officials and traffic cops had said that they have identified 30 km of dedicated bus lanes in high-density traffic corridor. Kumar told in a report that, “The exact route will be announced by the chief minister. These dedicated lanes will help commuters reduce travel time from the city center to tech hubs.”
BBMP has identified 30 kms of dedicated bus lane in high-density traffic corridor. A route inspection was held today along BMTC, Bescom ,DULT , Bengaluru Traffic Police(East) #BBMP Spl comm Projects & @BBMPSWMSplComm . Actionables were noted & fixed Nov 1 as deadline. #BBMPCOMM pic.twitter.com/r8Zn9k3K2f
— B.H.Anil Kumar,IAS (@BBMPCOMM) September 29, 2019
The Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka confirmed the statement, he said, “ The intent is to provide the best possible solution in the shortest possible time. More than BRTS, we are trying to encourage public transport to decongest Bengaluru. We will create an exclusive bus lane and increase the number of buses of these 12 corridors. But first, we will look at the feasibility and then implement it at the ground level.”
No space reduction for private vehicles
Anil Kumar also confirmed that there will be no space reduction for private vehicles. He said that already Metro lines and other construction have caused trouble to commuters and we have no plans to make it worse. “The lane will be 3.5 meters wide,” he said. There are widened roads along some of the corridors to ensure another lane is available for buses, he added.
The identified 30 km roads connect from Trinity Circle-KR Puram-Central Silk Board Junction-Vellar Junction will be the first to have a dedicated bus lane. These bus lanes will help citizens and especially the tech hubs like Whitefield and Electronic City. However, these bus lanes will also help in promoting the usage of public transport and on the other side, it will also help in saving a lot of travel time. “To travel from MG Road to Whitefield or KR Puram to Silk Board, or Silk Board to MG Road, it takes more than an hour during the peak hours. We want to reduce it to 30 minutes, and all efforts are being made. RK Mishara, an Urban expert told.
“When adequate public transport is provided at right points and travel time reduced, citizens will automatically take up the services,” he added.
