BMTC pushes for dedicated lanes

BMTC pushes for dedicated lanes
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Desperate to breathe easy in the maddening traffic, the BMTC on Thursday requested the traffic police to make a provision for dedicated bus lanes in 16 corridors of the city.
“We are expanding. Dedicated bus lanes are central to BMTC’s future,’’ says the letter, adding that the BMTC wants bus lanes on Outer Ring Road, KG Road, JC Road, Sankey Road and Tumkur Road, among others. With the Devanahalli international airport to open in March, a bus lane from Mehkri Circle to the airport has also been proposed.
BMTC officials did a study on the Outer Ring Road and are keen on a Bus Rapid Transit between Hebbal and Central Silk Board on Hosur Road which will be the longest dedicated bus lane in the city.
Given that the city’s roads are narrow, the traffic police are studying this suggestion.
They are looking into aspects like length and width of the road and the flow of BMTC buses on it. A bus lane requires at least 3.5 metres width.
“To have a dedicated bus lane, the road should have six lanes. Also, the flow of BMTC buses should be high on the road. Else, it is not feasible,” said K C Ramamurthy, additional commissioner (traffic and security).
Initially, police are considering bus lanes on JC Road (Minerva Circle to Town Hall) and KG Road (Hudson Circle to Mysore Bank Circle).
Will bus lanes help ease traffic?
Dedicated bus lanes will surely reduce the number of accidents by BMTC buses. This year (till October 31), BMTC buses killed 97 persons and injured 288 persons.
Traffic police, experts and BMTC officials are unanimous on the benefits of dedicated bus lanes. “There’s no doubt that it helps in faster movement of buses. But we have to consider the roads and their condition before introducing them,” said Ramamurthy.
According to chief traffic manager, BMTC, Dastagir Sharief, BMTC has already identified 14 roads for immediate implementation.
EXPERT VIEW
With BMTC planning to ply additional services, it becomes important to implement dedicated bus lanes. Also, 60% of Bangalore’s roads are narrow, which has led to congestion. Dedicated bus lanes can be introduced in all the oneways, as each of these roads is either three-lane or fourlane. The extreme left can be exclusive for buses. This will also improve the speed of buses, which can move at over 20 kmph, against the existing 15-16 kmph.
— M N Srihari