No place for bus shelters

No place for bus shelters
Bangalor, DH News Service:
Tuesday, May 26, 2009, 12:00 [IST]

With the fleet of BMTC buses growing, the City is now faced with the problem of lack of adequate space for bus shelters.

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) alone has around 1,000 bus shelters and has plans to add 300 more to it but the space has become a big constraint in executing the plans.

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike usually entrusts the bus shelter building job to an advertisement agency which then puts up signboards on the bus shelters for business promotion.

“We don’t have specific space for bus shelters as we see in New Delhi. In many areas the only alternative we have is to construct the bus shelters on footpaths, particularly in old areas like Malleswaram.

Constructing bus shelters on footpaths have a drawback. It comes right in front of shops, who oppose it. Besides, it eats up walking space for pedestrians,” said Govindaraj, Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike Joint Commissioner (Advertisement/Marketing).

At least 300 bus shelters in Bangalore need repairing and the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has assigned agencies to take up the repairing work.