Nearly two decades after it was first proposed, Bengaluru may finally get a glimpse of the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in the coming days as officials are working on identifying potential corridors to implement dedicated bus lanes.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is working with the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) and the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to find out the ways to make the bus journey smooth from the Central Business District (CBD) to IT hubs in eastern and southern part of the city.
BBMP officials on Monday held a meeting and finalised a 30-km dedicated bus lane. The bus lane will begin at Trinity Circle and reach Old Madras Road via Gurudwara in Ulsoor and Phillips Signal Junction.
From there, it will connect Indiranagar 100 ft road, Kasturinagar Junction, K R Puram, Beniganahalli Bridge, Marathahalli, HSR Layout, Central Silk Board, Hosur Road near Anepalya Junction and Forum Mall.
Officials said 3.5 metres of space will be set aside for buses on both sides of the road.
The remaining two lanes will be open for other vehicles. The BBMP will install bollards that will separate the mixed traffic from buses; entry of other vehicles, apart from ambulance, will be prohibited.
According to BBMP officials, the number of bus services will be increased soon after the trial run that will start from November 1.
S Somashekhara, Chief Engineer, Major Roads, said, ‘This will promote public transport as buses can reach their destinations quickly. Other vehicles entering the bus lane will attract action by the police department,’ he said.
The BBMP expects that the average travel speed of the buses will increase from the present 4 kmph following the commissioning of the bus lane.
BBMP Commissioner B H Anil Kumar said the journey would come down with the implementation of the BRTS. ‘At present, the journey time for these destinations is around 1 hour. That can be reduced to 30 minutes with this initiative as the buses’ speed is expected to go up to 20 kmph. This will also help us in promoting public transportation,’ he said.
Basavaraj Kabade, Superintendent Engineer, Major Roads, said the initiative is not a full fledged BRTS but a move to reduce traffic congestion.
The Bangalore Bus Prayanikara Vedike welcomed the decision. However, forum suggested that the government hold public consultation to better understand the ground reality and also get more inputs from experts.
The idea of for a dedicated bus lane was first mooted way back in 2000 while planning the construction of Outer Ring Road. “The first vision group submitted a proposal to demarcate bus lane on the ORR from Silk Board to KR Puram. It was forgotten soon as no senior official backed the idea,” said a senior official in the Urban Development Department.