BMRCL committed to restoration: BS Prahlad

Increasing buses won't help if they get stuck in traffic: Kuchangi

Bus lanes would have de-escalated the crisis on 27th September

A lane dedicated to just buses would be reinstated in the corridor along KR Puram and Silk Board after the completion of the metro construction in the region. 

BS Prahlad, chief engineer (road infrastructure) of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), said “BMRCL has committed to restoring the bus priority lane once the Metro pillar works are completed and the barricades are removed,” in a panel discussion titled ‘Bengaluru: Ready for a Transformational Mobility Shift?’ organised by the Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC) as per a report in moneycontrol. 

Shamanth Kuchangi, technical head at the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT), talked about the necessity of these lanes in the event. 

“Even if we increase the number of buses from 6,600 to 10,000, if they are stuck in traffic, it defeats the purpose. Arterial roads with more than three lanes should have bus-priority lanes. For example, a bus with 70 passengers, and 20 such buses carrying 1,400 passengers, would create less congestion than 1,400 cars,” he stated. 

He added that this may have de-escalated the crisis on 27th September when the jam had extended all the way until midnight. “If the bus lane had been in place, people could have left their private vehicles and shifted to buses. Unfortunately, we missed this opportunity. Once Metro construction is completed, the bus priority lane should be restored and also extended to other high-density corridors,” he added.