Ahead of rapid transit system, BMTC swears by Priority Lanes

Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has started implementing Priority Lanes system before Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) is ready.

Though BRTS was approved in February's budget for a whopping `550 crore from Hebbal to JP Nagar, surveys on its feasibility are taking time.

BMTC, with the help of Bangalore Traffic Police, has been able to pull its buses to the left side of the road on all major roads during peak hours. The corporation has been doing it for nearly a month now.

“Priority Lanes system will help our buses move faster instead of blocking the roads and causing inconvenience to commuters. This will also bring some traffic discipline,” said MP Prabhudas, chief traffic manager (operations), BMTC.

He said Priority Lanes were being implemented on all major roads during the wee hours in the mornings and evenings for a short duration. Sarathi vehicles, which check violation of traffic laws and BMTC guidelines of buses, are deployed with men from the corporation and also the traffic police trying to streamline the traffic.

“Priority Lanes are more flexible than BRT. Lanes can be mixed for narrower roads and at turnings and crossings. This will help buses move faster. Travel time could also be reduced,” said Mithila Jha, urban transportation planner for the corporation.

One example is Queens’ Road near SG Balekundri Circle where this system has been introduced. The stretch near the circle has been segregated by temporary median.

Shivajinagar-bound buses coming on this road can follow the line created on the left by the median and move faster. They do not need to wait in the middle of the road for the signal to turn left.

Traffic police and Sarathi vehicles are monitoring priority lanes for BMTC buses at Mekhri Circle too on Bellary Road.

Though no median has been put to demarcate the lanes here, buses are pulled towards the left and lines at the multiple bus stands on the left thereby helping them to move faster.

Meanwhile, BRTS is taken on slow lanes. BMTC and BBMP, in coordination with department of urban land transport, were to conduct surveys from Hebbal to JP Nagar on Outer Ring Road to check feasibility before taking up other major roads.

But other agencies seem to be doing the ground work for the authorities. One among them is the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation. The corporation and metro officials held one round of talks already.

The Rs550-crore project along the 31km stretch will see stage-wise infrastructure building and development.

“We will have to try in small stretches for three or five kilometres how BRT is working out and have a common ticketing system for those who take buses moving along the BRT. Once people realise the benefits of this system, they will switch over to public transport,” said Prabhudas.

BMTC managing director KR Sreenivas and Prabhudas are visiting Istanbul and London during the next half of this month to study how BRTS works in those cities and, if possible, to integrate them in Bangalore.