The experiment of Bus Rapid Transit system in the city courted controversy due to several reasons. However, the Delhi traffic police now want to put in place BRT-like discipline on bus lanes on the major arterial roads in the city by ensuring that public transport buses strictly ply in the bus lanes.
According to traffic police officials if buses ply strictly in the bus lanes, it would also ensure that other modes of vehicle do not enter the bus lanes unnecessarily – thus transforming the bus lanes into an unimposed BRT.
“Public buses plying in the city are often found moving in the other lanes. They are often found driving in the central lane and even in the lane closer to central verge,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (traffic), Anil Shukla.
“With the buses moving in a zig-zag fashion, other vehicles like cars and two-wheelers are forced to move in the bus lane. If the buses ply in the bus lanes other vehicles would not enter the bus lanes unnecessarily,” Shukla said.
Movement of buses in the bus lanes would also ensure that buses do not create traffic hurdles near the bus stops while boarding and deboarding passengers, he added.
Officials said they have started an intensive drive and have started prosecuting buses moving in other lanes, especially during the peak hours.
Cops said all kinds of buses including DTC, chartered buses, contract carriage and roadways buses are being prosecuted for lane violation. Prosecutions are being done at different locations randomly since Monday. On an average around 200 prosecutions are being done daily, an officer said.
Initially, traffic cops are trageting important arterial roads like Mathura road, Subramania Bharti Marg, Sardar Patel Marg, Aurobindo Marg, Najafgarh road, Ring Road among others to ensure bus lane discipline.
Traffic police have written to the road owning agencies to ensure that the bus lanes and other traffic signages at the traffic intersections are properly marked on the roads.
“We have requested the agencies to paint the bus lanes and other signages with thermoplastic paints in order to make them more durable and luminous. We have already shared a list of around 480 locations where the signages need to be repainted,” said Shukla.
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