Bengaluru is not bus-friendly since agencies don’t talk to one another

Lack of coordination among various planning, public transport, traffic police, transport, and civic agencies has seriously left the city without a bus-friendly mobility system linked to walking, cycling, and the Metro.

A just-concluded five-part webinar series on ‘Better Bus Bengaluru’ organised by the Environment Support Group (ESG) drew attention to huge coordination gaps at multiple levels and discussed how these can be addressed.

“How do we make sure that mobility remains inclusive and empowering in the ever-growing metropolis of Bengaluru?” This was the poser by ESG coordinator Leo Saldanha to trigger the debate. The city’s population, he reminded, is projected to surge from 1.3 crore now to 2.1 crore by 2031.

For V Manjula, Commissioner, Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT), the solution relied on a shift in the public’s mindset. “We need to trigger behaviour changes in the public to embrace cycling, walking, and other forms of non-motorised transport,” she elaborated.

Planning for public transport and urban design in general, should focus on three major aspects: inclusivity, health, and accessibility. Manjula called for increased use of data to improve the operations of buses and facilitate convenience of commuters.

But without first placing restrictions on private transport, public transport use is unlikely to increase, felt B R Ravikanthe Gowda, Joint Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Bengaluru City.

On walkability, he drew attention to the poor condition of the city’s footpaths and sought improvements.

Footpaths in bad shape

He articulated the private-public vehicle dichotomy in clear terms when he said, “In Bengaluru, those who are not using vehicles are the real environmentalists. We need to put in good sidewalks and cycle paths for these heroes.”

Tasked with tackling the city’s myriad mobility issues on a daily basis, Gowda was adamant that the humble bus is central to fixing many of these problems. As he put it: “A safe and affordable public transport system is key to resolving the traffic issues of Bengaluru.”

To boost convenience and reliability, former Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Gowda suggested introducing ‘Smart Bus Stands' that provide information related to bus arrival times, travel routes, and more. Bicycles and other non-motorised modes could be integrated into this smart system, along with bus priority lanes.