Buses on both sides of MG Road soon

BMTC, traffic police study feasibility of plying buses on narrow lanes in the area

City buses will soon ply on Avenue Road, Brigade Road, MG Road and Mission Road, according to M A Saleem, Additional Commissioner of Police.

“The Metro station still does not have a concourse on the opposite side of MG Road. Once the work on second entry-and-exit kiosk is completed, Metro feeder buses will start plying on both sides of MG Road,” Saleem said on Friday. He was speaking at a conference on Intelligence Transport Solution in the City.

The Traffic police and BMTC have taken up a feasibility study on the impact of reintroducing BMTC services on the narrow lanes of the Central Business District.

S K Lohia, Officer on Special Duty, Urban Transport, said the Union government would bear 80 per cent of the detailed project report in cities which show willingness to implement Intelligent Transport Solution (ITS). He said the technology will be available for people in a matter of two months in Mysore.

The conference brought together the Japanese government and industry officials.

Lohia urged the Japanese companies to develop low-cost technologies specifically for India.

He added that the Union govenment would provide funds when foreign firms create manufacturing facilities and value addition in the country.

Lohia urged the Japan Internationl Co-operation Agency to assist the Ministry of Urban Development in creating a robust national architecture for development and implementation of ITS at the regional level.

The ITS will be tested on a pilot basis in Mysore, Bangalore, Hubli and Dharwad. Lohia agreed in principle to consider Mangalore and Gulbarga too, on a suggestion made by Prakash Mandoth, Infrastructure Head, FKCCI.

JnNURM

Lohia said Karnataka had the best record in utilisation of the funds available under waharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM), at least in urban transport sector.

Presentations

During the conference, transport authorities from Bangalore, Mysore, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad gave presentations on existing road and metro rail transport systems in their cities. A video on Ahmedabad’s Janmarg Bus Rapid Transit System was applauded and many called for similar town planning laws in every major urban city.

V Manjula, Commissioner, Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) spoke about Bangalore’s rapidly deteriorating air, travel time and environmental quality.

“Road widening is not possible any more and is not desirable. This is where innovative concepts such as ITS come into play. Bangalore’s B-TRAC uses ITS and is a great success. The BMTC has called for tenders to implement technology,” she said.

Manjula called for better use of land and demand-based measures such as congestion and parking pricing in the City.