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Throwing rules to wind

lurking danger
Last Updated 22 May 2013, 12:57 IST

Very often, one comes across people boarding buses from places that are not designated as busstops. 

While there are clearly marked busstops at most places, people have been disregarding the rules as per their own convenience. 
Many bus drivers too bring the vehicle to a halt wherever they feel like. This is a dangerous trend –– not only for those who travel by bus but motorists too. 

Harish Shanthi Kumar, director of engineering at a multinational company, and a cyclist, says, “Untoward incidents can happen when buses stop just like that. Often, people get off the bus when it is still slowing down. There is, for sure, the fear of falling off the bus too, since the vehicle might not halt fully.” 

“When passengers step off the bus, there’s always the  chance of a passing vehicle  bumping into them,” he says.

It’s not that passengers are not aware of these dangers, yet the problem persists. Anuradha Paradkar, a professional, says, “Often, buses stop either before or after the stop. It seems like a norm for them. Because of this, people stand in an unorganised manner in that area.” 

She adds that sometimes, buses stop near a flyover, which adds to the congestion on the roads. 

“This is a common scenario at the signal near Gopalan Mall as well as near Jayadeva flyover,” she details. Despite the common belief that it is mainly the bus driver’s carefree attitude that leads to such incidents, there are others who believe that the bus drivers are not the only ones to be blamed. 

Jayachitra P, an IT professional, who used to travel by bus often, says, “It’s always scary to see people getting on and off the bus right in the middle of road.” 

“They sometimes run across the road to catch a bus and passengers signal to drivers to stop the bus by thumping on it,” she says.

“There are also instances when bus drivers ask people to get off at signals because they’re going to turn on to another road. All this should be avoided,” she adds.

Ask the authorities if they are aware about this scenario and they say that it is common.  Anjum Parvez, managing director of the BMTC, says, “Every route has a number of stops that are clearly mentioned. But since it is hard to manage traffic in the City, buses often stop at unmarked spots.” 

“We have launched Sarathi, a squad of 11 teams, which will continuously be on the move keeping an eye on bus drivers. Fines from Rs 200 to Rs 500 will be levied on offenders for over-speeding, stopping in between stops, skipping red lights and other offences,” he says.

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(Published 22 May 2013, 12:57 IST)

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