Chaos in spite of bus bays

The Queen’s Road, unlike its name, is no royal affair! Traffic jams, lack of lane discipline and road rage are the order of the day here. 

This important road connects people from the North like Hebbal and RT Nagar and those from the East like Fraser Town and Kammanahalli to the central parts of the City. For many, especially those travelling by the bus, this road is the only choice to reach the centre of the City. 

During the peak hours, one can see bumper-to-bumper traffic here especially between CSI Hospital and Indian Express signal. This is despite there being separate bays for the bus. 

According to most commuters, the traffic springs about because most buses don’t stick to their lanes. Sanjay Stevens, a student of St Joseph’s College of Commerce who travels between Lingarajpuram and Brigade Road, has to take this route on a daily basis. 

“Though I reachCSI Hospital very fast, going from there to Shivajinagar takes really long especially in the mornings between 8 and 10 am. Sometimes, I go to college in the evenings for practice. Even between 6 and 7 pm, the traffic is really bad. The buses get jammed and when bikes and cars pass by, there is all the more confusion,” he says. 

Murugesh, an auto driver, feels that instead of sticking to the left, the buses come to the right. “Plus with the Tender SURE project happening on Cunningham Road, there is a total jam here during the rush hour. There is a school on the lane that adds to the traffic and an array of hotels on the left where many vehicles stop,” he complains.The BBMP authorities assure that once the Tender SURE work is completed, all the problems will end. 

“Most roads are dug up frequently for cable and water purposes. The main aim of this project is to make sure that road repairs aren’t done frequently. We will finish the work in a couple of months and there will be no work needed on these roads for many years post that. The roads under the project, including Cunningham Road, will become as beautiful as Vittal Mallya Road,” says M Lakshminarayana, Commissioner, BBMP. 

The buses that break the rules are booked for violations as well, informs B Dayananda, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic). 

“During the peak hours, traffic is more in all areas. We have more traffic personnel to manage the traffic during this time in this area and ensure that the buses adhere to lane discipline. We book them for violation otherwise. There are mobile BMTC authority vehicles to keep a tab on this too,” he explains.

Many commuters feel that the bus bays on the road are a joke. “The lane is a small area with stones on the side. Earlier, I would pass the area often to go to Shifa Hospital and would often be stuck in a jam. The problem is that there is no alternate route. You have to go roundabout to reach the centre of the City. It’s tough to find an auto here too. And if you take your car, it’s a different headache altogether to find parking,” says Yasmine Taj, a teacher at Army Public School. 

It’s very tough for the authorities at present to check whether the buses are sticking to the lanes or not, says Anjum Parwez, Managing Director, BMTC. “At the moment, the only way we find out if a bus is violating a rule is when people call us up. Even then, there is no proof as the drivers deny that they broke the rule. So we are launching a bus tracking system soon,” he informs. 

   “The pilot launch will be held at the end of this month in Yelahanka. By December, all places in the City will have the facility. With the help of GPS, we will be able to follow the route that a bus is taking and know whether it’s breaking the rules. Also, the ones following the rules will be rewarded accordingly,” he sums up.