<p>Bengaluru: An 'all-hands-on-deck' meeting called by City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh to address traffic on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) has put the return of bus priority lanes (BPL) in a new form at the center of plans.</p>.<p>Authorities are also pushing to incentivise public transport and discourage single-occupancy vehicles.</p>.<p>The meeting brought together the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP), Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), and Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA). </p>.<p>Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Karthik Reddy suggested converting the bus priority lanes into High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, allowing vehicles with more than three occupants to use them alongside buses.</p>.<p>"In the past, bus priority lanes have proven to be successful in the neighbourhood," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic, East) Sahil Bagla. "An HOV lane can be very helpful in the area once it is all set up. We can fine-tune the implementation to ensure the lane is used efficiently."</p>.<p>Before the Covid-19 lockdown, the lanes had cut BMTC bus travel time by 15 minutes and increased commuter numbers by 4%, said GT Prabhakar Reddy, Chief Traffic Manager (Operations), BMTC. The corporation currently operates close to 4,000 buses along the ORR.</p>.<p>BMTC Managing Director Sivakumar KB urged companies along the ORR to approach the corporation for chartered and dedicated services, reviving dedicated fleet operations at IT parks that existed before the pandemic. He also suggested issuing discounted bus passes for employees.</p>.<p>Bus priority lanes will now be part of the Rs 400-crore redevelopment along the ORR, from KR Puram to Central Silk Board, covering white-topping, asphalting, and improvements to footpaths and service roads.</p>.<p>"The tender for the works will be awarded within a month and work will begin in the monsoon," said RK Mishra, independent director at B-SMILE. "We do not want to delay it any further. We will make the bus priority lanes a part of the infrastructure, bringing them back. This has been delayed due to the metro works."</p>.<p>The Namma Metro Blue Line between the ORR and the airport is scheduled to be operational by year-end. Mishra said a congestion tax is also under discussion and will be considered once the metro is running and the road redevelopment is completed.</p>.<p>ORRCA President Manas Das said the agencies’ coordinated approach brought hope of a positive change along the ORR in the coming months. He added that traffic movement had already improved in recent weeks.</p>.<p>The meeting also included an open house for representatives of IT companies to share their grievances.</p>.<p><strong>Infra projects under consideration</strong></p>.<p>GBA Chief M Maheshwar Rao said his team is considering infrastructure projects beyond the Rs 400-crore redevelopment to continue improvements along the ORR.</p>.<p>"We are considering a complete remodelling of Iblur Junction," he said. "We are also looking into an additional flyover at Iblur Junction, and one at Rainbow Children's Hospital near Marathahalli."</p>
<p>Bengaluru: An 'all-hands-on-deck' meeting called by City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh to address traffic on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) has put the return of bus priority lanes (BPL) in a new form at the center of plans.</p>.<p>Authorities are also pushing to incentivise public transport and discourage single-occupancy vehicles.</p>.<p>The meeting brought together the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP), Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), and Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA). </p>.<p>Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Karthik Reddy suggested converting the bus priority lanes into High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, allowing vehicles with more than three occupants to use them alongside buses.</p>.<p>"In the past, bus priority lanes have proven to be successful in the neighbourhood," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic, East) Sahil Bagla. "An HOV lane can be very helpful in the area once it is all set up. We can fine-tune the implementation to ensure the lane is used efficiently."</p>.<p>Before the Covid-19 lockdown, the lanes had cut BMTC bus travel time by 15 minutes and increased commuter numbers by 4%, said GT Prabhakar Reddy, Chief Traffic Manager (Operations), BMTC. The corporation currently operates close to 4,000 buses along the ORR.</p>.<p>BMTC Managing Director Sivakumar KB urged companies along the ORR to approach the corporation for chartered and dedicated services, reviving dedicated fleet operations at IT parks that existed before the pandemic. He also suggested issuing discounted bus passes for employees.</p>.<p>Bus priority lanes will now be part of the Rs 400-crore redevelopment along the ORR, from KR Puram to Central Silk Board, covering white-topping, asphalting, and improvements to footpaths and service roads.</p>.<p>"The tender for the works will be awarded within a month and work will begin in the monsoon," said RK Mishra, independent director at B-SMILE. "We do not want to delay it any further. We will make the bus priority lanes a part of the infrastructure, bringing them back. This has been delayed due to the metro works."</p>.<p>The Namma Metro Blue Line between the ORR and the airport is scheduled to be operational by year-end. Mishra said a congestion tax is also under discussion and will be considered once the metro is running and the road redevelopment is completed.</p>.<p>ORRCA President Manas Das said the agencies’ coordinated approach brought hope of a positive change along the ORR in the coming months. He added that traffic movement had already improved in recent weeks.</p>.<p>The meeting also included an open house for representatives of IT companies to share their grievances.</p>.<p><strong>Infra projects under consideration</strong></p>.<p>GBA Chief M Maheshwar Rao said his team is considering infrastructure projects beyond the Rs 400-crore redevelopment to continue improvements along the ORR.</p>.<p>"We are considering a complete remodelling of Iblur Junction," he said. "We are also looking into an additional flyover at Iblur Junction, and one at Rainbow Children's Hospital near Marathahalli."</p>
