The bus priority lane will be part of the road upgrade work but its length has been reduced to just 21 km, according to the KRDCL, which is building 12 high-density corridors in the city.
The Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL) has invited tenders for the upgrade and maintenance of a 191-km road network identified as the high-density corridor. Ballari Road, Old Madras Road, Outer Ring Road (ORR), West of Chord Road, Tumakuru Road, Magadi Road and Sarjapur Road are some of the roads that will be upgraded at a cost of Rs 272.67 crore. The annual maintenance cost for the first year will be Rs 93.66 crore.
Out of the 191 km, the bus priority lane can be potentially set up on 50.75 km and the same was proposed initially, according to a source in the KRDCL. A meeting chaired by the chief secretary on December 30, 2020, had even decided to prioritise the bus lane. “But we have now been told to limit it to 20.85 km on the outer ring road (ORR) section of the corridor,” the source said.
A senior official sought to assert that bus lanes on the remaining 30 km could be taken up at a later stage.
“The focus is on streamlining the road infrastructure. Bus lanes require 3.5 metres of space on each side of the road. If it is not used, we will receive criticism. The decision to limit the bus lane was made to ensure we don’t make unnecessary expenditure,” the official said, adding that the bus lane can be extended if required
after the completion of the work.
Cycle lane
Sources said the KRDCL had initially accepted the idea of a bicycle lane only to drop it later. “There was a provision for a 1.5-metre-wide bicycle lane but it hasn’t been included in the work estimates. Bicycle lanes are better than bus lanes in that they need lesser road space. But the demand for cycle lanes is lower than that of bus lanes,” the source added.
The KRDCL has introduced strict penalties for contractors who fail to maintain the road, including the carriageway, drains, daily mechanical sweeping of the road, 24-hour limit to fix potholes, three hours for removing fallen trees and towing vehicles involved in accidents in one hour and other measures. “It has never been done in the state,” an official said.