The state transport agency is working on signal preference system for its buses on the Majestic-ITPL route, hopes to cut down the commuting time by a good 20-25 minutes

There's a good news for those travelling on the Majestic-ITPL route.

The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) in association with the civic body and the traffic police is working on a priority lane and signal preference system for its buses, which will cut down the travel time on the route by a good 20-25 minutes.


Emergency services such as ambulances and fire trucks
too would be allowed to ply on the priority lane

The arrangement is currently being tested on the 15 km stretch of the 24 km long route. "We have created a lane on the left side of the road for our buses.
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In fact, we had conducted a survey before starting the test and had discovered that almost 40 per cent of the bus travel time was spend on signals.
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Once the priority left lane and signal preference system is implemented, commuters will save a lot of time on the route," said M P Prabhudas, chief traffic manager (operations), BMTC.

At present, the city roads are choked with private vehicles. However, this initiative will discourage frequent travellers from taking their cars on the road.

"As the roads are narrow, the right lane will get congested following which the vehicular movement will slow down. Thus, instead of getting stuck in traffic, people will opt for public transport," Prabhudas added.
Board a bus!

The project, however, has its own challenges. It will be quite a task for the traffic cops to ensure that all private vehicles ply on the right side on the road.
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"If this doesn't happen then it will lead to severe traffic jams. Besides, the free movement of the BMTC buses too will suffer," said Urban Transport Planner Mithila Jha.

36.5 lakh
Approximate number of private vehicles that ply on city roads