103 Bengaluru bus stops to be relocated to decongest city

According to the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP), Chinnaswamy, MG Road, Silk Board Junction and Gangammana Gudi bus stands are among the 103 shelters in Bengaluru to alleviate chronic traffic congestion caused by unscientific settlements.

The list of “traffic-causing” bus stops has been sent to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), which will direct five new municipal corporations to oversee the relocation of bus stops within their jurisdiction.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Karthik Reddy said: Hindu He said BTP, in collaboration with BMTC, carried out inspections of bus shelters across the city and identified 103 shelters that contributed significantly to traffic congestion. The initiative follows BTP’s efforts to identify traffic bottlenecks and implement measures to relieve congestion in Bengaluru.

“The list has been sent to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), which will initiate works to relocate the bus stands to more suitable locations,” Mr. Reddy said.

According to BTP, the shelters on the list are either too close to traffic signals, causing vehicles to queue behind buses, or are located on bends on main roads.

“When a bus stops at a shelter near a signal, it cannot move until passengers board or alight. This actually paralyzes the vehicles behind it, creating long queues and increasing traffic congestion,” Mr. Reddy explained.

By studying such patterns across the city and their impact on traffic, BTP strategically planned to relocate problem shelters to areas where bus stops would have the least impact on traffic flow.

The new locations were determined to remain 100 m away from the original locations for the convenience of the public. In exceptional cases, the distance may extend up to 200 meters, such as at Ittamadu bus stop.

Other relocations include bus stops positioned at road bends, such as the Thirumala bus stop near Akshay Nagar in Yelahanka. Buses located at a point where there is a double road bend and a U-turn intersection cause traffic queues of 50 to 100 meters during peak hours.

Some of the major bus stops included in the list are Sulibele in Devanahalli, ISKCON Entrance Gate, TC Palya Junction and Richmond Junction.

Autorickshaws and taxis can also cause traffic delays, but they may be asked to move quickly or be fined, a senior police officer said. But buses are more difficult to regulate. The officer said this relocation initiative will help streamline traffic and ease the burden on staff managing intersections.

Although BTP has identified 103 bus stops for relocation, some bus stops like Ejipura are located in narrow lanes, causing micro-congestion that the police are yet to resolve.

A GBA official said: Hindu It was stated that most of the designated bus stops are maintained within the scope of public-private partnership arrangements and the relocation works will be undertaken by the relevant institutions. He added that GBA has instructed new companies to supervise the relocation process and complete it as soon as possible.