Greenpeace survey reveals bus lanes bring positive impact

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Bus lanes are dedicated lanes of traffic for buses only. They are designed to improve the speed and reliability of bus services, making them more attractive to passengers.

Bus lanes have been implemented in many cities around the world, and they have been shown to have a number of benefits, such as reduced travel times for bus passengers, and an increase in bus ridership, which will further help in reducing air pollution and traffic congestion, especially in a city like Bengaluru.

"Greenpeace India conducted a survey titled 'Relying on the Bus: Studying the Impacts of Bengaluru’s Bus Lanes on Bus Use' to assess the impact of bus lanes on bus usage. The survey found that the majority of respondents (78%) had experienced a positive impact from bus lanes. The most common benefits cited were increased bus speed (85%) and reduced waiting time (72%). Other benefits mentioned included reduced crowding (56%), improved safety (42%), and a better overall travel experience (38%)."

However, some users also expressed concerns about bus lanes. The most common concerns were crowding (22%), a lack of change in staff behaviour (18%), and safety issues (16%).

Some users also said that bus lanes in some places had led to increased traffic congestion on other roads. Overall, the survey found that bus lanes have been a positive development for bus users in Bengaluru.

The majority of respondents reported that bus lanes had improved their travel experience. However, some users also expressed concerns about crowding, safety, and the lack of change in staff behavior.

The survey also made some recommendations for how bus lanes could be improved, such as increasing the number of bus lanes and enforcing bus lane regulations more strictly, improving the quality of bus shelters, and training bus staff to be more courteous and helpful.