Bhubaneswar:In a major step towards improving urban mobility and strengthening public transport in the city, the Government of Odisha, through Comprehensive Region Urban Transport (CRUT), has proposed to pilot the Bus Priority Lane initiative on two key corridors of Bhubaneswar. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Ms. Usha Padhee, Additional Chief Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department.
The meeting was attended by Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur, MD, CRUT, Md. Siddique Alam, Commissioner, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Chanchal Rana, and Additional DCP (Traffic), Chief Construction Engineer, R&B, Works Department, Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and BMC.
Following a detailed presentation by MD, CRUT, Md. Siddique Alam, the ACS directed that the initiative be taken up initially on a pilot basis along two high-density corridors. A multi-agency committee has been constituted to oversee the implementation, monitor the pilot on a continuous basis and make necessary refinements before finalising the model for wider expansion.
The Bus Priority Lane initiative seeks to address traffic congestion, improve the reliability and predictability of public transport, and make more efficient use of available road space by giving priority to public buses, school buses and emergency/essential services.
At present, congestion in mixed traffic results in an estimated loss of 1,200–1,500 bus trips every month, accounting for nearly 16 per cent trip loss due to traffic-related cancellations, besides causing significant variations in bus travel time. By reallocating appropriate kerb-side road space for priority movement, the pilot is expected to achieve a 10–20 per cent reduction in bus travel time and a 15–25 per cent improvement in average bus speeds, along with improved road safety.
The two corridors identified by CRUT in coordination with Traffic Police and the Works Department are the Biju Patnaik International Airport–Nandankanan Corridor, covering 18 km, and the Vani Vihar–Sishu Bhawan Corridor, covering 5 km.
The Airport–Nandankanan corridor connects major administrative, educational, commercial and healthcare destinations, covers 34 bus stops and caters to an average daily ridership of around 9,000–10,000 passengers across major routes. The Vani Vihar–Sishu Bhawan corridor traverses important commercial and transit locations, including Master Canteen, Rajmahal, Ram Mandir and the Bhubaneswar Railway Station area. It covers 15 bus stops and caters to approximately 5,000–6,500 passengers daily.
