Priority lane: Penalty will be imposed after a week

Until then, traffic police will create awareness among motorists

A goods vehicle parked in the priority lane near Marathahalli forces a BMTC bus to shift to the adjoining lane on Saturday. Traffic police are aiming to reduce such incidents.

A day after issuing a notification banning the entry of other vehicles on the priority bus lane on Outer Ring Road from K.R. Puram to Silk Board, the traffic police on Saturday said that penalty will be imposed after a week as there is a need to educate the general public on the new system introduced on the 17-km stretch.

B.R. Ravikanthe Gowda, Joint Commissioner of Police (traffic), told The Hindu that to create awareness, traffic police have started issuing pamphlets and are requesting motorists to follow the rules.

As per the notification issued on Friday, only BMTC buses and emergency services can use the lane. The police had said that there is a provision to impose a penalty of ₹500 on motorists violating the rule for the first offence and ₹1,000 for subsequent offences.

The police are also contemplating approaching the government to seek an increase in penalty to ₹1,000 for the first offence and ₹2,000 for subsequent offences.

Traffic police have also advised the authorities concerned not to install metal bollards to demarcate the lane, as it may lead to accidents.

Clueless motorists

Authorities such as BMTC, BBMP, traffic police and other agencies have to go a long way in educating people on why a ‘priority lane’ is needed on ORR.

A BMTC official said, “It is a new system and will take time to stabilise. We have deployed 60 people to manage vehicular movement. They will make sure that buses on the stretch use the priority lane. Traffic police are working with us. We will also issue pamphlets to the general public on the priority lane and why there is a need to promote public transport.” the official said.

The BMTC has deployed mobile repair vehicles at six locations on the stretch, including at Marathahalli, Kadubeesanahalli, Silk Board and Tin Factory.

“Measures have been taken to fix the problem in case of any breakdown of buses on the priority lane,” said the official.

The real impact of the priority lane on traffic will be seen on Monday when people commute to work.

“Even on Saturday, buses could not move freely on the priority lane. Unless other motorists are educated, the lane will not will not serve any purpose,” said Preetham, who uses BMTC buses regularly.