The debate on widening Irwin Road has brought the focus on implementing the Bus Rapid Transit System in Mysuru to reduce traffic congestion and provide a faster mode of transport. The BRTS for Mysuru was to be implemented under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, but it never took off. Though a feasibility study was conducted by the Infrastructure Development Corporation of Karnataka and RITES, the detailed project report, which pegged the cost of the project at around Rs.545 crore, was given a quiet burial. Though other cities like Ahmedabad and Pune have implemented it with various degree of success, the project was grounded in Mysuru. Though the State government under the BJP earmarked Rs. 500 crore for the purpose, the second initiative too remained a non-starter. With dedicated corridors and low-floor high capacity vehicles to transport people, it was perceived to be a solution to reduce traffic congestion in the city. However, experts pointed out that the dedicated carriage width could not be provided within a 2.5-km radius of the city centre which is where it is required the most and hence there was a perception that the project would fail to achieve the purpose of reducing traffic congestion.
