However, the development has taken away the bus shelters in the city. When the Mangalore City Corporation undertook widening and concreting of roads, several footpaths and bus shelters were demolished. Even after completing the road work, the bus shelters are still missing at several places in the city.
As a result, passengers are forced to wait for the buses on the road itself. State Bank area, K S Rao Road, Nav Bharath Circle, Bunts Hostel, PVS Circle, Bendoorwell, Balmatta are some of the places which need bus shelters in the heart of the city.
Though there is a bus stop at Lady Goschen Hospital area, the shelter exists only for namesake as passngers have to wait on the road itself to board a bus.
On the other hand, a bus shelter exists at Pumpwell. However, buses do not stop near the bus shelter. As a result, passengers have to wait on the road itself.
With all types of buses racing, no lane discipline is followed and two/three wheelers invariably ply on the wrong side posing a serious threat to the passengers alighting/boarding buses at RTO stop. Without the bus shleter at State Bank, the passengers are forced to wait for the buses on the road itself, putting their life into risk.
“A bus shelter at Nav Bharath Circle is need of the hour as there are three schools in the vicinity and children wait for the buses on the road itself. Few buses which drive harshly and children are put to hardship,” said a passenger.
Bus bays
The non-implementation of bus bays on Mangalore roads has put passengers and road users in the city to a lot of hardships. The recommendation of the Mangalore traffic police to the Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) to earmark bus bays was gathering dust till recently. The recommendation has been the work of two Superintendents of Police N S Megharikh and Kamal Panth, who served the district between 1997 and 1999.
MCC speaks
MCC Commissioner Dr K N Vijayaprakash said according to a survey, the city corporation limits had 284 bus shletres. Of which, 89 were dismantled while carrying out concreting work. Few bus shelters are getting ready. “The City Corporation has realised the problem faced by the passegers without bus sheleters. Bus shelters will be developed with the help of private participation. The MCC officials have already been asked to identify the places which require bus shelters immediately in the city.”
He said a model bus shelter with basic facilities was set up with the private participation at Jyothi. Similar bus shelters will be set up in other areas. The private participation helps the MCC to fetch revenue through advertisements.
“We have already identified 18 places where bus bays will be set up in the MCC limits. A detailed report on the bus bays will be ready by the month end after consulting the stakeholders,” said the Commissioner.
At the same time, City Transport Traffic Plan by the ICRA consultancy is ready. “We are planning to set up some unique designs of bus sheleters which will suit the city atmosphere.”
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