Commuters welcome smoother travel as bus-lane enforcement drive kicks off

The first day of the drive to enforce lane discipline among drivers of DTC buses led to congestion during peak hours in certain areas.

Day One of the drive to enforce lane discipline among drivers of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses, cluster buses and goods carrier vehicles led to congestion during peak hours in certain areas with buses queuing up on the extreme left lane of the road and moving at a snail’s pace. In places such as Azadpur, harried passengers got off buses and started walking alongside, videos posted on social media showed.

Traffic congestion on a Delhi road (Image used only for representation)

But despite the hiccups, the drive was welcomed by motorists, who said they had a smoother commute on Friday with buses sticking to their lane.

Seven drivers were issued fines on Friday for violating lane discipline. Officials said enforcement will be made more stringent from Saturday.

Transport commissioner Ashish Kundra said, “It’s a new move and, naturally, it’s a learning curve for drivers, the transport department as well as the public. It’s a reorientation exercise and things will stabilise soon. We are working to address the issue of congestion and long queues. We will be optimising fleet timings to avoid congestion.”

The Delhi government started the drive in compliance with a Supreme Court order mandating that buses ply only on the extreme left lane of the road and stop only at designated stops, earmarked by bus boxes. On Friday, most buses and goods carriers abided by the rules, but that meant long queues and slow-moving traffic in places.

The transport department identified 46 major corridors for the drive, though the rule is applicable across the city. The initiative is being implemented in three phases, across 474.91km.

Transport minister Kailash Gahlot inspected the drive at ITO intersection and said the citizens’ road safety is of paramount importance. “By assigning dedicated lanes to buses and enforcement of safety measures, we are committed to making Delhi’s roads safer for motorists, non-motorised transport and pedestrians. It will also help minimise traffic congestion,” he said.

Aside from congestion in a few areas, the drive by and large resulted in a significant improvement in driving experience, said commuters.

“I had a smooth driving experience through ITO even during rush hour because buses stayed on a single lane. Lane discipline for buses is necessary to make the roads safer for the public. In fact, every driver must stick to lane driving so that accidents are fewer,” said Anu Bakshi, member ‘Margdarshan’, an NGO working for road safety.

A violation of the lane driving will attract a fine of ₹10,000, transport officials said, adding that violations will also be punished with prosecution under the Motor Vehicles Act, suspension of driving licence and termination of vehicle permit. Cranes have also been deployed with the enforcement teams for removing vehicles that are found parked/obstructing the bus lanes, officials said.