Bus Lane in Delhi: Dedicated lanes for world class Public Transport system

Last Updated: 23 Mar 2024

Launched on 1 April 2022, Bus Lanes are dedicated lanes for priority to Public Transport, to be used only by buses and goods carriers from 8 AM to 10 PM[1]

"People have now developed a habit of driving in their lanes and they are following the rule on their own. We are not far from the time when the transport system of Delhi would be better than any city of a developed country," Kejriwal said after successful implementation on Oct 12 2022[2]

Implementation

AAP government has decided to create dedicated bus lanes on 560 km of roads which it plans to redevelop[2:1]

  • Initial Plan for Total 46 such corridors
  • 1st first phase starting 1 April 2022, 15 roads were selected for it which covers around 150km[3]
  • The left side of every road/stretch is dedicated for buses and heavy goods vehicles[4]
  • PWD marks the lanes with thermoplastic paint for a longer life[4:1]

Enforcement

Fines upto Rs 10,000 and 6 months of imprisonment for errant drivers[1:1]

The Delhi Govt deployed motorcycles for enforcing bus lane driving as they will be able to pass on narrow lanes[2:2]

  • Earlier, only Innova cars were used for the purpose and they faced difficulty in passing through narrow roads[2:3]
  • Between April 1 and May 26 2022[5]
    • 21,820 challans were issued
    • Even Bus drivers were booked for 819 violations
    • As many as 21,001 private vehicles were penalised for lane violation while 359 vehicles were either lifted or towed away by authorities
  • Under the drive[5:1]
    • 1st violation of lane discipline attracts a fine of ₹10,000
    • 2nd offence will invite prosecution under the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act
    • 3rd offence suspension of driving licence
    • 4th leading to the termination of vehicle permit

Hurdles

  • Under Earlier Governments, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system had failed in Delhi, was dismantled in 2016 by AAP Govt due to traffic congestion & accidents[2:4]
  • That had lost people's trust in dedicated lanes
  • Long wait for approval of plan from LG's office[6]

REFERENCES:

  1. https://www.indiatoday.in/cities/delhi/story/dedicated-bus-lanes-from-april-1-delhi-fines-for-violators-1928793-2022-03-23 [Mar 2022] ↩︎ ↩︎

  2. https://www.cnbctv18.com/india/delhi-aap-arvind-kejriwal-government-deploys-motorcycles-to-manage-dtdc-bus-14923941.htm [Oct 12 2022] ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  3. https://sundayguardianlive.com/news/success-dedicated-bus-lanes-will-depend-implementation [Apr 2022] ↩︎

  4. https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/delhi/2021/Sep/08/delhi-dedicated-bus-lanes-on-way-to-make-traffic-smoother-2355846.html [Sep 2021] ↩︎ ↩︎

  5. https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/over-21-000-private-vehicles-fined-for-bus-lane-violations-in-delhi-3016657 [May 2022] ↩︎ ↩︎

  6. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/aap-awaits-approval-on-proposal-of-dedicated-bus-lanes-from-l-g-najeeb-jung/ [Mar 2016] ↩︎