BENGALURU: The work on a dedicated bus lane between SV Road and Central Silk Board Junction at the Marathahalli stretch of Outer Ring Road has started with bollards being installed. The work will continue every night to meet the target to launch Phase 1 of the bus priority lane by November 1. A pilot test will be carried out by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) on October 20.
Meanwhile, many commuters, who saw bollards being installed on the stretch on Friday, were unhappy that the bollards camouflaged the colour of the road. According to them, the black colour of the bollards will make it difficult for commuters to see them at night.
“Regular commuters or others who do not know that bollards have been installed can easily ram into them. The BBMP must have a basic sense in what they do,” said Nagesh Rao, a resident.
Whitefield Rising posted a picture on social media of a bollard that was broken after being installed in just a day. “Surprisingly, we are already seeing bollards demarcating a lane on ORR at Marathahalli. One bollard has already been broken and is creating a hazard for road users,” the group said.
However, citizens’ group immediately approached the BBMP officials and asked them to take necessary action. “We asked the BBMP to paint the bollard in a different colour. We even asked them to put reflective tapes on them so that it will help those who commute at night notice them. The officials have agreed to this and will do it. Right now, since it is a 20-km lane, the installation is going to take a long time,” said Clement Jaykumar, member of Doddanekundi Rising.