QUEEN’S ROAD: In a nine-month period (January to September this year), city traffic police have registered 46,834 cases against erring Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses for various offences, including rash driving.
Considering that the BMTC fleet has around 6,000 buses, this figure means on an average, each bus has been booked seven-and-a-half times, according to Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M A Saleem.
On Monday morning, 17-year-old Poornima Sundar, a first year PUC student of Mount Carmel College, was mowed down by a BMTC bus as she was crossing the carriageway at Kempegowda Bus Station.
According to statistics provided by the traffic police, 29,713 cases were registered against BMTC buses in 2014. In 2013, as many as 38,310 cases were registered. According to officials, the number of cases booked against BMTC this year is quite high due to stringent checking.
However, cases of reckless driving (the cause for most accidents) constitute a minority of the total number of cases booked. Out of the 46,834 cases, 26,555 pertain to improper parking, while 12,504 cases are related to jumping signals. The number of cases due to reckless driving stands at 810.
“Policing, especially when it comes to BMTC buses, has been stringent this year. These measures will continue to be employed so that accidents due to BMTC come down, so that the fear perception in the public, especially commuters, is reduced,” Saleem told City Express.
He added that all BMTC drivers undergo training at the Traffic Training Institute, which ensures that they are equipped to drive.
Public too at fault?
When asked if bus terminals have been designed in an improper manner, especially at places like Majestic, Saleem dismissed the suggestion. He said there are foot overbridges at such places built for the benefit of the public.
“However, these foot overbridges are not being used by the public. The rate of accidents can come down drastically if the public follow safety guidelines. It is simple. Pedestrians must not walk in carriageways. We have directed the BMTC to increase the height of surrounding grills so that people cannot cross over. There is no flaw in the design of terminals as such. When there are good facilities in place, it is sad that they are not being used,” he opined.
Saleem added that henceforth, drives against jaywalking will be conducted on a regular basis, especially at Majestic.
Renukeshwar said a large number of commuters take buses via KBS every day. “We have deployed people here. But we do not have sufficient staff to deploy at other bus terminals where there are subways. But we have requested Bengaluru traffic police to help out. We have spoken to Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M A Saleem,” he added.
Saleem, when contacted, said they are already sending traffic personnel to the BMTC drivers’ training centre to tell them about the safety rules to follow. “Inside their terminals, BMTC has their own staff to manage things. We do not have sufficient men to manage that part. We can manage only the surroundings,” he said.
However, he said as there is heavy rush during the festive seasons, traffic policemen are often sent to manage traffic near the mofussil bus station.
Meanwhile, BMTC officials blame the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for not maintaining the subway that connects KBS and City Railway Station.
“It is unhygienic. There are too many hawkers sitting inside the subways, distracting the public. Also, there will be no power and that scares us late in the evening. If these aspects are taken care of, the public will use this space and won’t try to cross the road,” an official said on condition of anonymity.