Bhubaneswar, 13 August (H.S.) : The Odisha government has decided to pilot Bus Priority Lanes on two major corridors in Bhubaneswar to improve public transport efficiency, reduce congestion and enhance bus travel reliability.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Housing & Urban Development Department Additional Chief Secretary Usha Padhee at Kharavela Bhawan. Officials from the Transport Department, CRUT, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, Traffic Police, Works Department and BDA attended the meeting.

The pilot will cover the Biju Patnaik International Airport–Nandankanan corridor (18 km) and the Vani Vihar–Sishu Bhawan corridor (5 km). The two routes collectively serve thousands of daily passengers and connect major commercial, educational, administrative, healthcare and transport hubs.

According to CRUT, traffic congestion currently results in the loss of around 1,200–1,500 bus trips every month, accounting for nearly 16% of trips affected by traffic-related cancellations. The pilot is expected to reduce bus travel time by 10–20% and improve average bus speeds by 15–25%.

The priority lanes will use a flexible kerb-side design rather than rigid physical segregation. The preparatory phase, expected to take 10–12 weeks, will include traffic surveys, lane markings, signage, bus shelter improvements, traffic signal optimisation and designated pick-up and drop-off points. This will be followed by a three-to-six-month pilot period.

A multi-agency committee will oversee the implementation and prepare Standard Operating Procedures covering lane usage, bus movement, enforcement, emergency access and incident management.

The system will be supported by 24x7 ITMS monitoring, ANPR-enabled CCTV cameras and on-ground Traffic Police enforcement. Unauthorised use of priority lanes and illegal parking may attract auto-generated e-challans, subject to technical and legal feasibility. Ambulances and fire tenders will have unrestricted access.

CRUT will also train bus drivers and operational staff on lane discipline, safe boarding and stopping procedures, pedestrian safety and emergency protocols before the pilot begins.

Public awareness campaigns will be conducted through signage, social media, media outreach and on-road information boards to familiarise commuters and other road users with the new traffic arrangements.

The pilot will also be evaluated for integration with hub-and-spoke and trunk-and-feeder public transport systems to strengthen first- and last-mile connectivity.

Its performance will be assessed based on travel-time savings, bus speeds, service reliability, passenger experience, traffic impact, road safety and enforcement effectiveness. Based on the findings, the model may be refined and expanded to other major public transport corridors in Bhubaneswar.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda