‘Private expressway for privileged’: tunnel road project in Bengaluru draws criticism for ‘dropping dedicated bus lanes’

Criticising the Congress-led Karnataka government on the issue on Monday, Bangalore Central MP and BJP leader PC Mohan said, “Tunnel road final DPR quietly drops bus lanes, once again making it clear that the tunnel is only for those rich people who can afford ₹660 toll, not for the common Bengalurean. On one hand, they talk of free bus rides; on the other, they erase bus infrastructure itself,” he posted on X.

“How many Bengalureans can actually afford ₹660 a day? That’s nearly ₹20,000 a month just to use this tunnel. This is not public infrastructure but a private expressway for the privileged, funded by taxpayers. It is a discriminatory, exclusionary, and anti–public transport move,” Mohan added.

According to page 195 in the final DPR, a diagram showing the ‘lane open cut section’ of the tunnel road indicates three lanes, including two driving lanes (for cars) and one emergency lane (for emergency vehicles) in the twin tube tunnels. However, in the draft DPR of the project, on page 171, the diagram shows two lanes (for cars) and another lane for buses/emergency vehicle services.

Diagram showing dedicated bus lane in the tunnel road project in the draft DPR

A dedicated bus priority lane has been a long-pending demand of public transport enthusiasts in Bengaluru. The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) launched a bus priority lane (BPL) in November 2019 as part of a pilot phase that aimed to reduce traffic congestion and enhance the efficiency of public transport. It also aimed to cut down travel time on BMTC buses from 70 minutes to 50-55 minutes, saving close to 20 minutes for commuters along Outer Ring Road (ORR).

Diagram showing the removal of dedicated bus lane in the tunnel road project in the final DPR

Proposal for bi-articulated trolleybuses

Further, the draft DPR also mentions the proposal of bi-articulated trolleybuses – an electric bus that operates by drawing power from overhead wires using two trolley poles, allowing it to move without the need for traditional fuel sources, like diesel. However, the report does not clarify who operates these trolley buses and whether BMTC was consulted before the option was proposed. Interestingly, the bi-articulated trolleybuses are not part of the final DPR.

Speaking to The Indian Express, B S Prahallad, technical director of Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-SMILE), said public transport will be prioritised under the tunnel road project. “A dedicated bus lane infrastructure is part of the plan. However, we will still conduct a few studies, including traffic analysis, to design and finalise the bus lane in the tunnel road project.”

Satya Arikutharam, an urban mobility expert, said there seems to be no clarity at all regarding the scope of the tunnel road project. “The draft DPR had proposed an electric trolley bus-based system which the final DPR has dropped. A patently bad proposal has now become worse. The DPR has numerous flaws and is unreliable and unviable. It’s a costly distraction that hurts Bengaluru’s public transport-based sustainable mobility goals,” he said.

Arikutharam pointed out that in the draft DPR, “the level of service was stated as D (meaning more congestion) with a dedicated bus lane and providing only two lanes for cars. Now, in the final DPR, by dropping the dedicated bus lane from the design, all three lanes can be occupied by cars, which will improve the level of service to B (meaning less congestion). I urge the government to drop the car-only tunnel road proposal and focus on completing the Metro and suburban rail network.”