Bangalore: For the last few months, private companies operating high-end buses, including multi-axle buses, have avoided the Anand Rao circle (near health department) pick-up point.
Thanks to a height barrier built by the railway department near the railway over bridge, buses that tend to transport goods on the roof, making the vehicle top heavy and dangerous, have stopped using this route. Erecting more such barriers within city limits is one measure suggested to stop the unsafe overloading of buses, since trying to stop them manually has not been successful.
According to a policeman from the Upparpet traffic police station, till a few months ago traffic jams were a daily problem near Anand Rao circle with tens of buses having a pick-up point after 7 pm.
"Every day we used to get complaints to prohibit the bus operators from using the road as a pick up point. As high end buses were parked for hours together, traffic used to move at a snail's pace in peak hours. As bus operators are high and mighty we are not able to prohibit parking,” he said.
He says the transportation of goods on top of the buses was posing a danger to the railway track on the nearby railway over-bridge. As a solution the railway department built barricades on both sides of the railway over-bridge recently.
These barricades are 13 feet high and will not allow the buses to carry any goods on the roof. As a result private buses have stopped using the road now.
Recently a Tamil Nadu registered bus with goods on top jammed under the barricade. The driver had to remove all the goods piled on the roof. In the case of high end buses, luggage space is provided under the seats. To create this space for luggage, the height of the buses is above 12 feet.
An officer from the transport department agreed that it was high time a new strategy was adopted to stop bus operators from transporting goods in buses. "In new buses luggage is not supposed to be loaded on the bus top. Specially designed luggage room is provided under the seats,” he said.
He added that even chemicals and crackers are transported in the buses. “As they are very near the battery and tyres, there is always the fear of fire. Barricades may one of the solutions to prevent transportation of goods," he said.
