BMTC depot fuels traffic nightmare | Bengaluru News
Bengaluru: A BMTC depot has turned into a traffic nightmare for Kodigehalli residents in east Bengaluru, with wide-bodied buses choking the lone access road near Hoodi railway halt and gridlocking school routes.Currently, this depot is not used to operate routes; it is only utilised for shift changes, refuelling and maintenance. Ananthakrishnan Jayaraman, a resident of Kodigehalli, said, “The main road access is blocked by a railway electric substation and there is a 50-meter deviation on railway land to bypass it.”He pointed out that the bottleneck feeds into the road beside Hoodi railway halt, where a wide road narrows into a single lane used by all school buses, creating a gridlock. “Why can’t the railway station road be widened or straightened? It is a combination of poor design and encroachment,” he added.The depot, which became operational in 2023, handles KBS1I, KBS1K, and 500F routes daily. Residents have raised two major issues: recent infrastructural changes by the railways forcing BMTC buses onto the narrow road, and delayed construction of a new road that will bypass the railway substation.Biju, secretary, residents’ association Kodigehalli Rising, said, “The problem with the depot is that it exclusively operates diesel buses, most of which are wide-bodied. The entire road becomes congested, especially after 4pm when vehicles from educational institutions are also on the move. There is currently only one narrow bridge connecting the depot to Hoodi.”The East City Corporation commissioner, along with BMTC officials, recently reviewed the new road construction. However, BMTC sources indicated that land acquisition issues are hindering completion of this stretch. A BMTC official said, “More than residents, we’d be relieved if the road is completed. The congestion caused by buses affects not only commuters but our drivers too. It is very risky to navigate through curves and narrow paths. While the depot itself is not the problem, traffic has increased in recent years.”
