There’s a downside to the popularity of the Big 10 buses running from Brigade Road junction to Electronic City and Bannerghatta Road. The junction often sees traffic bottlenecks as the buses are parked here for passengers to board them. The traffic police, which had allowed the BMTC to use the spot temporarily, now says it has no other location for them and they will have to continue operating from the Brigade Road Junction.
The Big 10 buses began to operate from the Brigade- Residency Road junction about two years ago and now hundreds of people queue up at the temporary bus stop, holding up traffic during peak hours. “As the buses are parked in a haphazard manner its very difficult for motorists to cross Brigade Road Junction from the Residency Road side. Most times, more than half the road is occupied by the buses, leaving no space for other vehicles,” complains a student , Shyaam Sharan, of NIIT , located nearby.
Others complain that BMTC drivers abruptly move out of the designated parking area without bothering to consider vehicles coming from the rear. “ The junction is vulnerable to accidents as BMTC drivers don't care about traffic to the rear of the buses. Motorists and two-wheeler riders need to be very careful when driving down this stretch as some have been almost mowed down by the buses. There is no point in confronting the drivers as they only use filthy language in retaliation,” says a techie, Rakesh Kumar.
When contacted, additional commissioner of police for traffic and security, MA Saleem, said there was no other space available in the vicinity to shift the bus service to. "As of now we have no plans of relocating the service as it is a big hit. We have however, asked the BMTC to manage the bus service better so that the road is not blocked during peak hours,” he added.