No check on speeding vehicles plying on BRTS lanes

Amritsar, April 13

Unchecked movement of vehicles in designated lanes for the bus rapid transit system (BRTS) poses a major threat to lives of commuters. One can see speeding vehicles in BRTS lanes, especially vans ferrying students of various private schools during the morning hours.

Auto-rickshaws and cabs ferrying tourists from Attari border violate traffic rules without any fear of law. In the recent past, there have been instances in which commuters were injured by vehicles speeding in the BRTS lanes. The violation is rampant on the Chheharta-Batala road. It seems that the traffic police and the authorities concerned are just waiting for a major accident to happen.

Naveen, a resident of Chheharta, said, “I feel that violators don’t have fear of the police or the law. They drive in the BRTS lanes without caring about lives of commuters. Speeding vehicles make it difficult for pedestrians to cross the lane.”

He said, “A few days ago, when I was crossing the road at Chheharta Chowk I saved myself just in time from being hit by a SUV speeding in the BRTS lane.”

Iqbal Singh, a resident of the Batala road, said, “I witness violation of traffic norms every day. The police must take strict action against violators and stop misuse of the BRTS lane. Many underage schoolchildren drive vehicles rashly. They get confused while negotiating traffic when driving from the BRTS lane towards the main road.”

Neelam, a resident of Pawan Nagar, said, “It’s high time to solve the issue of misuse of the BRTS lanes. Otherwise, some major untoward incident might happen. I have seen many government and even police vehicles violate the traffic norm by using lanes.”