Bangalore: Despite a separate auto rickshaw stand allotted by the traffic police near the water tank in Vijayanagar, auto drivers continue to park at the main bus stops which often end up being chaotic for the commuters. In fact, the drivers wish to make it a permanent parking place for their vehicles. What is even more appaling is that the authorities are not paying any attention to traffic congestions caused by the parked auto rickshaws at the bus stop. They are parked in a row covering the entire bus stop, which does not allow commuters to move freely.
The illegal parking forces BMTC bus drivers to stop the bus in the middle of the road which affects other moving vehicles. Apart from illegal parking, there have been instances of auto drivers passing lewd comments on girls. “While waiting for the bus, some auto drivers irritate us by simply asking us to opt for auto service rather that waiting for the bus. If we do not reply, they keep passing comments and utter horrible things”, said, Anitha (name changed), a commuter, who added, “They feel invincible. If we answer back, they abuse us. However, not all auto drivers act that way."
Another commuter Arun Kumar, a student said, “Thanks to the autos parked here, buses do not stop at their usual places. The driver stops wherever he feels like. This has created a huge problem for commuters as we have to run a distance to catch the bus. Most of the times we end up missing our bus.”
While the Vijayanagar bus stop heading towards Kengeri or Nagarabhavi is running short of bus shelters, the shelter situated on the other side of the road, towards KR Market, is not in use. The bus stop is ill maintained and no bus stops here ever. “I don’t know why the government spends huge amount of money to build three to four shelters on a road and fails to maintain it. What is the point of having a bus shelter here when no one will be using it?”, said Raju, a student.
The scenario is same at the Vijaya Bank bus stop near Vijayanagar and another bus stop in front of Prasanna Theater. In fact, most of the bus drivers refuse to stop here. Moreover, the bus shelter in front of Prasanna Theater is in a horrible state. The abandoned shelter is being used as a resting place by drunkards and young couples.
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