Lucknow: The persistent traffic congestion in Lucknow was raised in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council on Monday, with MLC Mukesh Sharma proposing the construction of an integrated bus terminal along the Outer Ring Road. He urged the government to operate all inter-district buses from this facility to prevent them from entering the city’s core.
Currently, 1,200–1,500 buses from districts including Prayagraj, Kanpur, Varanasi, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Faizabad, and Raebareli operate daily from Kaiserbagh, Charbagh, and Alambagh bus stands. Their movement through central routes causes prolonged jams in areas like Aminabad, Charbagh, Hussainganj, Alambagh, Naka Hindola, Kaiserbagh, Chowk, and Hazratganj.
Traffic police data shows peak-hour travel times on Charbagh and Alambagh routes have increased by 15–25 minutes. Idling diesel buses at signals also worsen air quality, already a major concern for the capital. Sharma said relocating inter-district bus operations to the Outer Ring Road could reduce congestion on main roads by 40–50%.
He called the matter one of public importance and urged a policy-level intervention to address the pressure.
Existing bus stands face overcapacity issues, with Kaiserbagh and Charbagh operating 40–50% beyond designed limits. Even after expansion, Alambagh remains overloaded, handling around 650 buses daily against its 450-bus capacity.
