Cops slam flawed BRT-II corridor

Tuesday, July 13, 2010


Even before it is operationalised, the second phase of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) — from Moolchand to Delhi Gate — has drawn criticism from Delhi Traffic Police, which has raised some serious objections about its flawed construction.

In a letter to the Delhi Transport department last month, the traffic police have expressed apprehensions that the corridor, once it is opened, will create bottlenecks at several points affecting the traffic flow right up to ITO, which is already clogged due to heavy volume of traffic. Also, the cyclelane at a few locations does not have physical segregation and moves along the bus lane that would make cyclist vulnerable to fatal accidents.

According to traffic police, the very purpose of facilitating rapid transit of buses and safe movement of cyclists on the corridor will be defeated if the stretch becomes operational without addressing the anticipated problems. "The segregation of the cycle track has not been given proper attention at some locations. This has enhanced the possibility of fatalities on BRT-II," said Ajay Chadha, Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic). Notably, road accidents on the BRT corridor from Moolchand to Ambedkar Nagar have increased significantly this year as nine fatalities have been reported till June 2010, as compared to just one in the year 2009.

Chadha said the buses moving from centre lane to the extreme left lane near Defence Colony Flyover will lead to massive traffic snarls due to the existing design of the corridor. Also, the vehicles taking a U-turn under Moolchand flyover will face tough time since the area is likely to be occupied by buses. He expressed his fears that the timings of the signal cycle at each intersection separately for cyclists and pedestrian will also increase.

"As there are separate signal timings for pedestrians and cyclists, it is bound to increase the overall signal cycle length. This will further lead to pile-up of vehicles," Chadha said.

Moreover, the central verge on the corridor has been shifted towards Oberoi Hotel near DPS, Mathura Road. As a result, a bottleneck has been created at the Mazar and the entry lane of the hotel, which is frequented by vehicles.

Traffic cops are also apprehensive that the inflow of vehicles on the BRT corridor from other roads will affect the traffic movement. "The traffic discharge from the proposed elevated Barapullah Nallah corridor on to Lala Lajpat Rai Marg will also adversely impact the smooth flow of traffic," the Special Commissioner maintained.

The elevated corridor connecting Ring Road to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is likely to be used by a heavy volume of traffic that could disrupt the traffic flow on BRT corridor when it comes to it from the Barapullah Nallah elevated road.

According to traffic police, the Transport department has also failed to take into account the impact of the proposed East-West Corridor, as the same does not appear to have been factored in during the construction of the corridor up to Delhi Gate. Chadha said the proposed East-West Corridor would cross over the ITO intersection as is expected to further aggravate the traffic snarls there, which is one of the busiest intersections in the Capital with over four lakh vehicles crossing it during peak hours.

The traffic police have emphasised the urgent need for decongesting the ITO crossing -- Ramcharan Aggrawal Chowk (W-Point) near Pragati Maidan Metro Station -- through long-term traffic engineering improvement measures. In the communication with Delhi Transport Commissioner, the traffic police have also urged to address the problems in consultation with the DIMTS and RITES.

Road construction shoddy: HC

New Delhi: Slamming the civic agencies for the dismal state of roads in the city, the Delhi High Court on Monday said if such a situation continued, then taking the road during the upcoming Commonwealth Games is likely to be troublesome. The court said: "The PWD and the MCD are totally insensitive to the plight of citizens." Justice Kailash Gambhir said: "Roads have caved in due to waterlogging. Most main roads witness traffic jams… It seems the job of the construction of the road is shoddily executed."

Original news source http://www.dailypioneer.com/268872/Cops-slam-flawed-BRT-II-corridor.html