In BRT’s second avatar, time to change lanes

Wednesday, Feb 23, 2011




Learning from its mistakes in the commissioning of the first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor — between the Ambedkar Nagar and Moolchand — which led to massive traffic congestion issues, the Delhi Transport department has this time drafted out plans for its upcoming BRT project more carefully.

What was initially planned as a single corridor between Karawal Nagar and Shastri Park has now been split into two routes — from Karawal Nagar to Gandhinagar and from Bhajanpura to Mori Gate — covering 15 km.

The Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transit System (DIMTS) is giving final touches to the plans. The corridor's central axis, from Karawal Nagar to Gandhinagar, will have a two-lane bus route on one side of the road.

This time, existing road space will not be taken up for the project. Instead, an embankment is being constructed along the left side of the road (leading northwards). The Public Works Department is already widening the stretch and an additional 15-m road (7 m for each lane) will be created along the embankment to accommodate the corridor. The two arms, from Bhajanpura to the main road, and from Shastri Park to Mori Gate, will, however, have bus lanes running in the middle of the road.

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Around 18 bus stations are being planned on the corridor, which is expected to ferry around 1.43 lakh passengers per day. Frequency of the buses has been planned at 3-5 minutes, which puts the vehicle requirement at 82 buses for both routes put together. The overlapping section between Khajuri Khas and Shastri Park will get a higher frequency of buses as the stretch is expected to have a higher ridership.

"There is no proper public transport system in the area, which has a population of around 7.7 lakh. Studies show 2,600 cycles ply here per hour, and ownership of cycle and two-wheelers have been increasing rapidly. Shared autos are also common here. Keeping these factors in mind, the area has a definite captive ridership for buses," officials said.

The cost of implementing the corridor is estimated to be Rs 20-22 crore per km.

The corridor will have signal prioritisation at the intersections, which means when a bus arrives at a traffic signal on the corridor, it will be allowed passage first when the traffic signal turns green. The system has already been tested at Khajuri Khas and Shastri Park, officials said.

Closed, swanky bus stations are being planned, which will be located on the central platform of the two-lane corridor. Commuters will have to pass through automatic fare collection gates to enter the station. The station will also have gates at the boarding and alighting points, which will open automatically — aided by radio frequency identification detectors — when a bus arrives and aligns itself with the platform.

The proposal also looks at doing away with conductors and having ticket vendors at the bus stations instead.

Meetings on the final details are on with the Environment Pollution Control Authority and the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre. Following their approval, the proposal will be sent to the Cabinet. The plan was sent to the government's Expenditure Finance Committee about a year ago. Discussions are also on with the Traffic Police.

The bus corridor will be integrated with the Delhi Metro at the Kashmere Gate ISBT and Shastri Park to provide seamless travel.

Original news source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/in-brts-second-avatar-time-to-change-lanes/753487/0