[sustran] Re: (NEWS) Mumbai's BRTS project turns into a joke!

[Bina C. Balakrishnan]

I am surprised and frankly disappointed at Rajendra’s reporting: I always thought you were one of the more responsible reporters. 
The following response has been approved by the Core Working Group, of which I am also a member, and is being posted as a collective reply. Left to myself, I should have responded with a little more bite! 


“Let’s start with the Core Group: As Coordinator of the Core Working Group (CWG) on BRTS for Mumbai, we at the MTSU have already submitted our report to the Government of Maharashtra- as long back as the 6th of February 2007. The CWG is formed of one officer from all the directly concerned departments, as you have said, to ensure better co-ordination between them. (For the benefit of our international readers, Mumbai has about 17 different agencies dealing with transportation- and this is all aspects of transportation.) The Core Working Group, however, has only 7 members, including representatives from NGOs.

The CWG Report was formally presented on the 6th of February, 2007, to all the departments in the presence of the Principal Secretary, Transport, and this was accepted by the Government of Maharashtra right there. At the same meeting, we were asked to draw up the Terms of Reference for the Consultants to be appointed by the MMRDA to carry out the Feasibility Study for BRTS. The study will examine the feasibility of a city wide BRTS, with priority on the corridors that we have identified for phase I. These Terms of Reference have also been finalized, and submitted to the MMRDA. The CWG will continue to monitor the progress of the project, as well as the work of the consultants.

The whole process of appointing a CWG and going thru a pre- feasibility study and recommending a Feasibility Study was to avoid the mistakes made by the BEST when they arbitrarily introduced a dedicated bus lane between CST (formerly called Victoria Terminus) and Churchgate, and which failed because of various reasons- primarily lack of adequate planning.

Prior to the formation of the CWG, the Government did have a proposal to start a Dedicated Bus Lane between Thane and Dadar, with a pilot section between Dadar and Sion. In this section, the BEST have about 45 routes operating, and there would have been no question of the lane being under-utilised and therefore being over-run by other traffic. Moreover, we had already identified and verified supplementary networks to accommodate any spillover traffic on this route. It was in this context that the BEST had their buses painted, but before it could be implemented, the Election Code of Conduct time bar came into force, and the project had to be temporarily shelved. 

Regarding the concerned BRTS lane – you are all confused. The CWG has recommended the median lanes – ie the lanes alongside the median - to capitalize on the available infrastructure, and reduce delays from other traffic. This will enable the BRT buses to use all the flyovers, and improve their operating speeds. Also, the median width can be used to accommodate the bus stations. Bus lanes on the LEFT will definitely be affected by parked vehicles. (Where did the right lane come into the picture? We drive on the left side of the road, right?) However, the scope of work for the consultants includes examining the feasibility of using either the median or the kerb-side lane for the BRTS. Additionally, another aspect we are working on at the MTSU is removal of all parking on all arterial roads – so the interference from parked cars will not a problem: but the direct access to private properties along all roads in Mumbai will definitely be a major problem if the kerb-side lane is used. But, as I said – the Consultant is expected to look into all these aspects, and recommend the best option. 
As the Principal Secretary, Transport has said, “Hopefully, by the end of the year.” 

End of formal reply.

My apologies for being so dense – but what is the joke?

Bina C. Balakrishnan
Consultant
Transportation Planning & Engineering
Mumbai, India



On Mon, 12 Mar 2007 Rajendra A(Hindustan Times) wrote :
>Mumbai's BRTS project turns into a joke!
>
>http://www.hindustantimes.in/news/181_1949087,000600010004.htm
>
>Rajendra Aklekar
>
>Mumbai, March 11, 2007
>
>Mumbai’s Bus Rapid Transit System or simply the dedicated bus
>lanes’ project turned into a joke.
>The BEST General Manager is ready with his fleet of buses, got them
>painted in devoted colours, a
>special fare structure and timetable has been set, more fleet of
>international brand of buses
>ordered and comprehensive plans drawn to run them on these hi-speed
>corridors. But there’s no road
>to run these buses and kick off the plan!
>
>The state transport ministry has appointed a “core group” to look
>to the project and study its
>aspects. The group will submit a report, the government will then
>consider it, after which a
>decision will be taken. Simply speaking, it’s stuck in red tape and
>won’t kick off before 2008 or
>even later.
>
>This is not all. The latest problem is a dispute between the core group
>officials and the MMRDA as
>to where should the bus lane be. While the MMRDA wants the lanes to be
>on the left, state
>government officials want it on the right side of the roads. With no
>decision on the issue, the
>matter is now hanging fire.
>
>To the specific question when will buses start running on the BRTS
>project principal secretary
>(transport) GS Gill told HT, “By the end of this calendar year

>hopefully.”
>
>Asked about the lane problem, a senior MMRDA official, on the condition
>of anonymity, said bus
>lanes on the left would be helpful as they would not slow down buses.
>“If lanes are built in the
>right, they would be obstructed by parked vehicles and hawkers, but in
>left, there would not be
>any such problem. We will, however, have to invest in infrastructure to
>build stops.” There’s
>another group of experts who are proposing that the bus lanes should be
>in the middle of the road
>for higher speeds.
>
>Pushed by the Central Ministry of Urban Transport and with a promise
>that the project would be
>eligible for funding under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal
>Mission, a number of cities
>woke up to the reality of BRTS last year, a globally accepted mode of
>urban mass transit in
>crowded areas. Pune was the first city in Maharashtra to kick off the
>BRTS in November.
>
>Mumbai’s BEST too drew plans in the middle of last year, got test-run
>done, placed an order for 20
>hi-end Kinglong brand of buses for its project and also converted 20 of
>its existing Star Bus
>fleet of buses. It was decided that these hi-end fast buses would run
>between Thane and Dadar for
>four hours in morning and evening each, segregated from existing
>traffic by spring posts.
>
>But officials woke up to reality after they found the buses simply
>would jam all traffic during
>the peak hours and it would be difficult to stop other vehicles from
>coming in these bus lanes.
>State officials said that actual project had been delayed for the
>benefit of the city. The core
>group has been formed so that there is better planning and
>co-ordination between the state
>government, transport department and all the agencies concerned to
>ensure better planning for the
>project.
>
>The core group set up by the All India Institute of Local Self
>Government (AIILSG), will decide
>the terms of reference, after which the MMRDA will issue the bids and
>appoint the consultants. The
>core group consists of officials from the MMRDA, BEST, AIILSG and the
>BMC, among others. “My buses
>are ready. The moment I get a green signal from the government, I shall
>run them,” says BEST
>general manager Uttam Khobragade. But the green signal, it seems, may
>take a few more years.
>
>Email author: rajendra.aklekar at hindustantimes.com
>
>
>---
>Rajendra Aklekar
>Transport Correspondent
>Hindustan Times
>HT Media Limited
>Mumbai Edition
>--
>140-4752, Nehru Nagar
>Mumbai, 400024
>
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Bina C. Balakrishnan
Consultant
Transportation Planning & Engineering
Mumbai, India
e-mail: binac at rediffmail.com
Mobile : +91 98926 41341
Home : +91 22 23630572
Skype  : binacb