[sustran] Games bus lanes may stay in Delhi

[Faizan Jawed]

Very surprising.


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*Games lanes may be here to stay*

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

*Delhi Government takes note of their success*

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A similar system for future use may prove a boon for public buses and
emergency vehicles

Government may also overhaul the ramshackle metro feeder bus fleet
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NEW DELHI: The success of the Commonwealth Games lane in ensuring systematic
movement of buses and other vehicles for delegates and players during the
Games has made the Delhi Government sit up and take note.

For these lanes have now thrown open the possibility of a similar system for
future use in which public transport buses and other emergency vehicles can
be provided a dedicated corridor without affecting other road-users much.

“The CWG lanes have been helping the buses meant for the Games to travel
long distances in a short span of time. This is an encouraging sign. With
about 6,500 buses now in the Delhi Transport Corporation fleet, expansion of
a similar model across Delhi can really give a fillip to the public
transportation,'' said a senior Delhi Government official.

Incidentally, the new lane system which is also working due to fear of
Rs.2,000 challans and imprisonment that its violation now entails has shown
that rather than having a physically separated bus corridor, the lane system
can work equally fine and with greater flexibility if the implementation is
proper.

With the BRT corridor in South Delhi coming in for a lot of criticism, and
its extension to the north being little more than drawing of lanes on the
road, the manner of implementation of the CWG lane has shown up some
interesting possibilities.

“Will make public transport popular”

“A dedicated corridor for buses and other vehicles would definitely improve
public transportation as it would help buses move faster. This, on the other
hand, would also encourage more and more people to leave their personal
vehicles and take the buses,'' said Delhi Transport Minister Arvinder Singh
Lovely.

Though a final decision in this direction would have to wait till the Games
are over, Mr. Lovely said the Government would also like to find an
alternative to the rickety Metro feeder buses.

Having got the Blueline buses off many of the roads, the idea now is to
streamline movement of public transport by getting these feeder buses
replaced in a systematic manner.

“We also need to have air-conditioned and proper mini-buses on the roads to
provide a better feeder service. Such a system would add to the public
transport network and increase its popularity,'' he said.

The Minister said while the DTC is at present operating 4,400 buses on the
city routes, this number would swell following the Games when all 6,500-odd
DTC buses would be available for duty. “That should really encourage more
people to take to public transport,'' he added.

http://www.hindu.com/2010/10/09/stories/2010100960640400.htm