[sustran] Citizens' group demands BRTS report from Pune Municipal Corporation

[Vinay Baindur]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Pune/Citizens-group-demands-BRTS-report-from-Pune-Municipal-Corporation/articleshow/41384515.cms


Citizens' group demands BRTS report from Pune Municipal Corporation

TNN | Sep 1, 2014, 02.09AM IST

PUNE: City-based Nagrik Chetna Manch has urged the Pune Municipal
Corporation (PMC) to prepare detailed reports on all Bus Rapid Transit
System (BRTS) projects in accordance with the JNNURM guidelines issued by
the ministry of urban development.

has demanded that for all Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) projects, the
Pune Municipal Corporation should prepare detailed project reports in
accordance with the JNNURM guidelines issued by the ministry of urban
development.

While the manch has sought the closure of the pilot BRTS, it has also
demanded corrective measures for the 16km corridor between Alandi Road and
Ahmednagar Road to ensure that it adheres to BRTS standards.

Civic officials in charge of the BRTS corridor on the Alandi
Road-Ahmednagar Road stretch had earlier this month alleged that there is
no clear definition of BRTS and that the civic body looked at it as ?a
dedicated bus corridor'. While the PMC has said bus operations can start as
all the work has been completed, PMPML officials have raised concerns over
the route's safety. They said in the absence of bus terminals on the two
ends, the transport undertaking will not be able to run buses at a
frequency of four minutes. "This, in turn, will lead to private vehicles
entering the BRTS corridor," the officials added.

The manch said that the civic body has failed in its communication campaign
for the pilot BRTS. "NGOs have consistently urged the municipal
commissioners to prepare a plan encompassing branding, marketing and
education. The only campaign that became public was PMC's ?innovation' of
the concept of ?mixed' BRTS, which became the laughing stock in the
transportation fraternity the world over," said the group's president Maj
Gen (retd) S C N Jatar and convener of its BRTS cell Qaneez Sukhrani.

The pilot BRTS on the 17km stretch from Katraj to Hadapsar via Swargate,
which was launched in December 2006, should be closed as there are no
features of BRTS left on the stretch, the manch said. A total of Rs 130
crore has been spent on the route so far.

The manch also cited the observations of the estimates committee report of
the state government, which said that although BRTS was taken up as a pilot
project, according to the information brought before the committee, work
was done without prior planning for the number of commuters, precise
locations for vehicle parking, bus stops at convenient places and the
difficulty of availability of land space in the cantonment area. As a
result, the inconvenience for the people increased, the committee report
said.

Why the concept failed

* BRTS is a metro rail with buses instead of rail coaches, and roads for
rail tracks. Additionally, it has cycle tracks and footpaths on both sides.
In Pune, there are no continuous footpaths and cycle tracks along BRTS
corridors

* Exclusive continuous bus-ways, where buses travel in dedicated bus lanes.
In Pune, exclusive bus-ways are not continuous

* Pune is the only city in the world where the concept of ?mixed' BRTS was
entertained. ?Mixed' in PMC's parlance means that all types of vehicles are
allowed to ply on the stretches.

* Pre-boarding fare collection and verification is essential if the service
is to be ?rapid'. In Pune, there is no pre-boarding fare collection

* Bus stations with nearby parking arrangements as well as digital display
of bus timings, feeder and trunk connections are needed. Pune has only bus
stops and no bus stations

* Frequent service and fare-free integration between feeder services is
another requirement. In Pune, the number of buses is not adequate, because
of which buses are infrequent

* Clean, comfortable and efficient low-floor buses that minimize boarding
times, provide easier access for commuters with disabilities and proper
traffic enforcement are also necessary

* BRTS also needs a real-time passenger information system using an
intelligent traffic management system