<html><head><style type="text/css"></style></head><body><div style="font-family:times new roman,new york,times,serif;font-size:12pt"><div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br> <div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div>Dear All,<br><br>Just want to share some of my thoughts<br><br><span style="font-weight: bold;">"If the mass transportation is improved integrating MRTS (Mass Rapid Transit System) and feeder bus service with high reliability, good frequency of service and easy accessibility, personalised vehicle users will no doubt switch over to public transport system."</span> <- I disagree with this.<br><br>The problem of building metro/subway lies on the targeted number of people using it. Metro pushers often claim from 30% to 60% of the city's trips will be served by this high-end transportation means. However, if the metro/subway is so good that it can attract, lets say 50% of the current road users to travel underground, the city's streets (in future) will only bear half of its users compared to now. In other words, half of every street will be freed from vehicles. So there is no reason not to build something cheaper (i.e. good BRT routes) on that "free" half  to obtain the same target of 50% trips served by public transport in stead of metro/subway.<br><br>If the city's streets after building metro will still be full of vehicles, then who gonna use the metro?<br><br><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">According to the committee, the passenger carrying capacity of the BRT model in Bogota (Colombia) is higher due to more road space given to cars.  <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 191);">I just don't really get this explanation. Why more road space given to cars can help increase the number of bus riders? I reckon the opposite.</span><br><br></font><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">But in Delhi, "even movement of pedestrian traffic across the BRT corridor is not well planned". </font> But I do agree that a thorough plan to improve walking condition for pedestrian should be carried out for the success of any BRT project.<br><br>Nguyen Anh Dung<br>Department of Ocean Mechanics and Environment.<br>Institute of Applied Mechanics and Informatics<br>Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam<br>Tel: +84 1227428742<br></div><div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br><div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><hr size="1"><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">From:</span></b> Sudhir <sudhir@cai-asia.org><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> Global 'South' Sustainable Transport <sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org>; cai-asia@lists.worldbank.org<br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, December 17, 2008 10:22:09 AM<br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> [sustran] Delhi should abandon its ‘failed BRT’ model: panel<br></font><br> <div>Dear All,</div> <div><strong></strong> </div> <div>Do you know about this Committee Report? please read the shaded section with 'interest". </div> <div> </div> <div><strong></strong> </div> <div><strong>Delhi should abandon its 'failed BRT' model: panel</strong></div> <div><strong></strong> </div> <div><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/delhi-should-abandon-its-failed-brt-model-panel/399389/">http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/delhi-should-abandon-its-failed-brt-model-panel/399389/</a></div> <div> </div> <div>Indian Express - </div> <div><strong></strong> </div> <div><strong>New Delhi</strong> The Parliamentary Standing Committee on urban transport said on Tuesday that despite the "potential benefits of BRTS", the Bus Rapid Transit System BRTS has been a failure in the Capital. </div> <p>The Standing Committee report says that in view of the city's experience, the Delhi government should "abandon the other five BRT corridors as approved earlier". Instead, the government should strengthen the Delhi Metro rail service with a strong feeder bus network, covering all bus networks in the city, the expert panel suggests. </p><p>The Standing Committee report says, "If the mass transportation is improved integrating MRTS (Mass Rapid Transit System) and feeder bus service with high reliability, good frequency of service and easy accessibility, personalised vehicle users will no doubt switch over to public transport system." Such a switchover among car-users, the report says, has been seen in New York, Toronto and London, "where the public transport system is very predominant". </p><p><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The Standing Committee observation came in the light of a report submitted by School of Planning and Architecture head Prof P K Sarkar, who has highlighted a number of "loopholes" in the Delhi model of BRT. In his observations, Prof Sarkar has pointed out that one of the major failures of this transport model in Delhi has been to take away seven metres of road width from the already inadequate right of way of the road. </font> </p><p><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">According to the expert's observations, even before the BRT system was implemented, the road, divided into six lanes, experienced very heavy traffic volume for most part of the day. The stretch needed to be widened to handle that traffic volume even before the BRT idea was implemented, the report says. But instead of adding width, two lanes were taken out of the corridor, the report points out. </font> </p><p><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">According to the committee, the passenger carrying capacity of the BRT model in Bogota (Colombia) is higher due to more road space given to cars. But in Delhi, "even movement of pedestrian traffic across the BRT corridor is not well planned". Result: pedestrians have to walk comparatively longer distances to cross the corridor, the report says. <br clear="all"> </font><br>-- <br>Sudhir Gota<br>Transport Specialist<br>CAI-Asia Center<br>Unit 3510, 35th Floor, Robinsons-Equitable Tower,<br>ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City<br>Metro Manila, Philippines 1605<br>Tel: +63-2-395-2843<br> Fax: +63-2-395-2846<br><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia">http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia</a><br>Skype : sudhirgota<br></p> </div></div></div><br> </div></div></div><br> </body></html>