[sustran] Delhi should abandon its ‘failed BRT’ model: panel

[Sudhir]

Dear All,
**
Do you know about this Committee Report? please read the shaded section with
'interest".

**
*Delhi should abandon its 'failed BRT' model: panel*
**
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/delhi-should-abandon-its-failed-brt-model-panel/399389/

Indian Express -
**
*New Delhi* 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.

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.

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".

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.

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.

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.

-- 
Sudhir Gota
Transport Specialist
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Skype : sudhirgota
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