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Showing posts with label BRT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BRT. Show all posts
November 11, 2012
October 19, 2012
August 14, 2012
NGO, transport experts show support for BRT
With the fate of Delhi's only bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor still hanging in the balance, Hazards Centre – a non-government organisation – came out in its support and demanded its proper implementation. The organisation was supported by IIT professors and transport experts
Dinesh Mohan and Geetam Tiwari, who came out in defence of the corridor and called the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) study biased.
Mohan and Tiwari were on board when the Delhi government had planned, designed and executed the BRT corridor between Ambedkar Nagar and Moolchand Hospital.
"The CRRI study did not take the views of bus users. The survey took views of 25% bus users, even though 66% people travelling on the corridor are actually bus users," said Tiwari.
Hearing a public interest litigation, the Delhi High Court had asked the CRRI to carry out a study on the BRT corridor in May this year.
Mohan said he was surprised to see that the CRRI, which had not been allowed to work on the BRT corridor by the ministry of urban development because it was not "competent enough to work on a public transport project," was asked by the high court to review the project.
"Data shows that the existing BRT corridor is one of the safest roads for women, children and elderly people in Delhi. Only two accidents took place on the 5.8-km BRT stretch in 2010. Also, a large number of people living in the neighbouring areas come for a walk here," Mohan said.
Trashing the report submitted by the CRRI to the High Court, the NGO claimed that the report was skewed and only highlighted the views and suggestions of car users. NGO director Dunu Roy said a parallel survey conducted by them clearly showed that almost 90% people who travelled on the corridor were happy with separate lane for buses and emergency vehicles.
Tiwari said Delhi government should have actually extended the corridor further so more people could benefit from it.
Source: Hindustan Times, Delhi Edition (14.08.2012)Original Link
August 5, 2012
What Bogota can teach India on mobility
A. SRIVATHSAN
It is slowly dawning on policymakers that improved public transport is the key to sorting out these problems. But the question they frequently ask is whether people would make the shift to public transport. A host of cities from Africa to Australia, led by Curitiba and Bogota, have convincingly demonstrated that a smart Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) can make a difference.
The first BRTS, inaugurated in 1974 in Curitiba, Brazil, caught the world’s attention. The city managers boldly demarcated dedicated bus lanes on roads perceived as a privileged space for cars. These exclusive lanes improved speed and reduced travel time. Well-designed buses turned intra-city travel a pleasure. Intelligent integration of bus network and city planning reduced trip lengths.
In 2000, the city of Bogotá in Colombia improved upon the Curitiba model and launched its own TransMilenio BRTS. Its resounding success silenced the sceptics and reiterated that wise planning does deliver. Cities were enlightened, and more and more of them reinvented their bus transport system.
Indian cities, where the usage of private cars still constitutes a small percentage, had a well-working bus transport in the past. But over the years, they overlooked modernisation and failed to make sufficient investments. Consequently, the quality of services deteriorated. Cities such as Chennai that need a fleet of about 8,000 buses run on half the strength. Delhi, which should have about 11,000 buses, has only 5,771. As a result, India offers a meagre 1.29 buses per thousand passengers, while other well-planned countries provide vastly more — Brazil has 10.3 buses per thousand. The gaping holes in Indian urban transport policy stand exposed.
Seemingly, the government learnt its lessons, and re-thought its approach. It announced a new National Urban Transport Policy in 2006, under which cities must prioritise public transport and take measures to make it more attractive. It strongly recommended that lanes and corridors be reserved for public transport and non-motorised modes of travel. The working group on urban transport for the Twelfth Plan has also recommended an investment of more than Rs. 40,000 crore to augment bus transport over the next five years. It is in this context that cities such as Delhi and Ahmedabad chose to implement the BRTS.
A recent audit of the BRTS across the world by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) showed that Ahmedabad scored 76 out of 100 points, while Delhi scored only 22 points. The best system in the world — Bogota’s TransMilenio — topped the list with 93 points. This is not a reflection on the usage of Delhi BRTS, but on the dilution of design parameters.
Despite having only a truncated network, the Delhi system carries about 12,000 passengers an hour per direction — far more than cities such as Beijing. The lower and middle-income groups, starved of good transport facilities, found the BRTS a great service. But the minority car owners strongly felt that the road space belonged to them and tried to put a spoke in the city’s wheels.
On the other hand, Ahmedabad’s BRTS, aptly named Janmarg — people’s path — made significant design improvements, developed a large network, provided comfortable stations and safe transfers. Undiluted public support helped it succeed, where Delhi failed.
The contrast in the tale of two cities — Delhi and Ahmedabad — shows that half-hearted measures to address critical urban issues will not deliver.
The Hindu: This photo taken on October 20, 2008 shows a picture of Bogota's Bus Rapid Transit System used during the presentation by Vijayawada Municipal Corporation officials.
Frequent gridlock, unbridled congestion and health hazards due to carbon dioxide emission are part of the urban nightmare. Spiralling fuel costs and limited space further add to the woes of Indian cities.It is slowly dawning on policymakers that improved public transport is the key to sorting out these problems. But the question they frequently ask is whether people would make the shift to public transport. A host of cities from Africa to Australia, led by Curitiba and Bogota, have convincingly demonstrated that a smart Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) can make a difference.
The first BRTS, inaugurated in 1974 in Curitiba, Brazil, caught the world’s attention. The city managers boldly demarcated dedicated bus lanes on roads perceived as a privileged space for cars. These exclusive lanes improved speed and reduced travel time. Well-designed buses turned intra-city travel a pleasure. Intelligent integration of bus network and city planning reduced trip lengths.
In 2000, the city of Bogotá in Colombia improved upon the Curitiba model and launched its own TransMilenio BRTS. Its resounding success silenced the sceptics and reiterated that wise planning does deliver. Cities were enlightened, and more and more of them reinvented their bus transport system.
Indian cities, where the usage of private cars still constitutes a small percentage, had a well-working bus transport in the past. But over the years, they overlooked modernisation and failed to make sufficient investments. Consequently, the quality of services deteriorated. Cities such as Chennai that need a fleet of about 8,000 buses run on half the strength. Delhi, which should have about 11,000 buses, has only 5,771. As a result, India offers a meagre 1.29 buses per thousand passengers, while other well-planned countries provide vastly more — Brazil has 10.3 buses per thousand. The gaping holes in Indian urban transport policy stand exposed.
Seemingly, the government learnt its lessons, and re-thought its approach. It announced a new National Urban Transport Policy in 2006, under which cities must prioritise public transport and take measures to make it more attractive. It strongly recommended that lanes and corridors be reserved for public transport and non-motorised modes of travel. The working group on urban transport for the Twelfth Plan has also recommended an investment of more than Rs. 40,000 crore to augment bus transport over the next five years. It is in this context that cities such as Delhi and Ahmedabad chose to implement the BRTS.
A recent audit of the BRTS across the world by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) showed that Ahmedabad scored 76 out of 100 points, while Delhi scored only 22 points. The best system in the world — Bogota’s TransMilenio — topped the list with 93 points. This is not a reflection on the usage of Delhi BRTS, but on the dilution of design parameters.
Despite having only a truncated network, the Delhi system carries about 12,000 passengers an hour per direction — far more than cities such as Beijing. The lower and middle-income groups, starved of good transport facilities, found the BRTS a great service. But the minority car owners strongly felt that the road space belonged to them and tried to put a spoke in the city’s wheels.
On the other hand, Ahmedabad’s BRTS, aptly named Janmarg — people’s path — made significant design improvements, developed a large network, provided comfortable stations and safe transfers. Undiluted public support helped it succeed, where Delhi failed.
The contrast in the tale of two cities — Delhi and Ahmedabad — shows that half-hearted measures to address critical urban issues will not deliver.
Source: The Hindu, (05.08.2012)
Original Article
Trying to run Delhi’s BRTS off the road
GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR
Proponents of the BRTS say it is a much cheaper option than the Metro. But it needs a dedicated pathway and standardised infrastructure for optimal results. It must be given a chance to perform
After the success of the Delhi Metro Rail Project, the Delhi government asked IIT-Delhi and RITES in 2004 to design and implement the first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor in Delhi along a 5.8-km stretch from Ambedkar Nagar to Mool Chand. From the day it opened in 2008, though, it has faced protests, particularly from private vehicle users, because their travel time increased.
Some media groups launched campaigns against the system, and with politicians joining the chorus, the government put on hold 14 similar projects.
Things did not end there. Some citizens took the matter to the Delhi High Court. The Central Road Research Institute conducted a study at the instance of the court and noted: “No BRT option yields better benefits for this corridor with the given traffic conditions.”
After experimental trials in May, it also said “allowing of other vehicles to ply on the earmarked lane for buses yielded better benefits for all the road-users [ than the] BRT solution.”
Based on the CRRI report, the court directed in mid-July that all categories of vehicles be allowed to ply on the dedicated bus lanes. The government vowed to move the Supreme Court against the order, with which it did not comply. It has been issued a contempt notice, and has to reply by August 8.
Government counsel K.T.S. Tulsi says: “The CRRI report is full of contradictions. In fact, it supports the continuation of BRT with its conclusion that 70 per cent of its users were moving faster and there was a 32 per cent increase in bus ridership.” Car owners, he adds, are the major protesting group.
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has said BRT is “for the common man,” but it faces hurdles from “vested interests.” A big question mark now hangs over the present project, while uncertainty persists on the continuation of the system as a whole.
S.N. Sahai, Managing Director and CEO of Delhi Multi-Modal Integrated Transit System (DIMTS) Limited, which manages the system, insists that BRT is important because it is impossible for road space to increase at the rate at which vehicles are being added. “Nearly 25 per cent of Delhi’s area is already covered with roads. In London and other cities, that area is about 15 per cent.”
“The main advantage of BRT can be seen during rush hour as it gives preference to buses, which, on average, carry around 40 people, instead of cars or other private vehicles. A bus occupies the space of just about two cars and carries about 10 times as many people,” Mr. Sahai explains.
DIMTS officials point out that BRT is a low-cost option, compared to the Metro. One km of BRT costs Rs. 15-20 crore, about 20 times less than Metro which costs around Rs. 300-400 crore a km. In Delhi, BRT carries around 12,400 passengers per hour per direction as against about 25,000 for Delhi Metro. But car owners see a vacant lane for buses and wonder why they cannot use it.
There are other factors too. Planners earmarked a 4.5-metre space for pedestrians and cyclists, which is seen as underused, while providing motorised vehicle users 7.5 metres and bus lanes 3.3 metres on each carriageway.
Learning from experience, DIMTS has proposed several modifications in six new BRT projects. “Fewer junctions to reduce stoppage and waiting time, grade separators to eliminate junctions and a special purpose vehicle to run dedicated buses at high frequency.
The HinduThis April 20, 2008 photo shows a scene at the Chirag Dilli crossing during the first trial run of the Bus Rapid Transit corridor in New Delhi.
Proponents of the BRTS say it is a much cheaper option than the Metro. But it needs a dedicated pathway and standardised infrastructure for optimal results. It must be given a chance to perform
After the success of the Delhi Metro Rail Project, the Delhi government asked IIT-Delhi and RITES in 2004 to design and implement the first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor in Delhi along a 5.8-km stretch from Ambedkar Nagar to Mool Chand. From the day it opened in 2008, though, it has faced protests, particularly from private vehicle users, because their travel time increased.
Some media groups launched campaigns against the system, and with politicians joining the chorus, the government put on hold 14 similar projects.
Things did not end there. Some citizens took the matter to the Delhi High Court. The Central Road Research Institute conducted a study at the instance of the court and noted: “No BRT option yields better benefits for this corridor with the given traffic conditions.”
After experimental trials in May, it also said “allowing of other vehicles to ply on the earmarked lane for buses yielded better benefits for all the road-users [ than the] BRT solution.”
Based on the CRRI report, the court directed in mid-July that all categories of vehicles be allowed to ply on the dedicated bus lanes. The government vowed to move the Supreme Court against the order, with which it did not comply. It has been issued a contempt notice, and has to reply by August 8.
Government counsel K.T.S. Tulsi says: “The CRRI report is full of contradictions. In fact, it supports the continuation of BRT with its conclusion that 70 per cent of its users were moving faster and there was a 32 per cent increase in bus ridership.” Car owners, he adds, are the major protesting group.
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has said BRT is “for the common man,” but it faces hurdles from “vested interests.” A big question mark now hangs over the present project, while uncertainty persists on the continuation of the system as a whole.
S.N. Sahai, Managing Director and CEO of Delhi Multi-Modal Integrated Transit System (DIMTS) Limited, which manages the system, insists that BRT is important because it is impossible for road space to increase at the rate at which vehicles are being added. “Nearly 25 per cent of Delhi’s area is already covered with roads. In London and other cities, that area is about 15 per cent.”
“The main advantage of BRT can be seen during rush hour as it gives preference to buses, which, on average, carry around 40 people, instead of cars or other private vehicles. A bus occupies the space of just about two cars and carries about 10 times as many people,” Mr. Sahai explains.
DIMTS officials point out that BRT is a low-cost option, compared to the Metro. One km of BRT costs Rs. 15-20 crore, about 20 times less than Metro which costs around Rs. 300-400 crore a km. In Delhi, BRT carries around 12,400 passengers per hour per direction as against about 25,000 for Delhi Metro. But car owners see a vacant lane for buses and wonder why they cannot use it.
There are other factors too. Planners earmarked a 4.5-metre space for pedestrians and cyclists, which is seen as underused, while providing motorised vehicle users 7.5 metres and bus lanes 3.3 metres on each carriageway.
Learning from experience, DIMTS has proposed several modifications in six new BRT projects. “Fewer junctions to reduce stoppage and waiting time, grade separators to eliminate junctions and a special purpose vehicle to run dedicated buses at high frequency.
Source: The Hindu, (05.08.2012)
Ahmedabad is on a roll
MANAS DASGUPTA
Nearly 23 per cent of the two-wheeler owners, more than 25 per cent of the regular autorickshaw users and about three per cent of the car owners have shifted to BRTS
The dug-up roads, innumerable barricades to facilitate the construction of flyovers and thinning of the main thoroughfares made commuters curse the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) under their breath.
But some five years later, the same commuters are enjoying the comfortable ride on the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), praising the foresight of the authorities.
The project was visualised by the city and the transport authorities, with the help of the Centre for Environment Planning and Technology (CEPT) University, the key planner, to cover the entire city. It will create a viable public transport system in the absence of local trains operating in the metros. Of the first two phases of the 88.9-km route to cover some important and busy localities, less than 25 km, covering two routes, have become fully operational, while work is under way on the other routes, including the most congested roads that cut through the heart of the city to reach the main railway station.
When the work started in 2007, the first two phases was estimated to cost Rs. 990 crore. But the first phase of 12.5 km itself, covering a part of the posh western parts of the city, consumed more than Rs. 400 crore. The authorities estimate that the overall cost could be more than double the original estimate. Yet, given the popular response to the BRTS, Ahmedabad Janmarg Limited (AJL), the special purpose vehicle created by the AMC for implementing the project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), is confident that the project would not be affected by cost overruns.
In fact, even on the limited routes now in operation, the AJL claims to have met the project cost in less than three years, after the first 12.5-km stretch was commissioned in October 2009. Surveys conducted by the AJL from time to time show that nearly 23 per cent of the two-wheeler owners, more than 25 per cent of the regular autorickshaw users and about three per cent of the car owners have shifted to BRTS. People claim to be saving nearly 70 per cent in time and 50 per cent in travel cost by taking the BRTS. Having already received a number of awards, including the ‘Best Intelligent Transport System’ Award of the Centre for three consecutive years, the Ahmedabad BRTS is drawing national and international attention. AMC Municipal Commissioner and AJL Chairman Guruprasad Mahapatra says experts from various Asian and African countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia and Tanzania, visited Ahmedabad to study the system so as to replicate it in their cities.
The reason is that the CEPT, which received the Central government’s award of ‘Institution of Excellence,’ mainly for its BRTS planning, learnt from the mistakes committed by Delhi and Pune in implementing dedicated bus corridors. Thus, Ahmedabad has hassle-free travel: middle-of-the-corridor bus stations; smart cards for ticketing to avoid congestion; flyovers at important junctions; and mixed traffic. The AJL offered free rides to commuters for three months before commissioning the service to get suggestions, most of which it implemented.
It will still be several years before the BRTS, viewed as the backbone of the public transport system, is fully operational. In a hot city like Ahmedabad, where people are used to personal vehicles to commute, walking is not the favourite pastime. Parking points on all BRTS routes, where the commuters can park their personal vehicles, are needed along with adequate autorickshaw or municipal transport feeder services. Traffic congestion at mixed traffic junctions is another drawback, while the tickets need to be cheaper for those now using municipal buses: at present, fares are attractive to car and two-wheeler owners.
Leading the pack: A bus on the Ahmedabad Janmarg (Bus Rapid Transit System) corridor in Ahmedabad. Photo: Anil Kumar Sastry
Nearly 23 per cent of the two-wheeler owners, more than 25 per cent of the regular autorickshaw users and about three per cent of the car owners have shifted to BRTS
The dug-up roads, innumerable barricades to facilitate the construction of flyovers and thinning of the main thoroughfares made commuters curse the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) under their breath.
But some five years later, the same commuters are enjoying the comfortable ride on the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), praising the foresight of the authorities.
The project was visualised by the city and the transport authorities, with the help of the Centre for Environment Planning and Technology (CEPT) University, the key planner, to cover the entire city. It will create a viable public transport system in the absence of local trains operating in the metros. Of the first two phases of the 88.9-km route to cover some important and busy localities, less than 25 km, covering two routes, have become fully operational, while work is under way on the other routes, including the most congested roads that cut through the heart of the city to reach the main railway station.
When the work started in 2007, the first two phases was estimated to cost Rs. 990 crore. But the first phase of 12.5 km itself, covering a part of the posh western parts of the city, consumed more than Rs. 400 crore. The authorities estimate that the overall cost could be more than double the original estimate. Yet, given the popular response to the BRTS, Ahmedabad Janmarg Limited (AJL), the special purpose vehicle created by the AMC for implementing the project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), is confident that the project would not be affected by cost overruns.
In fact, even on the limited routes now in operation, the AJL claims to have met the project cost in less than three years, after the first 12.5-km stretch was commissioned in October 2009. Surveys conducted by the AJL from time to time show that nearly 23 per cent of the two-wheeler owners, more than 25 per cent of the regular autorickshaw users and about three per cent of the car owners have shifted to BRTS. People claim to be saving nearly 70 per cent in time and 50 per cent in travel cost by taking the BRTS. Having already received a number of awards, including the ‘Best Intelligent Transport System’ Award of the Centre for three consecutive years, the Ahmedabad BRTS is drawing national and international attention. AMC Municipal Commissioner and AJL Chairman Guruprasad Mahapatra says experts from various Asian and African countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia and Tanzania, visited Ahmedabad to study the system so as to replicate it in their cities.
The reason is that the CEPT, which received the Central government’s award of ‘Institution of Excellence,’ mainly for its BRTS planning, learnt from the mistakes committed by Delhi and Pune in implementing dedicated bus corridors. Thus, Ahmedabad has hassle-free travel: middle-of-the-corridor bus stations; smart cards for ticketing to avoid congestion; flyovers at important junctions; and mixed traffic. The AJL offered free rides to commuters for three months before commissioning the service to get suggestions, most of which it implemented.
It will still be several years before the BRTS, viewed as the backbone of the public transport system, is fully operational. In a hot city like Ahmedabad, where people are used to personal vehicles to commute, walking is not the favourite pastime. Parking points on all BRTS routes, where the commuters can park their personal vehicles, are needed along with adequate autorickshaw or municipal transport feeder services. Traffic congestion at mixed traffic junctions is another drawback, while the tickets need to be cheaper for those now using municipal buses: at present, fares are attractive to car and two-wheeler owners.
Source: The Hindu, (05.08.2012)
Original Article
August 4, 2012
New rating system for Bus Rapid Transit System
AHMEDABAD: For the first time a new standard for operations for BRTS has been introduced by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP). From the next year onwards, the city's BRTS will be rated against 70 other similar mass transit networks across the globe, said ITDP officials.
The ITDP has released the BRT Standard, Version 1.0 - a new scoring system based on internationally recognized best practice in bus rapid transit (BRT) system design.
The BRT Standard awards points for characteristics such as off-board fare collection, frequency of service, level boarding, safe and comfortable station design, passenger comfort and access and good integration with cycling and walking. It deducts points for low speeds, overcrowding, poor maintenance of buses or stations, lack of right-of-way enforcement and too long or too short distances between stations.
Similar to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building ratings, the BRT Standard designates gold, silver, and bronze rankings. "While over 70 cities have created some form of BRT, many people are simply not aware of their true potential, since there is a tremendous variation in the quality of those systems," says Walter Hook, Chief Executive Officer of ITDP.
"It became clear to us that a standard was needed to recognize the leaders in BRT, and to help those planning new systems," he added.
Ahmedabad's Janmarg BRT system is one among the global BRT systems that soon will be evaluated by the BRT Standard Committee. "Enacting a universal standard for BRT systems will make a huge difference to world-class systems such as Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd (AJL) by giving an official recognition celebrating AJL's achievements. If AJL earns a gold, silver, or bronze ranking, it will identify Ahmedabad as a world leader in BRT," says Hook.
Orginal Article: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-07/ahmedabad/31610198_1_ajl-brts-ahmedabad-janmarg
July 30, 2012
Govt Prepares for a counter strike on CRRI report assessing BRT
Source: Navbharat Times, Delhi Edition, Dated 18.07.2012
July 24, 2012
BRT - Missed the bus for cars
-- Anumita Roychowdhury, Right To Clean Air Campaign
Original article at: Factual assessment of CCRI's report on BRT
August 15, 2011
Better Refreshed BRT in version three
Lessons learnt : Delhi Govt says proposed corridor will be the best so far.The three letters BRT signify a nightmare for most commuters, don't they? But Phase III of the controversial so far Bus Rapid Transit Corridor promising to be its most user freindly version, chances are the association take a more rapid turn.
Source: Hindustan Times, Delhi Edition
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