Refurbishing It Will Waste Taxpayers’ Money, Say Experts New Delhi: Five years after the bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor was constructed, the transport department is looking at “overhauling” the 14.5km stretch. A proposal to refurbish the corridor at a cost of Rs 10-15 crore has been submitted to the department by DIMTS (Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System), the agency which manages the BRT. The move comes despite Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit recently admitting that the BRT “experiment” was a failure. The proposal, made earlier this year, talks about refurbishing the corridor in phases. “Since 5.8kms of the stretch was constructed before the rest of the corridor, which came up almost a year later, the functional BRT will be renovated in the first phase,” said a senior government official. The corridor, according to officials, has required more maintenance over the past few years. Transport experts, however, say refurbishing the BRT would be a waste of taxpayers’ money. “It’s time for introspection. The government has to acknowledge that the BRT was a failed experiment. Instead of wasting more money on it, dismantle the BRT, starting with the non-functional part of the corridor,” says S P Singh of the Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training (IFTRT). Of the 14.5km long corridor, only 5.8km function as a BRT with a dedicated bus lane. The rest, from Moolchand till Delhi Gate, functions as a regular road. According to Singh, the mix of the BRT with a regular traffic cycle nullifies the purpose of the BRT. “Having the BRT structure beyond Moolchand is counter-productive. It just escalates maintenance cost,” adds Singh. P K Sarkar from the School of Planning and Architecture agrees with Singh. According to Sarkar, a safety audit of the stretch is a must. “The sudden movement of traffic from a regulated BRT corridor to a normal traffic pattern could be a safety hazard. An audit is needed, especially since several hurdles are encountered on the stretch beyond Moolchand,” says Sarkar. According to him, the quantum increase in traffic on this corridor, combined with the lack of any BRT features—no dedicated lanes, allowing heavy traffic, lack of segregation of vehicles—has made the stretch a traffic experiment that needs to be rectified soon. “It is pointless to continue with the farce of the BRT. Instead, basic traffic measures need to be implemented to control traffic,” says Sarkar. Singh is also scathing about the government’s intention of refurbishing the functional stretch. “Rs 10-15 crore can be used to maintain 200km of a national highway for a year. Why waste so much money on an experiment that no one wants,” he asks. According to Singh, dismantling the BRT, especially beyond Moolchand, would be more economical in the long run. “Have proper traffic management at intersections, zero tolerance for parking along the sides of the road, ensure pedestrian pathways— all these will be more effective and less capital intensive,” observes Singh. A CRRI report of the BRT had earlier recommended converting the corridor into a regular road. CORRIDOR OF UNCERTAINTY AMBEDKAR NAGAR-DELHI GATE BRT Daily use (approx) Passengers on buses 1.12 lakh Cars/ taxis/jeeps 35,000-40,000 2-wheelers: 30,000-35,000 14.5km BRT corridor maintained by DIMTS DIMTS maintains assets — road, bus queue shelters, signage, railings, streetlights, footpaths, street furniture, landscaping Also responsible for traffic management Over Rs 3.5 crore spent annually on upkeep of functional stretch (Ambedkar Ngr-Moolchand) Transport department looking to ‘overhaul’ existing stretch at Rs 10-15 crore Experts say equivalent to maintaining 200km of a national highway for a year Fast facts Total Length: 14.5km Operational: 5.8km No. of junctions with cameras 20 Junctions monitored by DIMTS 17 Maximum length of a signal cycle 240 sec (during auto mode) Violations on BRT is noted only till Moolchand