Delhi's controversial experiment with the Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) is a sad one. In all the media headlines and interviews with commuters, what will most likely get forgotten is that it was not the system that was at fault but the people executing it. (Read this BS Editorial for a saner look at the issue. Also read Paul Barter's post which has useful links on the success of BRTS in other cities in the world.)
The inherent risks in implementing a Bus Rapid Transport System in India are quite evident. Public apathy is only to be expected given the poor quality of public transport. Moreover, road discipline being what it is the prospect of a lane exclusively for buses is an open invitation for any driver.
But all this doesn't change the relevance of BRTS. For one, it's quicker and cheaper to implement than other options like metro rail. Then there's the principle of equity - i.e. shouldn't more road space be given to transport that carries more people? So, I'm not sure if it's a choice of whether we need BRTS. I think it's more a question of how it should be implemented.
And given the nature of BRTS (as against that of metro rail and local rail and buses) it's not surprising to see how easily it can be dumped. No one in the Government or even the contractors would take the time or effort to explain it's benefits and educate the public before launching the project.
Back home, Mumbai was toying around with the idea of BRTS some time back. The Chinese Kinglong buses bought for this purpose are already being used on Mumbai's roads and have received an enthusiastic response, even after a recent fire on the bus. Sudhir Badami makes a compelling case for BRTS in Mumbai (isn't the prospect of transporting close to 100,000 people every hour every day across both express highways good enough?).
So, will Mumbai ever see the BRTS? Given Delhi's recent experience it now seems highly unlikely because no politician would now want to touch it with a bargepole. If anything the prospect of public 'outrage' against a system that 'failed' in Delhi would be used as the predictable excuse.
But Delhi hasn't totally given up on the BRTS. If things go right, who knows, the BRTS might even see the light of day there. And if it does succeed, Delhi would be yet another example of not one but two excellent public transport systems, after the Metro. And for us in Mumbai, we'd have another thing to envy.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
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13 comments:
Hi
Bombay Addict
This was a very nice post. I happened to see an episode of Face the Nation on CNN – IBN about the trial of BRT system in New Delhi. I feel that this was a very nice initiative. The problem was it was not planned out very well for implementation. BRTS is a very good alternative for transit and has been successfully implemented in cities Europe and South America. For the success BRTS or any such system care should be taken to adapt the system to local needs and environment. Implementation of any new concept or design should always be tackled by a ‘Three E approach” of Engineering, Enforcement and Education. We can learn from the fiasco and re – implement the project with the following aspects taken into consideration
1) Engineering:
a) A detailed study on implementation of a BRT system should be done including travel demand forecasting and Simulation studies.
b) If a dedicated lane or right of way is needed for BRT system it should be provided near the median with easy and safe access to passengers and buses without any friction with general traffic. This can be achieved by provision of under/ overpasses. The busses can access offline bus stops by using elevated T junctions.
c) It is very necessary to make the BRT system attractive as compared to driving by provision of reliable, clean and safe (I know this is an issue in Delhi especially for women) busses. If possible the busses should be made air-conditioned and handicap friendly.
The operational cost of such a system is very high. To sustain such high operational cost very high ridership or patronage on such BRT routes is required. BRT route patronage depends on the quality of service provided, making this a chicken and egg problem. For success of the project, BRT system should satisfy or surpass people’s expectation right from the beginning. If enough capital is not available public private partnership is always an option.
2) Enforcement:
a) Proper enforcement of traffic rules should be done, with care taken that other vehicles and pedestrians have no access to the dedicated lane for BRT buses which would help reduce the friction caused and improve the travel time and reliability of the system.
b) The BRT system should be implemented in tandem with proper traffic calming and Transportation system management measures which are scientifically correct and politically accepted for the region. Congestion pricing is one of such measure though it may be a bit difficult to implement in New Delhi. (It was scrapped even here in New York after strong opposition)
3) Education:
a) Education though sounding very dull is an important aspect to be considered for success of BRT system. People should be educated for benefits of using public transport systems.
b) The fact that not just increasing the pavement area and building of flyovers would alleviate the problem of congestion should be made known to the public. Addition of more pavement space just increases the demand in the long run.
c) People should be made aware that by providing priorities to BRTS they are not deprived of their right. Prioritized BRTS helps to formulate a reliable system.
I agree that people will not shift from driving to a public transport system overnight. It takes some time for a new system to attain a positive equilibrium. Ensuring good implementation of the Three “E” would ensure smooth transition.
This was some places we could improve in the next phase of implementation of BRTS in New Delhi.
Talking about Mumbai I would be very very happy to see BRT system implemented with proper planning. A multi modal approach suits best for a city like Mumbai. Proper connectivity of all the modes with reliable transfers should do the trick. Go Mumbai card is just the right step in positive direction. Implementation of a good integrated multi modal system in Mumbai will be like dream come true for every Mumbaikar.
As you say “Mumbai matters- Its Home”.
Sunil Dhuri
NYC
Sunil - I don't think I've got a such a detailed, informative and educative comment like this. Thanks so very much for this and for visiting. I hope the administrators are reading this!
Hi BA. This is IndiansUnite from SSC. The BRT corridor collapsed in Delhi because -
1. Too short - just 5.6kms. You can't expect people traveling long distance to keep on changing buses.
2. upper and middle class people don't want to leave the comfort of their cars.
3. Lack of awareness and etiquette. People wouldn't walk down 100m just to cross the road via the zebra crossing. So they just j walk through the traffic.
4. Lack of lane discipline - something common in India.
5. Heavy weaving. There are a couple of intersections where the corridor becomes jam packed because of cars trying to enter the road for cars. Ultimately they spill onto the Bus lane.
Hope things get sorted out soon and that the BRTS planned in other parts of the country are execute smoothly.
anyways BA, checkout the SSC forum. We've expanded it and now it has different forums for cities, highways, transportation etc
Cheers
IndiansUnite - Thanks very much for that informative comment! I will definitely check out SSC soon.
I was searching for fellow bloggers who write about issues and politics in India and found your blog. I did find it interesting and almost all the posts here are closer to what I write about. I wanted to know if you were interested in writing for my blog Indianese at http://indianese.wordpress.com.
Mail me if you are interested and I would be happy if you deleted this comment once you removed it. I had to comment here because I couldn't find your mail address to mail you personally.
Thanks
Sidharth - Thanks very much for the comment, I've mailed you.
It is so funny, BEST introduced a AC Bus route (A-6) from Oshiwara/ Lokhandwala to BKC to target the office going crowd, sometime in 2008 April.
Neither did they advertise it, nor kept it at a convenient time -- the first bus started after 8:30 am (so no one could reach offices on time, and/or avoid peak traffic).
And silently in May 08, they withdrew the service despite multiple requests for a better time slot.
Maybe there is more than meets the eye - who exactly is favoured by such routes coming and going out in this manner? Makes one wonder..
P Munshi - Interesting observation and this kind of arbitrary removal of routes (that make imminent sense) is intriguing on BESTs part. And it is really sad for the commuters. Thanks for the comment.
I am writing with regards BRT projects as implemented in two Indian cities. Despite being a campaigner for improving Pune's bus public transport system, I have not managed to share the optimism over BRT projects in Pune (and perhaps Delhi) for various reasons. Unfortunately a number of factors are being over looked in the ongoing debates. Concepts such as cost effectiveness and opportunity costs remain forgotten. Equally to run after a dream called BRT without having basic pre-requisites in place is nothing but foolish. For more details on my views with 15 embedded links please read my article by clicking here -http://better.pune.googlepages.com/WhyBRTinIndiadoesnotexciteme.htm
Adhiraj - Thanks for the comment.
Very comprehensive, and very nice post. Keep writing.
Sunil, also, nice reply
Dude, check this out.. http://mginger2009.blogspot.com
its lovely to see those buses on mumbai roads, also very comfortable. only problem is they should be after every 15 mnts& routes should be displayed in newspapers & busstops.
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