E-Paper
BRT essential for public transport improvement: Om Prakash Bakoria
He was interacting with participants at a two-day workshop organised by PMPML to identify future expansion plans for the existing BRT network and to plan various solutions to improve the BRT
PUNE
Om Prakash Bakoria, chairman and managing director of Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML), suggested that Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) holds the key to improving the city’s traffic situation.
He was interacting with participants at a two-day workshop organised by PMPML to identify future expansion plans for the existing BRT network and to plan various solutions to improve the BRT network between Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
“The workshop’s main takeaway was that the BRTS network must be complete and comprehensive in order to provide seamless connectivity, regardless of whether it overlaps with a Metro corridor or not,” Bakoria opined.
He further added that buses, do not cause congestion, but can help to reduce vehicular traffic by inducing a modal shift.
“BRT is critical for public transportation improvement and city development,” he went on to say.
On the occasion, which was organised at Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Hall, Ghole Road, local organisation-office bearers, traffic experts, PMPML, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporations, and Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad traffic department officers were present.
Of the 145 km BRTS network planned under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), only 70 km was ever completed, of which currently only 45 km are operational. Many of the corridors have been impacted by the ongoing Metro Rail work.
The BRT corridors serve more than 4 lakh commuters daily, which can increase if the BRT network expands. A survey conducted by the bus service provider also highlighted the poor state of the BRT stations, especially the sliding doors which have become nearly inoperable in PMC.
