Experts find ride

Prompted by an ‘ample-scope-for-improvement’ experience on the first day of trial runs on the BRT corridor, the stakeholders held a meeting to discuss key issues.

Prompted by an ‘ample-scope-for-improvement’ experience on the first day of trial runs on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor from Ambedkar Nagar to Moolchand on Sunday, the stakeholders held a brainstorming session to discuss “inappropriate signal cycles, signages and deployment of traffic marshals” among other things.

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Despite deployment of as many as 70 trained traffic marshals assisted by more than 30 traffic cops, not to mention traffic motorcycles at each junction and officials from the State Transport Authority’s enforcement wing on the 5.8km stretch, vehicular movement was anything but smooth. That too on a Sunday, which sees only 30-40 per cent volume of that on working days.

“The signal system is still not proper and needs modification. It should be timed according to the flow of traffic in a given direction,” said a traffic official.

The stakeholders, after experiencing the chaos in the first half, held a meeting in the evening at IIT, Delhi.
IITD representatives, officials from DIMTS, RITES, Delhi Traffic and a representative of CMS, the company, which installs signals, attended the meeting.

Said Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) S.N. Shrivastava, “Ours is a supportive role, which we are extending by way of providing traffic cops to assist traffic marshals to regulate traffic on the corridor.”

However, a road traffic expert observed it is not just the traffic cops present on the corridor, the viability of the system also depends on road width, proper signage, infrastructure and above all discipline of the motorists.