Govt to adopt new brt model in northeast

The Delhi Government’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) experiments show no signs of stopping. After meeting failure with the two different Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) models on one of the busiest arterial roads of the city, the state government is all set to launch a new one.

The Delhi Government’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) experiments show no signs of stopping.

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After meeting failure with the two different Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) models on one of the busiest arterial roads of the city, the state government is all set to launch a new one.

The proposed 8.65-kilometre corridor between Karawal Nagar and Shastri Park in Northeast Delhi is all set to have a new road meant only for the buses. The new road will be constructed on the western side of the existing Marginal Bund Road on the riverside.

Previous models
The first model, on the now operational 5.8-km stretch between Ambedkar Nagar and Moolchand, had the bus lane on the middle of the corridor.

In the second model — between Moolchand Hospital and Delhi Gate — the bus lane has been placed on the right side and the physical segregation between the lane meant for buses and the rest of the road has been done away with. This 8.7-km long section is yet to be made operational.

“We cannot have same BRT model on every corridor. Different corridors have to be designed keeping in mind the different volume of motorised and non-motorised traffic and the percentage of people travelling by buses, private vehicles or cycling to work,” Delhi transport minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said. “Once this BRT corridor is made and commissioned, it will be the best BRT corridor in Delhi.”

Lovely promise
Higher commercial speed (of buses), fewer conflict points (between buses and other traffic), safer pedestrian environment, minimal interferences with other traffic and easier implementation will make this BRT corridor more successful, Lovely said.

According to the preliminary report submitted by Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System, the agency that assists the Delhi government on various transport projects, non-motorised traffic (cycles and rickshaws) comprise almost 37 per cent of total traffic on this corridor.

People travelling by two-wheelers also form almost 33 per cent of the total traffic.