Making changes in BRT, says Sheila

The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is here to stay for sure. But it may don a different look on different routes adapting to the requirements and traffic pattern of the area it will cut through.

The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is here to stay for sure. But it may don a different look on different routes adapting to the requirements and traffic pattern of the area it will cut through.

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Speaking at a symposium on public transportation in Indian cities with special focus on Bus Rapid Transit Systems, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said the government had learnt its lessons from the first BRT corridor in Delhi and changes would be incorporated in design of future corridors on the basis of the experiences and feedback.

"Bus lane in the centre did not favour people so we changed it. The design of the BRT cannot be the same on all corridors. There will be changes in the design so that people do not feel inconvenienced," Dikshit said.

Dikshit found a support in Tony Dufays, regional director of International Association of Public Transport. "Cities like Sao Polo and Bogota have various models of BRT functional suiting to their own requirements. The governments need to be very flexible," Dufays said.

Dikshit said people should go for smaller and electric cars to reduce traffic jams. "We have fairly wide roads. We need to channelise traffic on the roads…there were lot of smaller cars in the recent auto expo. We hope people will feel attracted towards them," Dikshit said.