Flawed from the beginning: Not closed to other traffic

When the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor was first planned in 2004, the idea was simple: a dedicated lane for buses would make travel faster. The implementation and design, however, proved to be its undoing. Several flaws in both proved to be fatal for the corridor.

The fact, though, is that BRT can work. In Ahmedabad, for example, it has made public transport the preferred option for many because of ease and accessibility. It has been a success in Pune as well.

According to experts, the exercise failed in Delhi primarily because there was no control over its design and implementation. The lack of a single agency that could be held accountable also proved to be a problem. While DIMTS, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) set up to manage BRT, ran the stretch, policymaking and enforcement were out of its hands. In contrast, in Ahmedabad, Janmarg, an SPV controlled by the municipality , manages the BRTS completely . This agency planned, designed, implemented and managed the corridor, resulting in direct accountability .

Ahmedabad also learnt from others, including Delhi's mistakes. Instead of going with an open system, which would allow other vehicles to enter and exit the dedicated lanes, Ahmedabad opted for a closed BRT. In Delhi, the pilot 5.8km stretch between Ambedkar Nagar and Moolchand had a dedicated bus lane, with the car lane being squeezed into just two lanes on either side. Signal cycles went for a toss with a long waiting time at intersections. Bus stations, which were supposed to provide safe entry and exit to the bus system, became hazardous as they were located near the intersections -adding to traffic congestion -and were diffi cult to negotiate for commuters.

The Ahmedabad BRTS couldn't be more different. It uses smart cards, air-conditioned buses, dedicated fast lanes, a public information system, global positioning system and a centralised con trol room. It is a closed BRT system. So, the buses don't go out and other buses are not allowed in. The buses are fitted with devices which traffic signals can read and give them free passage. The bus stations are located more than 300m before the intersections and have platform screen doors operated by sensors to prevent people from getting hit by buses passing by. The doors open when a bus arrives and all buses, standard floor ones, stop in perfect alignment with the floor of the bus shelters.

What made the biggest difference perhaps was the fact that people were allowed to give feedback that was incorporated by the Ahmedabad municipal corporation.In fact, before the launch, people were given free rides for two months on the buses plying on the Ahmedabad BRTS.

The short distance of the pilot BRTS project in Delhi also sounded its death-knell.The fact is that 5.8km will never showcase the benefits of a system, however good it may be. Better design also proved to be Ahmedabad BRTS' advantage. Central lanes ensure that interference from the traffic is minimized while bus stations far from intersections ensure that queues of buses do not create jams. Together, these measures led to increased bus frequencies and reduced the waiting period to 2 minutes during peak hours and 8-10 minutes during off-peak hours. Compare that with the Delhi model, where the waiting time at intersections was more than 20 minutes during peak hours.