The Indian Express                        24.03.2013

After Sena objects, PCMC says will seek expert help for BRTS planning

Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi has said
that the civic administration will take all necessary steps to ensure
the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) being implemented in the industrial
town is safe for public.

The PCMC has stepped forward to assure citizens after the Pimpri
Chinchwad Shiv Sena unit recently pointed out several flaws in BRTS
implementation on the Pune-Mumbai highway the party said could cause
accidents. Pardeshi in his budget for the 2013-14 had announced that
BRTS on at least two routes will be made operational from January next
year.

“We have taken note of the flaws pointed out by the Sena. We will
take all steps to ensure safety of passengers. The BRTS is being
implemented as per international standards and therefore we will seek
advice from top experts to put in place an effective BRTS,” he said. The
PCMC is implementing BRTS on four routes. Shiv Sena leaders Seema
Savale and Sarang Kamtekar recently in an audio-visual presentation
discussed the proposed BRTS route on the 12-km Nigdi-Dapodi stretch on
the Pune-Mumbai highway. They demanded that the civic body carry out a
feasibility study before implementing the project.

They said the BRTS buses run through the middle of the roads on
dedicated lanes in Ahmedabad as well as other cities of the world like
Jakarta, Bogota and Istanbul. But PCMC plans to run the BRTS service on
dedicated lanes sandwiched between central lanes and the service road.

Kamtekar said PCMC has provided many points where vehicles can
join central lanes from the service road, and also exit central lanes to
join the service road. In the process, vehicles will have to cross the
dedicated BRTS lanes, resulting in accidents. “PCMC has provided many
underpasses to connect the service roads on both sides of the highway.
If a vehicle, moving on a service road on one side of the highway has to
go to the other side it will have to cross the BRTS lane. This will
again lead to major accidents,” he said.

Kamtekar said that the surveys conducted by the PCMC have not
considered the number and type of private vehicles that ply on the
highway. He said a detailed survey should be conducted to ascertain the
number and type of private vehicles plying on service roads and central
lanes of the highway.

“A safety audit must be conducted by organisations such as the
Central Road Research Institute or Central Institute of Road Transport
before implementing the project. A feasibility study must be conducted
to ascertain effectiveness and need of BRTS on the highway by any of the
above government organisations,” Savale said.

Kamtekar said, “If PCMC fails to ensure safety, the Sena will
launch an agitation or approach courts to prevent loss of lives of
commuters.”