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."