JAIPUR: The first BRTS corridor in the city will be completed in October and buses are expected to start plying from early next year. However, du
e to the challenges faced by similar projects in Delhi and other cities, there are fears about the success of the project. Notwithstanding, a committee has been formed on Monday to identify parking locations and workshops for the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS).
In Jaipur, the usual distance travelled by a daily commuter is less compared to other big cities. Hence the question remains whether a citizen, who has to travel just five to 10 kilometres, will abandon his private vehicle in favour of the public transport.
“In all major cities of the world, a majority of people use public transport. Jaipur might be small today, but in the coming days, with the expanding city limits, increasing population and rising fuel prices, its residents will be compelled to use the public transport. BRTS is a step taken in advance to meet the future needs,” said a JDA official. “It is a project ahead of its time and we are also open to bearing the revenue losses in its initial years,” he added.
This rapidly expanding city is definitely in dire need of a strong public transport system. Primarily dependent on minibuses, auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws, many residents feel that the BRTS would make a difference.
However, there are may who oppose the project. “As we can see, even when the construction work is being carried out, the normal traffic is pushed to narrow lanes. There will be less medians (entry points) and those commuting on private vehicles would have to travel longer distances to make turns,” says Dr V S Bhatnagar, a resident of Panipech. The ongoing BRTS work has already restricted access to his apartment.
Once all the three phases are completed, the BRTS will have a total length of 138 kilometres, out of which 75 percent will be dedicated lanes including three elevated roads. In fact, this exclusiveness worries the citizens. A similar situation in Delhi had resulted in protests where commuters alleged that they had to face traffic jams while BRTS lanes remain empty most of the time. The authorities in Jaipur are, however, counting on the superiority of road networks. Since Jaipur is a planned city, it has parallel roads and right angel connections which come to the rescue of citizens during traffic congestion, say officials. For example, in case of a traffic jam on Tonk Road, the commuters can easily shift to JLN Marg and other routes without much difficulty.
At congested places like government hostel, collectorate circle and near elevated roads, the BRTS will travel on normal lane. The JDA is also confident that introduction of BRTS will motivate more people to switch to public transport.
After rectifying the bottlenecks, the BRTS project will also have to ensure a better intermediate transport system. “The BRTS will touch only major roads and those intending to reach interior localities will have to take other means to reach BRTS stand,” said Mukesh Meena, a Rajasthan University student.
“We are designing a strong feeder transport system by redirecting the routes of minibuses to connect to local bus stops and BRTS routes,” said a senior official at Jaipur Development Authority. “Every new system is viewed with suspicion but its benefits will be obvious once the project goes fully operational. Meanwhile, lessons learnt from Delhi have been used to improve the services in Jaipur,” he added.
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