Bus commute in rapid forward mode

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Publication: The Times Of India Chennai;Date: Jan 28, 2012;Section: Times City;Page: 2

Karthikeyan Hemalatha | TNN

If all goes according to plan, Chennai may be the fourth city in the country after Pune, Delhi and Ahmedabad to have a bus rapid transport system (BRTS). With the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) having submitted to the government a study on 230km of possible routes on city roads for the system, an expert committee is now looking at the feasibility of the system along a 25km stretch of the IT Corridor. While a series of flyovers along the same route is also under consideration as an alternative, officials are reportedly in favour of the BRTS system. If not BRTS, there is the option of constructing five flyovers at successive junctions starting at Tidel Park or a single elevated expressway covering all these junctions, said a member of the expert committee. The ITDP report, which had identified 88km for the first phase, said nearly 8,000 people commute by buses along the IT corridor during peak hours. Around 26% of these commuters occupy 64% of the 41-metre-wide road. There has to be equitable distribution of road space and BRTS is the obvious choice, said Shreya Gadepalli of ITDP. The ITDP study showed that MTC and private buses occupy only 16% of the road but accounted for 63% of the commuters. Under the BRTS plan, about 30% of the road width will be dedicated to pedestrians, 30% to BRTS, and 40% to carriageway for other vehicles. According to the MTC, ticket sales show that most commuters working in the IT Corridor travel there from Mylapore, Saidapet, Velachery and Tiruvanmiyur. There is considerable traffic on the road connecting Thoraipakkam and Chromepet as well. Officials say that though the project makes sense, it may not be easy to implement it as well as Ahmedabad has. In Ahmedabad, the pr mented by a single agency, Ahme Corporation. In Chennai, the highw Tamil Nadu Road Development Com Metropolitan Development Area a tion of Chennai will have to work in principal transport secretary T Pr ra Rao, who visited Ahmedabad study the BRTS model there, told TOI. This could be difficult. But the idea is good. The BRTS system will be able to cater to 2.2 lakh passenger trips every day. The north zone of phase one of BRTS will be on Grand Sou ern Trunk Road. MTC ticket sales sh that Guindy is the transit point fo commuters travelling to and from CMBT in Koyambedu and Parrys Corner. It would also connect St Thomas Mount and Ambattur. This route has a demand of 5.4 lakh passenger trips every day. In the first phase, the whole network will need 300 buses, each around 18 metres long with a passe ger capacity of 150. The older bu operating in the city are 12 metres l While the proposal for BRT submitted by the ITDP, a US-base port advocacy company last ye Louis Berger Group, another US firm that provides engineering, tecture, programme and constr ment submitted the proposal f Members of the government exper from the highways department, Indian Institute of Technology, CMDA, MTC and the Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Ltd. FAST-MOVING CITY IT HAS BEEN FOUND THAT 8,000 PEOPLE COMMUTE ON BUSES ALONG THE IT CORRIDOR DURING PEAK HOUR AREA OF 230km studied for BRTS PHASE-1 covers 88km ESTIMATED COST 1.5cr/km

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Bus commute in rapid forward mode

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Width of the stretch along OMR will be 41 metres with 40% space dedicated for the carriageway, and 30% each for the BRTS and street development The first phase will require 300 buses that are 18 metres long and can carry 150 passengers There will be 7.6 lakh passenger trips per day On the OMR, 16% of the road space is used by MTC and private buses which caters to 63% of commuters Private vehicles use 64% of road space while catering to only 26% of commuters NEW-AGE COMMUTE BRTS INVOLVES ADEQUATE PLANNING AND INTEGRATION OF TRAFFIC DISCIPLINE Dedicated bus lanes to increase bus speed from the current average of 6kmph Bus stop surface and the floor of the bus will be at the same level. This improves accessibility for the young, the old and the disabled, and also reduces time taken for boarding While a passengers takes three seconds to board high-floor buses with narrow doors, it takes only 0.5 seconds for at-level boarding with wide doors. This increases end-to-end speed by 40% and reduces maintenance cost by 15% Passengers should be able to buy the ticket at the bus stop rather than inside the bus. Sometimes, the driver halts the bus so that conductor can ensure all commuters have paid the fare, thereby affecting speed Routes should be planned and designed studying the current scenario in existing bus routes From concept to building to operation, it takes only three years to set up a BRTS Apart from improving the corridor, there should be extensive street design ensuring convenience and safety of pedestrians Buses should be clean and contemporary so that it attracts more passengers

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Bus commute in rapid forward mode

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IN POPULAR MODE: About one lakh passengers use the BRTS in Ahmedabad every day

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