Trial run for BRT?

Left lanes on Karve Road to be dedicated for buses, PMPML claims it is to instil order, corporators say efficacy of BRT system being tested

Left lanes on Karve Road to be dedicated for buses, PMPML claims it is to instil order, corporators say efficacy of BRT system being tested

The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) is adamant they will go ahead with the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project at any cost; at least this is what most politicians opposed to the venture claim.


Stand in line: PMPML says the new system will enforce queues and ensure
drivers halt at all stops. Pic/Jignesh Mistry

Starting today, the left lanes on Karve Road, from SNDT College to Deccan Corner will be reserved for buses for the whole of next week. This, the PMPML says, is being done to ensure commuter discipline, by way of enforcing queues, and discipline among its drivers, who will be asked to halt at all stops and wait till all commuters are aboard.

The week-long practice will be conducted in conjunction with the Save Pune Traffic Movement (SPTM) -- whose volunteers will be present on the 3-km stretch -- and the traffic police that will ensure that private vehicles are not parked near bus stops impeding the smooth flow of traffic. But this endeavour of the PMPML has raised eyebrows in various quarters, with many claiming it is actually a trial run for the BRT project.

Vikas Matkari, BJP corporator, said he received no official communication from the government regarding the exercise. "I learnt about it from the media. I was not even informed about this decision. They have already started running buses on the centre of the road (on the Katraj-Swargate-Hadapsar route)," he said. "Now, it seems they are trying out the lanes on the left-hand side of the road for the BRT, for future consideration."
Another BJP corporator Medha Kulkarni too said that the experiment is being carried out citing commuter safety as a reason. "They want to implement the BRT under any circumstances and they are just experimenting the effect of buses running on the left lanes," Kulkarni said. "I doubt if they have thought about the safety of the thousands of children studying in the nearby schools."

Harshad Abhyankar of STPM said this would help instill discipline not only among the bus drivers, but also commuters. "Bus drivers will be instructed to stop the buses on all the stops and wait till all commuters are on board. Our volunteers will stand at dedicated points and ask people to form systematic queues," said Abhyankar.

D Pardeshi, public relations officer of PMPML, said that this would help sensitise drivers and also discipline commuters, ultimately translating into better services for the people. "Often buses have to change lanes to stop at a particular bus stop, and this thwarts smooth flow of traffic. The week-long practice will keep other lanes free and traffic can move freely without waiting for the large buses to change lanes. People also dodge traffic to board buses leading to accidents. Here, drivers have been instructed to stop at all stops and people will to be asked form queues," said Pardeshi.

Pardeshi refuted claims that it was a trial run for the BRT saying it was an experiment introduced for commuter safety and organisational discipline. PMPML officials will also be deployed, along with the traffic police and SPTM volunteers, on the 3-km stretch from SNDT College to Deccan Corner. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Manoj Patil said the traffic police would "observe how the dedicated lanes affect the traffic flow on the road. We will also decide which spots and areas around the road are to be made no-parking zones to make the system operate smoothly."

In eye of the storm
The BRT project is under severe controversy with revelations that one of the consultants for the project, Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services are not making a Detailed Project Report (DPR) even five years after the pilot project's implementation on the Katraj-Swargate-Hadapsar route. The Pune Municipal Corporation and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation are also yet to act on PMPML's proposal which suggests that the BRT routes in Pimpri-Chinchwad jurisdiction should be on the centre of the road instead of the left-hand-side, for ensuring uniformity in the project throughout the city. If a decision is not taken soon, the
Rs 100 crore from the centre will be recalled.

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