Special bus lanes can solve your traffic woes…….Ranjeet Jadhav
Experts say the Bus Rapid Transport System project is a better bet for Mumbai as compared to an extended sea link
Experts say the Bus Rapid Transport System project is a better bet for Mumbai as compared to an extended sea link
Guess what the one-stop solution to your traffic woes is. No, not a sealink connecting Nariman Point to Gorai. It’s a dedicated lane for public buses on arterial roads.
Transport experts say the Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) is the only viable solution to Mumbai’s transport problems.
And the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will soon implement the BRTS project with financial help from the World Bank.
The Rs 1,300-crore project promises to give Mumbaikars fast and reliable buses along both the Western and Eastern Express highways.
“The only way to make commuters’ journey safe and comfortable is by implementing BRTS on important arterial roads in Mumbai like the Eastern and Western Express highways,” says transport expert Sudhir Badami.
Even the sealink has not helped de-congest city roads too much. Badami said that only 3 per cent of commuters, who have their own vehicles, take the sea link to reach south Mumbai while the remaining 97 per cent prefer public modes of transport like BEST buses and local trains.
An MSRDC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed this. “When the sea link was thrown open to vehicular traffic, we expected around 80,000 vehicles to use the sealink everyday.
But today, on an average, only 40,000 vehicles use it,” he said Badami said that the BRTS project is less time-consuming and cheaper as compared to the Metro and Monorail projects.
“The per-km construction cost of BRTS is Rs 15 crore while that of the Metro is Rs 250 crore,” he said.
But today, on an average, only 40,000 vehicles use it,” he said Badami said that the BRTS project is less time-consuming and cheaper as compared to the Metro and Monorail projects.
“The per-km construction cost of BRTS is Rs 15 crore while that of the Metro is Rs 250 crore,” he said.
The construction work of extending the sealink from Worli to Haji Ali is set to start soon.
However, a senior traffic official said on condition of anonymity that once operational, the Worli-Haji Ali sea link would worsen the present traffic scenario.
He said there has been an increase of 10,000 vehicles per hour making the stretch from Peddar Road to Haji-Ali the most congested with traffic moving at a snail’s pace during peak hours.
Badami also said that apart from the BRTS, the government should construct walkways and cycling tracks in the city.
114 lakh
The approximate number of commuters who use BEST buses and local trains every day
The approximate number of commuters who use BEST buses and local trains every day
What is BRTS?
The BRTS comprises of a swift bus system on an exclusive route with buses following one another every few minutes.
The BRTS comprises of a swift bus system on an exclusive route with buses following one another every few minutes.