C Shivakumar
Ahmedabad:
Tamil Nadu government envisions an increase in the mode
share of public transport from the present 27 per cent to 40 per cent and Bus
Rapid Transit system could help realize the dreams, says regional director of
The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy Shreya Gadepalli.
Briefing reporters from Chennai about the success of
Janmarg—Ahmedabad Bus Rapid Transit System, she said that not only BRTS will help
improve public transport share but also cut down the number of accidents that
involve public transport in Chennai.
She says that In a bid to achieve nearly two-thirds of
all motorised trips by public transport, Chennai could learn from the Ahmedabad
model which faced key challenges that include rapid growth, socio economic
changes, reduced transit patronage, resource mobilization and providing
mobility options.
Talking about the functioning of Ahmedabad Bus Rapid
Transit System, Akhil Brahmbhatt, deputy general manager of Ahmedabad Janmarg
Limited (AJL) said that an exclusive bus lane in Ahmedabad was worked out on a
network of corridors selected on the basis of a detailed study of movement
patterns to reach the largest segment of people.
Brahmbhatt said that BRTS was designed as a strategic
intervention keeping in mind the constraints in Ahmedabad of road widths,
encroachments and traffic disorder. “It is the result of a calculated
experience of ensuring ease of movement to all users of the road,” he said.
Interestingly, signals have been provided at all crossovers to aid pedestrian
movement.
Interestingly, the buses operated in BRT lanes are
totally different and could be used in both the dedicated lanes and the normal
lanes. The buses in Ahmedabad BRT system use several technomogy that include
automated vehicle tracking system, ticket validation, passenger information
system (announcements made via speakers about next bus stop and LED displays).
It also has a seating capacity of 36 besides standing
capacity of 36 and the frequency of these buses is frequent so that it doesn’t
result in overcrowding, says Brahmbhatt.
Interestingly, the BRTS buses in Ahmedabad operate in
open and closed system. In closed system, it functions as trunk and feeder
system and run in exclusive busway. In open system, these buses move in both
the dedicated as well as in mixed traffic.
Talking about Chennai, Shreya says that presently, 83 per
cent of all trips on public transport are served by city bus service operated by
the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC). The remaining are trips are made
on suburban and Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) rail services operated by
Southern Railways.
She says that none of the public transport modes are of a
high quality. Buses are overcrowded during peak hours and their speed is
dropping by the day due to growing traffic congestion.
To improve the situation, the Government of Tamil Nadu is
building a modern metro rail system and there are advanced plans to create a
monorail system. However, these rail systems do no connect all parts of the
city. People will not shift to public transport unless they get seamless
connectivity on a high-quality, integrated network. It is important that the
city quickly fill the gaps in the network with a high-quality MRT system. BRT
is one such solution that is quick to implement, inexpensive, and has a high
capacity.
She says BRT can provide high-quality service to
complement the rail systems, thereby increasing overall ridership on public
transport. Shreya says The phase 1 network include Poonamallee - CMBT (14 km),
Ambattur-Thirumangalam (7.7km), CMBT-Madhavaram (12.4km), Siruseri-Saidapet
(24.8 km), Tambaram-Airport (10.5), GST Road junction-Thoraipakkam (10.6) is
expected to have 97 BRT stations not including major interchange terminals on
and off corridor that provide connectivity to other MRT systems. The phase 2 network
of 78.6 km and phase 3 network of 98.3 km can be created subsequently.
Chennai Corridors with Highest Demand
Corridor Passengers per hour per direction
Anna Salai (Metro) 14,
GST Road
Sadar Patel Road 8,
Ambattur-Tirumanagalam 8,100
Old Mahabalipuram Road 7,600
Poonamalee High Rd. (Metro) 7,500
Jawaharlal Nehru Rd. (Metro) 7,200
Chennai BRT corridor statistics
Corridor Length(km)
Ambattur - Thirumangalam 7.7 9,200
CMBT - Madhavaram 12.4 3,100
Siruseri - Saidapet 24.8 8,200
Tambaram - Airport 10.5 7,900
GST Rd Jn – Thoraipakkm 10.6 1,800
Total
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