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BRTS – Certainly Possible & Can be Seamlessly Integrated too !
Written By Naveen - 6 May, 2008
BMIC Traffic Bangalore CTTP BETL CDP BMTC BMLTA BRTS Analysis
At signals & intersections, narrow underpasses could be used exclusively to allow for through passage of buses as mentioned in previous threads. If underpasses are not feasible at some locations, narrow one-way 16-ft wide overpasses will need to be built to facilitate BRT routing. All road infrastructure developments must focus on priority bus routing options rather than cater to & promote private vehicle usage.
Five possible routes are mentioned below – more can be added, but many will have to be single lane & /or circular routes since road widths may be insufficient : 1.
Domlur-Koramangala- Electronic City /EC (along 100-ft rd, IRR, Hosur rd).
– Integrates at Domlur with proposed ph-2 Metro (Indiranagar to Whitefield), runs parallel with proposed ph-2 Metro on Hosur road (EC to Yelahanka), & also integrates with Route-2 below at Domlur.
This twin-lane route can be bifurcated whilst passing through Koramanagala, & rejoined on Hosur road at Silkboard junction.Whilst south-bound, the route can use one lane on the left along Koramangala 80-ft rd (from Sonyworld at IRR-80-ft rd junction), proceed on Sarjapur rd, turn right at Agara lake & use ORR to rejoin Hosur rd at Silkboard. On return to Indiranagar, the route can turn right on to Koramangala 100-ft rd from Hosur rd & use one lane of the road on 100-ft rd upto 80-ft peripheral rd at Sonyworld to rejoin the other BRT lane on IRR. This will provide coverage to HSR along ring road & also to inner parts of Koramangala.
If a commuter wishes to proceed to Domlur from Sarjapur road, he could do it by taking the south bound bus & changing over to a north-bound bus at Silkboard – there will be a slight delay, but it would be minimal since buses would run faster with priority corridors.
2.
Richmod Circle-Domlur (along Richmond rd, Victoria rd & Airport rd).
– Integrates with Route-1 above at Domlur, Metro (ph-1) at Trinity, Metro ph-2 (EC to Yelahanka) at Vellara Junction near Shoolay, Metro ph-2 (Indiranagar to Whitefield) at Domlur, & also with LRT /Mono, if the extension is planned /provided at Richmond circle.
This twin-lane route will need to be bifurcated at Richmond road-Victoria rd junction & rejoined at Victoria rd-Airport rd junction (near battle tank).
When east bound, this route can go along Richmond rd till almost Trinity junction, turn right on to trinity church road through defense areas, turn left & continue on airport road till Domlur. When west bound, branch off to Victoria rd near battle tank & rejoin other lane at Lifestyle. Thus, it will use only one lane on Richmond road past Lifestyle up to Trinity, Trinity church road & on Victoria road.
3.
Hudson Circle – KG Circle – KG Bus station – Railway station – Anand Rao circle – Seshadri Rd – KR Circle – Nrupathunga Rd – Hudson circle.
– Integrates with Metro (ph-1) at KG Bus station & at Mysore Bank & with Mono /LRT at Hudson (if extension planned /provided).
This is a circular route & will use up only one lane on all the roads mentioned. At worst, a commuter may need to spend a few minutes longer if his destination is closer in the opposite direction of the route.
4.
Magadi Rd-Dr.Rajkumar rd junction – Northwards all along Dr.Rajkumar rd – Soap Factory – CV Raman rd (through IISC) – Sampige rd – Swastik – Platform rd – Magadi Rd back to Dr.Rajkumar rd-Magadi rd junction.
– Integrates with Metro (ph-1) at Dr.Rajkumar rd-Magadi rd junction, Metro (ph-1) at Soap factory & Metro (ph-1) midway at Maharishi Kuvempu rd stn & at Swastik stn.
This is a another circular route aimed to service parts of Rajajinagar & Malleswaram that are not close to the Metro ph-1 route & will use up only one lane on Dr.Rajkumar rd, CV Raman rd, Sampige rd, Platform rd & Magadi rd. The Metro corridor provides inter-connectivity midway + Metro integration will be available at both ends.
5.
National College flyover /circle – Vanivilas road – Vasavi Temple rd – Pass adjacent KR park on the east side – turn right at Gunasheela nursing home – turn left on to Kanakapura road – to Banashankari temple /bus station. When north bound, proceeds along Kanakapura rd for a short distance & then along KR Road throughout (parallel & close to Kanakapura rd), past Gandhi bazaar back to National college.
– Integrates with Metro (ph-1) & Mono /LRT at National College & with Metro (ph-1) at Banashankari bus station.
This is a circular route for most part (with corridors close to one another) & is aimed to provide service for Basavangudi & Banashankari areas not serviced by Metro. Metro will be available at both ends.
Priority for buses & BRT now does seem more & more of a necessity with each passing day in the city & needs to be considered foremost. Providing priority of passage for buses appears to be the only way to put an end to the relentless increase in personal modes for mobility with increased traffic volumes.
To be successful & effective, the corridors must not be discontinuous & must provide interfaces with Metro & other modes of rapid transit/s to make the whole travel package faster, reliable & efficient. If they do not provide options for onward journeys, there will be few takers, not serve the purpose & will fail financially.
The CTTP report has not considered the SE quadrant of the Core area, though this had previously been considered for the ELRTS project that had been abandoned. The Mono /LRT recommended from Kathriguppe to National College needs to be extended to pass through JC Rd, RRM Rd & Residency Rd to integrate with the Metro Ph-2 corridor at Rex Cinema This will provide far more convenient options & help greatly.
Check this link: http://bangalore.praja.in/part-iii-south-east-cbd-areas-not-connected.
COMMENTS
Naveen - 7 May, 2008 - 02:19
Sri,
a) I had’nt mentioned extending to Shantinagar TTMC from Richmond Circle as the road widths adjacent the ramp of the flyover on Richmond rd are narrow. Also, it’s narrow under the flyover on the stretch between Richmond circle towards double rd. Thus, providing bus lanes may not be feasible beyond Richmond flyover ramp, unless the entire road below flyover in both directions is made bus exclusive – this may not be feasible as other traffic movements will be effected.
However, if the flyover itself is made exclusive for buses, the extension may be easily possible. On double rd, one lane only would be better for direction towards Shantinagar TTMC in order not to use up too much of the road width & save trees. On return, a bus lane can be provided along Siddiah rd (or road over drain, if one is built – there is a wide drain opposite Shantinagar TTMC coming from City Mkt side), thence on Lalbagh rd, on Mission rd, on to flyover & rejoin the other lane on Richmond rd.
Commuter facilities (bus stops) can be developed a short distance from the foot of the flyover of the ramp on Richmond road – the road width is quite sufficient. However, sidewalk width is narrow, & this will need to be addressed. Pedestrian road crossing can be arranged under the flyover (currently, this is a landscaped area).
Proceeding east on Richmond road, it’s best to carry the bus lane all the way till Trinity (since it will provide an interchange with Metro), & then turn right towards airport rd, instead of going via Mayo Hall-Garuda Mall-HOSMAT-Lower Agaram rd, where road widths are narrower.
I did not use Residency rd as the road had already been ear-marked for guided rail mass transit when the erstwhile ELRTS routes were planned – in fact the flyover does not have a landing ramp on RRM rd for this reason. As I mentioned, I am for extending the Mono/LRT from National college along Sajjan Rao circle-JC rd-Town hall-Hudson circle-RRM rd-Residency rd-upto Rex cinema, where it should integrate with ph-2 metro route (EC-Yelahanka). It confounds me as to how they overlooked this important line – they may suddenly realize that they do not have a connection past corpn & plan it sometime later – if so, it will have to follow the above routing, or deviate towards Mysore bank (District office rd).
b) Shantinagar to City Station to Shantinagar – this is already well serviced by buses operating in mixed traffic conditions, & I feel dedicated lanes may not be required. One also has the option of using Metro (from Vidhana soudha or Mysore bank) & the other line mentioned above, passing corpn.
c) Feeder routes for Metro – around Jayanagar, Banashankari & Kanakapura rd – these will be done, I am sure when the Metro is finished as patronage for the Metro & it’s financial well being all depend on this !
d) Key shopping areas:
Commercial Street – Metro ph-2 line (EC-Yelahanka) is planned to pass through Kamraj road.
MG Road – Metro ph-1 covers this.
Brigade Road – Metro ph-1 provides a stop at plaza, close to Brigade road. Also, Metro ph-2 line (EC-Yelahanka) is planned underground along Brigade road. If the line passing corpn extends to Rex, then we will have one more connection here.
Jayanagar Complex – Feeder buses will be operated to Metro Jayanagar stn (near Nanda, on RV rd).
Forum – Metro ph-2 line (EC-Yelahanka) is planned to pass through Hosur road.
Garuda Mall – Metro ph-2 line (EC-Yelahanka) is planned to pass through Brigade road. If the line passing corpn extends to Rex, then there will be one more link.
What about North-Eastern areas – HRBR, etc. ? I am not very familiar with travellers’ habits in those areas, & hence had’nt mentioned any there.
Naveen - good ideas - my suggestions
s_yajaman - 6 May, 2008 - 13:00
Naveen,
Some suggestions and builds.
a. Domlur to Shantinagar TTMC rather than Richmond Circle as Richmond circle does not offer any sort of commuter facilites for waiting. I am also a bit confused about the route as you don't mention Residency Road. I think it has to go to Mayo Hall --> Garuda Mall --> HOSMAT --> Lower Agara Road --> Domlur.
b. Shantinagar to City Station to Shantinagar vs. Hudson Circle to Majestic. - again Corporation office has no proper waiting place. We need to think of what type of commuter will use this.
I would add some feeder routes - Jayanagar 4th block TTMC (when it comes up) to Banashankari via 9th main, 36th cross, Kanakapura Road. Hardly any bus goes through 36th cross. This can become a feeder to the Metro station at RV Road/Banashankari.
Jayanagar 4th block to BTM Layout via T-Block and 9th block.
Srivathsa
We need to connect key shopping areas (Commercial Street, MG Road, Brigade Road, Jayanagar Complex, Forum, Garuda Mall) to residential areas.
Indore – first visible success for BRTS in India
Naveen - 7 May, 2008 - 10:31
Indore BRTS - They have managed to do this in a city with a transport network comprising some 500 private mini-buses, 550 tempos & 10,000 auto-rickshaws ! Maybe there are lessons from it for Bangalore & other cities that have poor public transport, like Pune. Their web page, http://www.citybusindore.com is quite impressive.
This success can be attributed to many reasons :
1) Relatively lower levels of motorization.
2) Willingness of citizens to submit to experiments, changes & follow regulations.
3) The use of bicycles without any stigma attached (Most of our citizens imagine that bicycles are only for the poorer masses – however, Indore is different where bicycles have been widely used by all classes).
4) A dynamic leadership that spear-headed this enterprise.
5) Involving the private sector for needed investments.
6) Relentless dedication of the various team/s that has made this project so successful & exemplary.
Cheers to them & hope they continue to inspire others !
If Indore BRTS continues to operate well & be expanded (they are talking about some 277 kms of it !), that city will set a benchmark for urban transport development that is unique in India.
This raises concerns about Delhi’s experiments with Metro as also BRTS – the bus corridors were far too wide than required, & as a result, they have had to re-group & work on new strategies. The Metro is running empty. I think Delhites are similar to Bangaloreans – they insist on priority for private vehicles first ! Quite irresponsible.
In Bangalore, we are yet to commence any move towards prioritizing our public transport system, although traffic concerns have become mind boggling (with almost a thousand vehicles being added to the roads each day !). The quality of life has been going down & road conditions are threatening to become even more hellish ! Investors have shied away – already, in the last four years, a lot of investment has gone to various other cities.Some of the concerns raised by citizens against BRTS are :
1) Trees will be cut down : Do we really need to cut trees & widen roads to have BRT ? Can't we manage to provide a lane or two on our roads by reducing widths for mixed traffic without cutting down trees ?
2) Dedicated lanes are a waste of costly urban space : Are the same costs acceptable for private vehicles use, with the resulting increases in pollution, congestion & increasing difficulties in commuting for the public ?
3) Very Costly : It is well known that BRTS is the cheapest form of mass transport. If even this seems to cost too much & we do not invest in it, then our city is doomed & will soon be in disarray as once Calcutta was. Even in Mumbai, the quality of life is so poor that daily commutes on packed suburban trains in the hot & humid conditions is like going through a crusher that extracts juice ! I think we certainly do not want this, & wish for something much better.
Bangalore is somewhat unique – there are far too many road intersections, extremely short distances between intersections, too many turn-offs & turn-ins, in some cases - at every few meters & numerous 5 & 6-road junctions, all contributing to grid locks on almost every road.
How can we sort out this complex network of roads ? Building a Metro system to take care of commuters is too expensive, time-consuming & involves great inconveniences to the public through the construction period/s. After all that, it may run empty as there are no guarantees that it will become the preferred mode for commuting for many in the city.
The only answer is BRTS & bus services with highest priority & at the expense of private vehicles. A lot of investment, commitment & co-ordination would be required to design & build bus corridors that take care of bus priority without disturbing regular & legitimate traffic flows, addressing pedestrian needs, commuter facilities & also incorporate steps to promote bicycle usage – these are the challenges for a BRTS for Bangalore. Any takers ?
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