Column

For affordable accessibility and sustainable mobility, it is imperative for cities to institute mass transit system. Mumbai, though not dashed with luxury local trains and buses, has 85% of its populace commuting on these public transports. New Delhi comes in next with its Metrorail and buses catering to 67% of Delhiites. In stark contrast, AMTS buses in Ahmedabad find favour among a meagre 18% of the population.

Thankfully, Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), recently introduced in the city drawing inspiration from cities like Bogota and Seoul, is beginning to make a change in road demographics as there is a visible gradual increase in commuters opting for public transport over their personal vehicles. While this is an appreciable initiative (soon to be supplemented by the Metro), there are a few questions emerging about design decisions that BRTS is using currently.

Wisdom behind central dedicated bus lane India drives on the left lane. Public transport assigned in the middle implies all slow and fast moving vehicles keep left. Every person embarking or disembarking would have to cross over the traffic flow.

Considering that bus-stands occur every 400 m, this conflicting movement happens at every bus-stand. This is self-inflicted chaos. Currently, situation is under control as there are fewer passengers to deal with. If BRTS becomes the norm, intensity of this conflict at such close frequency would be quite intense and, as a consequence, pedestrians will continue to interfere with regular traffic every 400 metres. This is self-defeating in the intention of smoothening road traffic and decreasing travel distance.

Making split flyovers
The earlier question becomes more relevant in the light of another questionable decision about split flyovers. Many new flyovers were built over busy road junctions to ease flow of movement and reduce undue waiting at the junctions. The grade separation by elevated flyovers for traffic in perpendicular direction in itself would have been a welcome addition to the road system by reducing points of conflict and cross movements. This very advantage of grade separation is contradicted by taking the dedicated bus lane on lower surface and splitting the flyover. This is a strange decision. As buses continue to ply in cross direction to major traffic flow, the points of conflict are not reduced and thus congestion is not lightened. Again, considering more people use BRTS, increasing bus frequency and volume will again be a self-defeating condition. Buses plying over the flyover would have certainly lightened congestion at junctions simply by grade separation.

Design of spaces below flyover
As many new flyovers are being introduced, would not the spaces under them be a matter of integral design concern? These are simply ignored in the designs and often remain negative, nuisance spaces. These can alternatively prove to be very precious and worthy civic spaces if conceived and designed so integrally to the transit system.

This is an opportunity lost, especially when an academic institution is involved in the design of system. This could have been a welcome exploration to demonstrate a new urban prototype for others to emulate.

While we congratulate the concerned authorities, institutions and individuals for reinstating the bus transit, we need not sit under the laurels of its relative success compared to other Indian cities, but strive to apply concerns to enhance it in coming stretches.

— The author is a Ahmedabad-based architect