Bus Rapid Transit ‘remains’ a nightmare for drivers

The AAP govt. has dismantled the much-criticised corridor, but the rubble left behind has become a hazard for motorists, especially at night

Before and after:The BRT caused major traffic congestion; an unclaimed vehicle amid the rubble of the BRT on Saturday.photo: file, Shanker Chakravarty

Six months after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government began dismantling the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor in accordance with “public demand” and in a politically symbolic redoing of the erstwhile Congress dispensation’s most visible imprints on the face of the Capital, traces of the much-panned project still remain in South Delhi.

Motorists who use the 5.8-km-long corridor said the BRT’s remnants, mostly visible in the form of debris lining what used to be concrete verges, pose challenges for them, especially after dark. Sources in the government, however, said the commuters won’t face problems “for long”.

Better drive– almost

While the average driver said it has become easier to negotiate the volume-heavy stretch between the Moolchand and Ambedkar Nagar junctions, which constituted the Rs. 150-crore corridor completed in 2008, the presence of debris makes the going tough after dark.

Rajendar Sharma, a teacher, said that the dismantling of the BRT had made “a great impact” on traffic. “We can now commute easily. Being a daily commuter, I used to get stuck in long jams. But now I can commute swiftly,” the 24-year-old said.

Vikas Gupta, an HR manager, however, said the dismantling did not impact lane-driving etiquette. “Although it has been dismantled, there is not much change in the scenario due to the mentality and the sense of driving of commuters,” the 28-year-old Ambedkar Nagar resident said.

Anand Kumar, a 35-year-old ambulance driver, said he was actually facing issues due to the dismantling. “While the BRT was there, we had a specific lane so that we could commute without getting stuck. But now that no fixed lane is there, we have to join the general lanes and people don’t even give us the right of way,” he said.

“The lanes have been dismantled but the debris is a major issue after dark. One has to be very careful to steer clear of these ,” said Saraswati Chandran, a 32-year-old private executive, who resides in Greater Kailash.

‘Dismantling on schedule’

After representations from five of his legislators regarding safety and congestion due to the BRT, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had given his go-ahead to dismantle the corridor. Work began in mid-January this year.

“The process of dismantling was completed on schedule and what remains of redesigning the stretch viz. patch work to level demolished concrete verges, will be completed after the monsoon,” said a senior government official.

According to the official, the government had already issued tenders for the construction of bus stops on both sides of the stretch. (Ananya is an intern with The Hindu )