Civic agencies are dilly-dallying in setting up dedicated bus corridors in the city. But the citizens are pressing for the bus rapid transport system (BRTS). They think it will really help in decongesting the city traffic.
The BRTS was conceptualised as a remedy to Mumbai’s traffic woes eight years ago. But none of the civic agencies has been keen to take over the responsibility of implementing it. The MMRDA carried out a feasibility study, but chose not to implement it. Instead, the MMRDA suggested that the BMC should take up the project.
So, the citizens have decided to put pressure on the authorities. The Mumbai Environmental Social Network (MESN), a citizen’s group which provides solutions to decongest traffic, has demanded that the first BRTS corridor in the city be set up on the newly-built Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road. The 10-km road connects the Eastern and the Western Express Highways.
With other like-minded citizens’ outfits and transport planners supporting it, the MESN has placed its demand before municipal commissioner Swadhin Kshatriya, mayor Shraddha Jadhav, BEST committee chairman Dilip Patel and the political leaders in the BMC.
Ashok Datar, an MESN founder trustee, said that introducing the dedicated bus lane concept would be easy on the JVLR.
BEST committee chairman Dilip Patel supported the BRTS project.
