BRT corridor to zip into airport

IGI-Badarpur Corridor To Have Non-Segregated Vehicle Lanes

New Delhi: After the Metro and innumerable flyovers,its the turn of the bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor to make an appearance at the airport.A 25km long stretch,the new BRT will boast of segregated lanes that alternatively give way to mixed vehicle usage as well as integrated pedestrian facilities,say officials.
Starting from the Indira Gandhi International Airport,it will stretch till Badarpur,traversing congested areas like Vasant Kunj, Saket and Hamdard Nagar.This corridor will also have an interchange point at Ambedkar Nagar junction,with the existing BRT.
The Badarpur-Airport BRT is one of the five BRTs being commissioned by DIMTS (Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transit System ).The preliminary project report (PPR) for these stretches has been submitted by DIMTS to the government,said officials.
The Delhi government is examining the existing BRT at Ambedkar Nagar,so that the same mistakes are not repeated in the new corridors.The need for a more dynamic corridor tops the list of lessons learnt, said a senior government official.
According to officials at DIMTS,all five corridors have an open or hybrid system,where usage of both dedicated bus lanes and non-segregated vehicle lanes is liberal.
This is unlike the Ambedkar Nagar BRT,where bus lanes are separate from other vehicles lanes.The Ambedkar Nagar BRT corridor is also being reviewed by DIMTS,added sources.
Other stretches where the corridors are being commissioned include Gandhi Nagar to Chilla (10km),ISBT Kashmere Gate to Dilshad Garden (8km),Gokulpuri to Karkari More (8km) and Mukundpur to Kodli (26km).
The Badarpur-Airport BRT will have buses,Gramin Sewa autorickshaws and shared autos as the predominant public modes of transport,besides the Metro.Since there are several heritage structures like Tughlaqabad Fort and Qutub Minar on the way,the BRT needs to be designed carefully, said a DIMTS official.
Except for small stretches at Surajkund,Lal Kuan,Tughlaqabad Fort,Air Force stations,Khanpur,Masoodpur and Mahipalpur,the corridor will have segregated bus lanes.
Because of the space constraint on roads,only 34 per cent of the corridor can allow mixed vehicle usage.The design also allows for on-street parking in dedicated parking bays.
Thats not all.Controlled pedestrian crossings and bus stops to reduce pedestrian-vehicle interaction will be provided for road safety,says DIMTS.
The bus stations will be located at an average distance of 600m along the corridor.With several villages and other major residential areas like Surajkund,Lal Kuan,Jamia Hamdard university /hospital area,Khanpur and commercial hubs like Saket,Masoodpur and Mahipalpur falling along the way,the corridor will be more dynamic,say officials.
rumu.banerjee@timesgroup.com