Gaurav Sharma spoke to Thara on behalf of Newsline about the challenges of the project. Following are excerpts of the interview:

* How does AJL plan to educate commuters about the BRTS and its benefits?

D Thara: We have prepared an intensive programme for spreading awareness among the public about the BRTS traffic rules. It also enlists the advantages of the BRTS project. This programme will be launched three months prior to the launch of BRTS. It will happen anytime in November or December this year.

* The access points to the bus-stops on the central median are found to be fairly complicated and the BRTS junctions have proved to be a real challenge. What solution does AJL have to ensure smooth movement of the service at the junctions?

D Thara: An expert can explain everything in detail; but I can only say that we will try to decrease the face of signals to two. We will implement it at a pilot basis initially, and further expansion will depend on the response.

* While planning and implementation of BRTS, has AJL taken into account the demographic profile of Ahmedabad city?

D Thara: We studied the demographic profile of only the population that commutes by public transport, as this project is meant for them. We did not consider the population travelling by 2 or 4 wheelers.

* Let us say, if a BRTS bus operates at a distance of every 1 km in the BRTS corridor, then this means pulling out all the other 2, 3 and 4 wheelers from this 1 km stretch. Is this not under-utilisation of high demand city road space?

D Thara: No. The bus will carry nearly 70 people as compared to 2 or 3 people in private vehicles. And as more and more commuters switch to BRTS buses, these doubts about under-utilisation of high demand city road space will disappear.

* There are cases where even segregated lanes in the middle of the road are being abused by 2 or 3 wheelers and police deployment is necessary to man these lanes. How does AJL plan to handle situations like these?

D Thara: Yes, we are planning to tie up with the traffic police for appropriate policing at all the strategic points. Once we launch the project, we will locate the major violation corridors and coordinate with the police to take corrective actions. Municipal officials will also take part in such exercises.

* In successful BRTS models around the world, tough measures like no free parking, stiff congestion charges etc. are implemented. Is AJL thinking along these lines?

D Thara: We will definitely take measures to make BRTS more popular, but these will not be tough on the public. We are thinking of constructing multi-storeyed parkings, no-parking zones etc. But everything will be done in tune with the larger public opinion.

* A committee was formed by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to study the fallout of the Delhi BRTS Project. What are its findings and what modifications are being done in Ahmedabad BRTS as per them?