Planners account only for cars, cabs on coastal road :The Times of India

But State Govt, BMC Promise Bus Corridors

The firm, STUP Consultants, that prepared the detailed project report (DPR) for the coastal road has indicated that the route will be used mainly by cars and taxis.

While the state government and the civic body have been emphasizing that the coastal road will have a bus rapid transit system (BRTS), the report, by not considering other vehicles, including buses, lays bare this lie.

“The DPR identifies the merits of BRTS as a concept... but while making traffic estimates, it indicates that due to the negligible volume of other traffic, only cars are considered while estimating and planning for the traffic using the coastal road. The entire project being in public interest is an eyewash,“ said a transport expert.

The draft report has estimated a fleet size of 600 highcapacity buses to run on the coastal road. The DPR lists a plan to mark one lane on either side of the road in red, to indicate these are dedicated bus lanes. Buses, autos and two-wheelers will be relegated to using primarily the existing road network. “The BMC, which does not have money to upgrade BEST, will spend Rs 12,000 crore on the project to cater to 1.2 lakh cars or two lakh people only ,“ said an activist.

Activists said their argument that the coastal road will have few takers has been reinforced by the DPR. The consultant firm has pointed out that owing to “abutting land use and limited access to the facility (coastal road), the growth rate will be lower (2% per annum up to 2043), while traffic along existing roads will grow at 5.5% per annum (10% higher).“

“The DPR doesn't consider the railand bus-based alternatives (offering comfort, speed, frequency for all). This saves a lot of fuel and reduces emissions and hence there are opportunity costs but the DPR is naive on this score,“ the added the activist.