Delhi's HCBS project should be stalled: IRF
New Delhi, Nov 18 (UNI) The Geneva-based International Road Federation (IRF) has expressed concern at the safety and feasibility of the High Capacity Bus Service (HCBS) coming up in south Delhi and called for its immediate stalling.
The project should be reviewed for other parts of Delhi, where it has been planned, they said.
''The HCBS project in Delhi is the first project in the world which has been started without a detailed project report--something that is virtually unheard for a big project,'' said IRF Vice-Chairman K K Kapila in a statement issued here, on the occasion of The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
He said the entire road stretch, where the project is being implemented in South Delhi, has only four lanes (two on both sides), one lane on both sides is fully being dedicated to the HCBS while the lakhs of motorists and two wheeler users commuting daily on this stretch have been given a raw deal as only one lane on both sides is dedicated to them.
''This has also divided the South Delhi into two parts as it will become difficult for lakhs of residents on both sides to cross to each other's side. The pedestrians and cyclists have no space left for use despite that they are more than 50 per cent of road users in the capital,'' he added.
Also expressing concern, Mr Pradip Chaturvedi, former Chairman, Safety and Quality forum, Institute of Engineers, said Road Safety Audit is mandatory worldwide for each phase of road development including project preparation, implementation and operation. ''In the HCBS, this has totally been given a go by,'' he said.
He noted that the dedicated corridor of the HCBS was not going to bring any relief to the growing population of Delhi, rather it will create more traffic chaos.
''The existing ordinary buses are already overloading passengers and working as HCBS. Unless a separate route like Metro is developed, it is no use having the HCBS system on existing roads as most of the time this corridor will remain unused,'' Mr Chaturvedi said.
This will also block the parallel roads of Khel Gaon and Nehru Place as motorists will stop using this corridor stretch. This will further traffic snarls on other roads connecting South Delhi with rest of the capital, he added.
UNI