Photo Essay: On the Delhi BRT

Delhi's Bus Rapid Transit System (BRT) has been running for just over two years now, connecting the 14.5 km corridor between Ambedkar Nagar and Delhi Gate. To see how the controversial project is faring, I spent some time on the BRT during the past few weeks, traveling by bus, foot, auto and cycle, mostly between Chirag Dilli and Moolchand.

From the very start, the BRT was declared a failure by much of the media.  Even today, news outlets and middle class citizen's groups regularly highlight the BRT's problems.  To be fair, traffic on the BRT is horrible, and it seems obvious that better planning could have--and perhaps even now could--address that more effectively. Maybe the new "intelligent" signals will help. Maybe they won't.   From the start, many people questioned whether it made sense to reserve the middle lanes for buses, especially given that it was impossible to widen the road without destroying trees.  In fact, many trees were lost in the construction of the BRT.  But in the end, its width was limited when residents of the posh colonies that border it successfully opposed even more tree cutting. Here is one of the many places where trees limited the width of the road:

In other places, trees were saved without impacting traffic.

And elsewhere, carelessness resulted in trees being damaged needlessly.

But it is not really fair to blame trees for the problems on the BRT corridor.  There is simply an enormous number of vehicles, both on the BRT and on the Outer Ring Road, which the BRT intersects.  The intersection at the Chirag Dilli flyover was difficult even before the BRT construction began; it is worse now--and it is likely to get even worse as more people buy private cars. So how has the BRT  survived such persistent problems?  Perhaps the answer lies in pictures like this:

Even mid-day traffic can be difficult on the BRT--for private vehicles.  But the bus lane that you see there in the foreground, is empty, which makes bus travel much faster on the BRT than anywhere else in the city. Interestingly enough, the BRT actually seems to have more support than you'd think from people who don't ride buses. But bus riders are its biggest backers--and why not? The BRT moves buses quickly.  And since about 60% of Delhi commuters travel by bus, it's not hard to see why the BRT is still going strong.

On the BRT, you have several options in buses.  The red AC bus, pictured here, starts at Rs. 15 per ticket, and offers the chance of some room to breathe, even during rush hour.

For a ticket that starts at Rs. 5, you can travel non-AC, either in one of the new, modern, green DTC buses or in an old Blueline bus.  Beware: at rush hour, most of these buses are tightly packed! There are many seats reserved for women, and women seem to be enforcing this rule effectively.  (Late at night, the story is different; many buses carry only one or two women out of 40-50 passengers.)

A large part of what makes commutes by bus difficult is the time spent waiting; changing buses takes even more time.  Buses also have to make many stops, of course, and then they have to rejoin traffic.  But the BRT partly compensates for all that, by giving buses those two center lanes.  I found that no matter when I traveled, direct trips on the BRT took about the same time--and sometimes even a little less--than a comparable trip by autorickshaw.

Waiting for the bus is rarely fun, but the BRT bus stops are a step up from what you get in most of Delhi.

For one thing, buses tend to stop at BRT stops, which means you have less of a need to run out into traffic and jump onto rolling Bluelines!

For a while, it looked like the police would refuse to enforce the BRT bus lanes, but that seems to have changed.  You will find an occasional  motorcyclist  pushing his luck, or even a car, but this is rare.  VIP vehicles bearing red lights, on the other hand, do not seem to worry about police--or the example they are setting, for that matter. They frequently travel by bus lane, even when there is no reason to do so.  It looked like there was a party going on in this VIP car a few months back.

Of course the BRT is not just for buses and private vehicles; it's also for cycles. Along the corridor, there are places where you can rent a cycle. It costs only Rs. 10 for four hours. The cycle rental stands are a private-public partnership, and they are a very good idea.

 

 

I'll write about this more later.  But for now let me say that business is slow, in part because you cannot take a cycle from one stand and return it to another.  As a result, these cycles can be used for recreation and for visiting friends in the neighborhood, but they won't help you get to work.  That is too bad, because I found it quite easy to cover the distance from Chirag Dilli to Moolchand by cycle in about 10 minutes, which is faster than bus or autorickshaw, if you include the wait time.  The same was true for the return trip. Rent-a-cycles could be a valuable part of the BRT system if only this project were taken a bit more seriously.

More significantly, the BRT boasts dedicated lanes for cycle traffic--something that seems almost unimaginable in Delhi, where "might makes right" is one of the unwritten--but best-understood--rules of the road, and cycles are relegated to place very near the bottom of the transportation heap. The cycle paths were a wonderful idea; and when traffic is flowing smoothly on the corridor, they provide welcome relief to those pedaling cycles and cycle rickshaws.(My 10 year old son shot this sequence during the last week of his summer holidays.)

But when traffic is really bad, many motor bikes find the cycle lanes a little too tempting.

Then a few more join the crowd, which begins to make it difficult on the cyclists.

Before you know it, things get completely out of hand.The BRT security guards are outnumbered and overpowered; they have too little authority; the police are nowhere to be seen. (Mrs. Batti once gave quite a tongue lashing to a fellow on a motorbike who was literally trying to drive through, or over, a security guard attempting to enforce the cycle lane rules. After some tamasha, biker gave in, but he never admitted he was wrong.) 

 

Having seen these pictures, you should have no trouble believing the results of the traffic survey my son and I recently conducted.  We counted the northbound vehicles on the BRT cycle path for 10 minutes during peak traffic one day during the last week in June.  We counted 84 cycles, which translates into a rate of of about 500 cycles per hour.  We counted 251 motorized two wheelers, which translates to rate of over 1500 per hour! (We also saw three autorickshaws, and a car blocked half the cycle lane for 5 minutes, significantly slowing the flow of both cycles and motor bikes.)  

This SUV, approaching in the cycle lane, arrived just after we completed our sample:

Motorcyclists have a tough time of it in Delhi roads, of course.  But they don't belong in the cycle lane.  I can tell you from personal experience that having a pack of two wheelers overtaking your cycle on a narrow lane is...unnerving, to say the least. The police need to take this more seriously, but having conceded as much ground as they already have to the motor bikes, one wonders how easy it would be to re-take the cycle lane for cyclists. It's a big problem, and I don't see it getting fixed soon. Still, you have to admit the cycle lane is probably better than the alternative.

That may not look so bad now, but wait until the light changes and those vehicles start moving.  Not a lot of fun, I can tell you that! Delhi roads are difficult for cyclists, where ever you go. And cycles are probably the most sustainable form of transportation, other than walking!

If you want to lean more about the BRT, you can check out the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Ltd, which is is "a Joint Venture Company set up with equal equity of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) and Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC)."  In addition to having a really long name, the DIMMTS has a website with some very interesting publications and presentations about the BRT and public transportation generally. (Students wanting to write an essay about issues related to public transportation would find these resources useful.)

Better still, why not take a cycle or bus ride and see what you think!

Happy riding!

If you like what you've seen here, check out our photo essay page!

The Dhaba's Commonwealth Games Page Up

We're taking the weekend off here at the Dhaba.  But last week, we did one thing we like quite a bit.  We put our best Commonwealth Games material all in one place. It's right here on our CWG page.  If you are looking for an alternative take on the Commonwealth Games, this is the place to go.  In addition to seven of our best CWG essays, you'll find a few of the links we think are most important from other places.  We'll add to it as we go, so send us stuff and well put it up!

As the Games approach, the media is beginning to look at the issue more critically.  Last week, we pointed out that large international sporting events do not always pay off for their host countries.  Yesterday, I saw two print media articles that made the same point.  It's good to see this discussion.  It's not really a question about whether the Games will fail or not as an entertainment event. But it's important that we see learn something from the.Games as an investment/development strategy.  Cheer leading will not get us to that understanding. Being critical might.

Best Dhabas in Delhi: Little Dragon, Defense Colony Market

Today, we continue our Best Dhaba in Delhi series with a look at a Defense Colony market institution: Little Dragon.  Though not a dhaba in the traditional sense, this Chinese food cart has been doing business the low-tech, greentech way for more than a decade. 

I came to know about the Little Dragon from my favourite local autowallah, who swears by it.  "Always fresh,always good--cheap and best!" were his words. I've eaten there or done takeaway at least a dozen times.

Little Dragon has a lot going for it environmentally.  They serve a crowd of people daily on reusable plastic plates, and they send out deliveries within a three kilometer radius by cycle.  There is minimal energy used; there is no AC, and food is cooked over a simple gas stove.

Also, on the positive side, the menu offers extensive choices, ranging from soups to spring rolls; prices range from Rs. 30 to Rs. 75 and the portions are generous.  A full plate of Veg. Chowmein (Rs. 35) or Egg Chowmein (Rs. 40) will usually feed two, though you might order a bit extra if you are feeding growing boys. My kids love the food, and I like it also. And it's never made me sick, which is more than I can say about another place I shall not mention in that market! If you live in or near Defense Colony, you can even order by phone: 011-64536491.

On the downside, the Little Dragon has no seating. More importantly, if you have finer taste than my kids, you may be disappointed: "too much oil, too much salt," declared Mrs. Batti the first time we ate there.  And she's probably right.  Remember that autowallah who recommended it?  He just found out he's got high blood pressure.  What did the doctor say?  LESS OIL! LESS SALT!  (And a handful of pills.)

If you don't have high blood pressure and you are looking for a reasonably priced, reasonably good, environmentally friendly meal in the Defense Colony area, the Little Dragon may be the place for you!  

For more reviews of some of Delhi's best food carts, tea stalls, dhabas, and dives, check out our Best Dhabas in Delhi series.  And if you'd like to contribute a guest review, drop us a line!

Commonwealth Games 2010: History Rhyming?

Missed deadlines continue to plague Commonwealth Games projects, and late rains are threatening to cause problems as well.  With fewer than 90 days to go before the opening ceremony, organisers say there is nothing to worry about, but nobody completely believes that.  From where I sit, it seems hard to imagine that everything promised will get finished on time.  On the other hand, I think most of the essential stuff will be ready, because the government has invested too much in these Games to see them really fall apart.  

But what about the big picture?  Nobody seriously believes we invested tens of thousands of crores over the last 5 years just to hold a "big, fat 14-day-long Delhi party."  Our leaders have made more impressive-sounding promises than that: infrastructure improvements, tourism, and prestige, to name a few. Yes, the CWG will make us a "World Class City." And the cost?  It's always been assumed that the benefits would outweigh the massive expenditures.  Perhaps Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, expressed this idea most clearly in February, when he told the Hindustan Times that the Games wouldn’t cost the government a penny: "The country will not incur any expenses. The money taken from the government is a loan, not a grant and will be returned. Our revenue from TV rights has doubled."  

As it turns out, according to the BBC, it seems unlikely that the CWG will meet the government's revenue expectations. But who knows, maybe they will pay other, less direct, dividends. After all, everyone knows there is never any shortage of countries offering to host the Olympic Games; there must be something to the idea that international sporting extravaganzas pay off.  

I decided to do some digging to find out how all this works. I found that the economics of international sporting events are seldom as simple as our politicians would have us believe.  In fact, the issues are so complex, that very few people take the time to analyze the numbers.  I did find one Candadian masters student in economics who used the lens of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games to look at this issue. After 61 pages of detailed analysis and graphs, he concluded, "the expected overall net benefit of hosting an Olympic Games is substantially negative."  Looking back at the Vancouver Games, most non-economist commentators skipped the graphs, but conceded that the cost-benefit ratio was very difficult to figure. Vancouver’s first-term mayor, Gregor Robertson, put it this way: “Ultimately it will be years before you get a full sense of the balance sheet."

In fact, what I found after reading a lot of articles, was that most big international sports events are not clear cut winners or losers.  Yes, many, many contractors make buckets--even suitcases--of money.  Yes,

infrastructure gets built that might not have gotten built otherwise.  But sacrifices have to be made, as well; important things lose funding, because money is diverted to Games-related projects. It's economics and politics, just like everything else: there is a give and take.  While I have argued that the CWG have served as an excuse to prioritize things like transportation and tourism over clean water and housing, one cannot deny the games have created a lot of jobs, albeit criminally low-paid ones.  And I'm a fan of the Delhi Metro.  That, at least, is something to say thanks for.  But I'm sorry to say, there is no magic I know of that will insure the long term success of the CWG 2010.

Politicians don't want to tell you that, and they never have.  Not only are the long term benefits of mega-sporting events often hard to find, but sometimes, these events actually fail in very big and obvious ways.  Back in 1970, Montreal Mayor Mayor Jean Drapeau confidently declared that "the Olympics can no more have a deficit than a man can have a baby." Those remarks reminded me a bit of Suresh Kalmadi promising the CWG won't cost the government a penny.

Like Mark Twain, I don't believe history repeats itself, but sometimes it rhymes.  Let's hope Delhi 2010 doesn't rhyme with Montreal 1976, because in spite of Mayor Drapeau's promise to the contrary, the 1976 Olympics turned out to be a financial disaster for that city!  It took decades for Montreal to pay off the billion dollar debt it incurred preparing for those games.

A bit closer to home, we can also hope that Delhi 2010 doesn't rhyme with Athens 2004, because a lot of people are beginning to think that the current financial meltdown in Greece was, in part, a result of the huge debt Greece ran up in preparation for those Olympics.

Look, India's economy is bigger than Greece's and almost as big as Canada's, at least in nominal terms. We can probably absorb the cost of the CWG without a financial meltdown!  But we've also got a few problems that Greece and Canada have never had.  Like more than 800 million citizens living on Rs. 20 a day.  Like 1250 people dying from diarrhea-related illness each day.  Like 2,00,000 farmers desperate enough to kill themselves since 1997.

These Games were a gamble; let's hope they pay off.  But next time, I'd suggest we play our cards a little more cautiously.  Let's bet on things we know we need.  Things like food security, housing, and water.  If we really want to go out on a limb, let's bet on something that will deliver long-term payoffs, like schools that will teach our children to read and to think before they go gamble money that they don't have on fun and Games!

For more of what we've got to say about the CWG, check out our new CWG page.

Worldwide BP Protest Day: Virtual Laugh-In (New Delhi)

I spent a LOT of time earlier this week explaining in a somewhat uncharacteristically serious tone the reasons I don't like the Indian government's plan to cut fuel subsidies and decontrol the price of petrol. Still I don't want to give you the impression that I'm fan of Big Oil!  I just don't like schemes that result in massive transfers of wealth from poor people to rich people.

In fact, I'd decided to make my feelings about Big Oil clear by unilaterally declaring this past Thursday, "Make-Fun-of-BP Day." Then, just before I hit the Publish Post button, I learned that today, Saturday, July 10 had already been declared, "Worldwide BP Protest Day!" Not wanting to go against the grain needlessly, I moved my post to be part of the action, as it were.

So today at the Dhaba, we are hosting a virtual New Delhi Laugh-In Against BP, as part of the Worldwide BP Protest Day!  If you are looking for a real world event, sorry I don't know of any in South Asia yet, but there is a list of events here.

To prepare for the Laugh-In, my kids and I did some internet research into the BP situation.  And we found there are a lot of people making very funny videos about BP.  I've always enjoyed making fun of bad guys, so today I'm linking you to the funniest BP videos that we could find.

If these videos don't get you laughing, I don't know what will!:

Here is my 10 year old's favorite: this explains where BP gets it's best ideas.

 

Here is another very funny video that is getting millions of hits: BP Spills Coffee. Tip:Amruta Patil
 

Here are some BP commercial spoofs that made us laugh out loud at least once:

Here's BP CEO Tony Hayward making a very funny apology.

Rich Fish: BP explains the "bright side" of the spill!

Here's an apology from BP's "Excecutive Vice-President in Charge of Oil Spills."

And here's a BP spokesperson explaining why oil spills are "natural."

If you don't like videos, here are the entrants in a contest Greenpeace held to redesign BP's logos.

And you really want a serious analysis of what BP means in an Indian contex, read this post:

Bhopal, BP, Cobalt-60: Will there be Enough Magic in this Toxic Confluence to Kill the Nuclear Bill?

Finally, for the record, here is what the real Tony Hayward looks like in action