One of the many civic problems that have plagued Karachi for a long time has been the lack of an efficient, smoothly functioning public transport system, which has engendered several other issues in its wake, including problems related to traffic congestion. To resolve the difficulties posed by traffic congestion, over the years, various governments have tried to manage the issue through the construction of flyovers, underpasses and bridges. This approach did alleviate the situation to an extent, but it proved to be a short-term measure to deal with the problem. With regular increases in the city’s vehicular population, the utility of these concrete structures in easing Karachi’s traffic woes have decreased with the passage of time.
Added to this is the problem faced by millions of Karachiites, who use public transport as they continue to suffer, travelling in overcrowded, sub-standard buses that take forever to reach their destinations. Keeping in view this state of affairs, what Karachi clearly needs is an efficient and affordable public transport system that not only eases problems faced by those who currently use public buses, but is also able to attract those who normally use private vehicles. This will ensure that the vehicular population on Karachi’s roads decreases, thereby easing traffic congestion.
In this regard, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s initiative to start a dedicated bus lane for the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) is a step in the right direction. The 22.4-kilometre track from Dawood Chowrangi in Landhi to Numaish Chowrangi in Saddar is expected to reduce travelling time by half. Although the project is still in its very initial stages, it is already being hoped that it will become operational before 2014. The BRTS envisages around 200 large buses running on either side of the road’s green belt at an interval of a few minutes with around 13,000 passengers being able to use it every hour. The project will be carried out under a public-private partnership at a cost of two billion rupees.
Although this move seems to be a well-intentioned one, the authorities will have to be wary of the potential snags that they may run into. Previous projects to revamp the city’s public transport system have failed spectacularly. The fate of the Karachi Circular Railway is there for all to see — a project that never saw the light of day despite being in the news for a long time.
There will also be a need to remain wary of the vested interests that have huge stakes in the city’s public transport system as it exists at present and who may not wish to see this project succeed and may try to sabotage it. To counter the challenge posed by these elements, good intentions and proper planning will not be enough. What will be required is immense political will to take on these forces. As Enrique Penalosa, the celebrated former mayor of the Colombian city of Bogota once said: “Urban transport is a political and not a technical issue. The technical aspects are very simple. The difficult decisions relate to who is going to benefit from the models adopted”. While this project has the potential to benefit the majority of the city’s commuters, at the same time, it can also pose dangers to the interests of what many refer to as Karachi’s transport mafia and this is where the political aspect of the BRTS may come to haunt it.
Keeping in view all these potential obstacles, one needs to temper optimism regarding this positive development with a healthy dose of caution, lest this initiative comes to a naught.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 6th, 2012.
COMMENTS (12)
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its a shame that such a big city has no mass transit
What came more shocking was the fact that a full fledged Rail Based mass transit (circular railway) has been shut down, i wonder why ...why ...in the commercial center how can a rail based system fail
India seems way ahead of you people in this regard
The local trains of Mumbai and Chennai MRTS are just amazing when it comes to coverage
and metro is not a new phenomenon in India, kolkata metro started in 1984, around the same time when Karachi circular railway shut down and of course with Delhi metro already regarded as the lifeline of delhi and Bangalore (Namma metro) started running up recently ....this is how you build cities
A much easier and less criticizing solution would be if we could just drive with a little patience, tolerance and respect. Even at red lights we are pressurised to break it by the constant horns from the behind. No one cares about all drivers but whoever thinks he is capable finds a way out. Speaks highly about the maturity, discipline and civilised behaviour of our society..
@Parvez: Yep I do spend most of my time in Bogota and the caribbean. The BRT in Bogota has been a successful experiment for the most part. However, even bogota with a population of approx 6 to 7 million needs a Metro and the clamour for it has reached a high pitch. In any case, the city of Bogota enforces severe number plate based day and time restrictions on private cars and taxis. Therefore, efficient transit regimes in metropolises require much more than patchwork solutions. Medellin has both a metro and BRT and is a far more efficient system.
There can be no more expansion on the road level in Karachi. The roads are packed to capacity. Expansion to the transport system can be either "Above the Roads" as elevated rail or "Below the Road" as underground train. Above ground rail seems to be the best option but the political system will not allow it. "Karachites live with the current traffic system or move...no other options"
The best mode of transport for any city besides buses is extensive use of trams. Trams provide better payload than buses, thus cheaper to run than buses. The capital cost of tram service will be prohibitive until the trams are made locally at the railway workshops wherever these may be. The one I know was at Moghulpura if it still exists. Trams are normally driven electrically but under present condition and in order to cut capital cost diesel engine propelled trams should be considered as an option exactly as do the railcars.
@Faraz: Agree. What Karachi or Pakistan (for that matter) needs are a few dedicated, honest leaders willing to what must be done and nothing more. You live in Bogota ?? Lucky you.
Good artcile. But I would also add that Karachi used to have an excellent alternative in the shape of Circular Railway - a system that was destroyed in order to favor transport mafia.
Amna, Completely agree with your views. Urban transport is a complex issue. I also agree that using the existing infrasturcture would probably be a better idea rather than trying to develop an elavated or underground rail. Hoping for the best
WOW
Why didn't anyone else think of it!!!
@Parvez: Since I live in Bogota, I know something of the famed Transmilenio system pioneered by Penalosa. The system can act as a supplementary mass rapid transit system and a good one at that. However it is not a substitute for a metro. A city of the size of Karachi needs a metro supplemented with other systems such as a BRT. To implement it in isolation is not the best idea.
Karachi needed an efficient, smoothly functioning public transport system twenty years ago, which we didn't get; Karachi will need an efficient, smoothly functioning public transport system after twenty years, which we won't get. I have lost every hope in this country. Which country's visa is easier to get these days?
Nicely written with good intentions but if the city government has failed miserably to remove a single bus 'adda' behind the Saddar Grammar School despite a lot of talk. It seems highly unlikely any mass transit system will be allowed to come up because political expediency dominates all else.