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Over the last decade in India, many cities have undertaken path-breaking initiatives in resolving issues associated with urban transport, and, specifically, mass transit system. The Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) is now acknowledged as a key mode to help large-scale mobility of people. Today, eighteen cities in the country are at different stages of planning, design, execution and operation in their BRTS journey. Since the BRTS concept was new to India a decade ago, cities experimented in various ways with varying degrees of success.
The Janmarg, as the BRTS is known in Ahmedabad, also explored many options before choosing its design approach. It was flexible in changing design elements even during the implementation stage. Every element was discussed, debated, and experimented with before a final decision. Many of these experiments led to innovations and best practices. Since its inauguration in October 2009, Janmarg has been accepted as the first ‘complete’ BRTS in India.
This book traces the design journey of Janmarg, the alternatives that were considered, the rationale underlying the choices made, the innovations it fostered and lessons for the future—for Ahmedabad and for other cities. The volume will be valuable resource for researches as well as students.
The Urban Transport India Series are shared knowledge resources about innovative practices in urban transport planning in India.
About the Authors
As Municipal Commissioner of Ahmedabad, I. P. Gautam led key projects such as the BRTS programme, Sabarmati Riverfront Development and Lakefront Development. Prof. H. M. Shivanand Swamy is an educator, researcher, policy advisor and a consultant on development planning. As team leader, he has been instrumental in planning and operationalizing BRTS in Ahmedabad and Surat, and is currently involved with BRTS development in Bhubaneswar, Hubli-Dharwad and Vadodara. Abhijit Lokre, an urban planner, leads the design team for BRTS projects in Ahmedabad, Surat, Indore, Vadodara and Hubli-Dharwad. Vijay Arya, a graduate of the School of Architecture, Ahmedabad, with post-graduation from Helsinki University of Technology, specialises in architecture for transit.
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