Valley
Plan for 66 new public vehicle routes in Valley
In a bid to get rid of long traffic jams along the streets of Kathmandu Valley, the government is planning to enforce new routes for public vehicles, including small and large ones operating in the Valley.In a bid to get rid of long traffic jams along the streets of Kathmandu Valley, the government is planning to enforce new routes for public vehicles, including small and large ones operating in the Valley.
The new plan, considered a scientific solution to messy and traffic logjam stretched over hundreds of metres in the Valley, will reshuffle all the existing routes.
The new routes for public vehicles would be implemented from mid-December this year, according to the Department of Transport Management Spokesperson Gokarna Prasad Upadhyay.
“The aim is to minimise long traffic jams in the Valley and cut down hassles of travelling by managing how public vehicles ply along the roads,” said Upadhyay, adding, “Issuing route permits to public vehicles has not been systematic so far. It lacks sustainable planning. We are revising all routes now.”
Under the upcoming plans, routes for public vehicles would be reduced to 66 route permits from the over 200 existing routes inside the Valley.
These new revised routes have been recommended by a study done under the Kathmandu Sustainable Urban Transport Project (KSUTP), that is supported by the Asian Development Bank.
The project aims to make urban transport system more efficient, safe and sustainable, by providing recommendations on upgrading the existing public transport network, and improve safer space for pedestrians.
According to Upadhyay, as per the recommendations the whole transport network would be divided into three routes as primary, secondary and tertiary.
Only large vehicles like passengers buses will ply along the primary routes. Eight routes are identified for primary routes where public vehicles like Sajha Yatayat and Digo Shahari Yatayat Pvt Ltd among others will operate.
Public buses belonging to Digo Shahari Yatayat Pvt. Ltd. have been already plying along the Gongabu-Sinamangal, one of the routes recommended by the project, since August 10 this year. Seventeen mid-sized buses started plying after replacing 26 micro-buses and 35 three wheelers.
The secondary routes will be open for mini-buses whereas other vehicles like three-wheeler tempos and micro-buses will ply along the tertiary routes, said the DoTM Spokesperson.
The KSUTP study has recommended 16 secondary routes and 42 tertiary routes in the Kathmandu Valley after assessing the passengers flow in those areas.