new routes for public vehicles in kathmandu

Government Plans New Routes for Public Vehicles in Valley

The Government is planning to enforce new routes for public vehicles in the Valley. The plan aims to get rid of the long traffic jams along the streets of Kathmandu Valley. Both the small and large public vehicles operating in the Valley will then have to ply on the routes decided by the Government.

Under the upcoming plans, routes for public vehicles would be reduced to 66 route permits from the 200+ existing routes inside the Valley.

The new plan, considered a scientific solution to messy and traffic logjam stretched over hundreds of meters in the Valley, will reshuffle all the existing routes.

According to the Department of Transport Management Spokesperson, Gokarna Prasad Upadhyay, the new routes for public vehicles in the valley is likely to get implemented from mid-December this year.

Upadhyay said, “The aim of enforcing new routes for public vehicles in Valley is to minimize long traffic jams and cut down the hassles of traveling for the public.” He further added, “Issuing route permits to public vehicles has not been systematic so far. It lacks sustainable planning. We are revising all routes now.”

The to-be-newly-introduced 66 routes have been recommended by a study done under the Kathmandu Sustainable Urban Transport Project (KSUTP), supported by the Asian Development Bank.

The new plan aims to make the urban transport system more efficient, safe and sustainable. It provides recommendations on upgrading the existing public transport network, and improve safer space for pedestrians.

Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Routes

According to Upadhyay, the whole transport network would be divided into three routes as Primary, Secondary and Tertiary.

As per the DoTM Spokesperson, 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. will operate. Public buses belonging to Digo Shahari Yatayat have been already plying along the Gongabu-Sinamangal. It is 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 the mini-buses. Likewise, other vehicles like three-wheeler tempos and micro-buses will ply along the tertiary routes.

The KSUTP study has recommended 8 Primary routes, 16 Secondary routes and 42 Tertiary routes in the Kathmandu Valley. The number of routes were decided after assessing the passengers flow in those areas.

Do you think the Government’s plan to shuffle new routes for public vehicles will ease the commuters?

News Source: The Kathmandu Post
Featured Image: The Kathmandu Post – eKantipur