Green cover in BRTS corridor raises red flag for commuters

Surat: Pratik Shah, a student of Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, is very cautious when he rides his two-wheerler from his residence in Udhana to the institution every day. Last year, Pratik had a narrow escape when a car approaching from the other side of BRTS intersection hit him. He had fractured his left leg and was bedridden for a month. Now, he virtually stops at BRTS intersection as he is unable to see the other side of the road due to high green wall of ornamental trees.
In two years, there have been 85 accidents (20 fatal) on the BRTS routes in the Diamond City. In most of the cases, commuters and pedestrians were hit by BRTS buses and other vehicles on the route. Many accidents had occurred due to the ornamental green walls of plantation which cover the BRTS lanes, making it difficult for BRTS drivers, commuters or pedestrians to spot the vehicles coming from other directions on the BRTS intersections.
The situation is so bad on canal road from Y-junction on Surat-Dumas Road to Kharwarnagar near Udhana that the high green walls of the ornamental trees created by garden department of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) reduce the visibility of vehicles approaching on the BRTS intersection.
A few months ago, residents of Udhana-Magdalla Road had strongly represented to former BRTS committee chairman and present standing committee chairman Anil Goplani to remove the green walls on the BRTS corridor to reduce the number of accidents.
Goplani visited the spot and ensured that all the ornamental trees hindering the vision of the commuters were trimmed. However, within a few months, the trees have regrown and the situation remains the same.
On some of the BRTS routes like the one connecting Rander and Pal in Adajan, the plantation is used to divide two sides of the BRTS. This allows the commuters as well as the pedestrians crossing the intersection to see the vehicles approaching the intersection from the other side of the road as well as the BRTS buses criss-crossing each other on the route.
However, on the canal corridor from Y-junction to Kharwarnagar, the plantation on both sides of the BRTS route separates the entire route from main road.
Anil Goplani told TOI, “We want the green cover to increase in the city, but not at the cost of people’s lives. I have given instructions for trimming of the green walls along the BRTS route along with cutting of the trees wherever required.”