Urban Transportation In India – Making it Affordable and Sustainable
Good physical connectivity in urban and rural areas is essential for economic growth. India’s transport sector is large and diverse, and it caters to the transport needs of 1.1 billion people.
In 2012-2013, the sector contributed about 5.2 percent to the nation’s GDP, with road transportation having a significant share of it. Since the early 1990s, India’s growing economy has witnessed a demand for transport infrastructure and services. Over the years, urban transportation in India has become efficient and reliable. It is time to make it affordable and sustainable.
Trends Influencing Urban Mobility in India
Vehicular Growth and Availability of Transport Infrastructure in Metropolitan Cities
During the year 2009, 115 million vehicles were plying on Indian roads. According to the statistics provided by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India, the annual growth rate of the motor vehicle population in India has been around 10% during the last decade.
Rapid Motorisation
While the country’s road network has expanded by 39% since 2000, the number of registered automobiles has increased by around 158%. As of 2011, 54% of all cars in metropolitan areas were registered in five metro areas, with registration rates above 500 per 1,000 residents.
Dwindling share of Non-motorised Transportation
In Indian cities, more individuals walk to work than utilise private motorised transportation. Moreover, as cities grow, the proportion of NMT (Non Motorized Transportation) declines sharply, increasing dependency on personal forms of transportation.
Urban Transportation Problems
The Indian metropolitan cities face severe environmental problems due to growing air pollution caused by vehicle fuel. Atmospheric pollutants commonly associated with motor vehicles are nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, and Suspended Particulate Matters (SPM). In addition, pollutants from vehicular emissions have various adverse health effects.
Parking problems
The severe lack of parking spots in Indian cities, both on and off the streets, lengthens the time needed to find a place and causes traffic congestion. For example, in Surat, approximately 60% of all road lengths are blocked by on-street parking, compared to 14% of all road lengths in Delhi.
Air pollution
The concentration and intensity of pollution vary significantly between cities, according to data on air quality. If the attention of the criterion pollutants (namely PM10 and NO2) is more significant than 1.5 times the threshold, a city is said to be seriously polluted. Air pollution is at critical levels in half of the residential areas in the towns that the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) monitors.
Deteriorating road safety
The rise in motorization and the proportion of slow-moving vehicles in the traffic stream contribute to increased deaths. However, pedestrian fatalities account for a sizeable portion of all fatalities, and their frequency is considerably higher in cities with inadequate facilities.
Key Recommendations to make Urban Transportation Affordable and Sustainable
For the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) to be effective, it should be backed by legislation, and the entire funding for urban transport should be routed through UMTA.
Some international case studies similar to UMTA can be considered. To achieve effective and sustainable traffic management in congested areas, the parking requirements must be met appropriately. Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) in Parking Facilities can help transport planners to achieve policy objectives in many different ways.
Formulating Area Traffic Control (ATC) system for sustainable traffic management in city centers can be a solution. Sustainable integration of different public transportation systems: Public transportation systems should not operate in isolation but in coordination with other modes of transport (private and other public transport modes).
A systems approach is well adapted for addressing complicated urban mobility difficulties since it allows for a complete knowledge of the problems and their causal relationships. It is crucial to realize that mobility demands arise from people’s need to engage in vital social or economic contacts. In Indian cities, shared wealth and economic growth are made possible in large part by sustainable mobility.
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