Urbanization has been one of the prevailing
contemporary progressions as a growing share of the global population lives in
cities. Transportation in urban areas is profoundly intricate because of multitude
of the modes involved, of starting points and destinations, and the variety in
traffic. Traditionally, the focus of urban transportation has been on
passengers as cities were viewed as locations of utmost human interactions with
multifaceted traffic patterns connected to commuting, business exchanges and
recreational/social activities. Be that as it may, cities are also locations of
production, consumption and conveyance, activities linked to movements of
freight. Transport sector is the second largest consumer of energy in India.
The growth of transport not just puts pressure on the limited non-renewable
energy assets but also extensively increments ecological pollution.
According to a report released by
Planning Commission[1], the
population in urban areas in 2001 was 28 per cent, it is projected that by 2031
about 40 per cent population i.e. about 600 million people would be living in
urban areas. Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), Government of India issued
the National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) in 2006, to bring about
comprehensive improvements in urban transport services and infrastructure. The
policy focus is on movement of people rather than the movement vehicles between
destinations. The policy aims at increasing the use of green energy sources,
energy efficiency and environmental protection. For urban transportation a
central policy is necessary. Although each state has the responsibility for
urban transportation, a central policy can provide the necessary framework for
systematic progress through coordination. Through the NUTP, several acts, rules
and programs (like Motor Vehicle Act, Metro Construction Act, Jawaharlal Nehru
National Urban Renewal Mission, Viability Gap Funding, Urban Infrastructure
Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns) have important implications in
dealing with urban transportation issues. The NUTP is employing a comprehensive
approach, namely, Urban Transport Planning, Infrastructure Design, Public
Transport, Non-Motorized Transport, Traffic Management, Financing, Governance
and Capacity Building, for making urban transportation sustainable and user
friendly. In the eight years of existence of NUTP several new initiatives have
been taken by MoUD to promote good mobility in cities.
The NUTP committee while working on
developing a sustainable framework for urban transportation have concurred on
their research findings that investment can be reduced by nearly 30 per cent by
proactively promoting sustainable practices. As advocated by the Asian
Development Bank in its action plan draft[2],
the NUTP aims at shifting towards ‘Avoid, Shift & Improve’ strategy in
transport planning. This ‘Avoid’ strategy aims at decreasing the demand for
travel by reducing the number and length of trips. The ‘Shift’ strategy aims at
transferring the traffic from personal vehicles to other Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)
and Non-Motorized Transport (NMT) modes to reduce energy demand and hence
pollution in cities. The ‘Improve’ strategy focuses on using clean fuels and
clean vehicle technology. The NUTP in its urban transport planning has developed
some key concepts such as Integrated Land Use and Transport Planning,
Comprehensive Mobility Planning (CMP), Transit Oriented Development,
Transportation Demand Management (TDM), Participatory Approach, to name a few,
which aims at reducing the traffic load by augmenting public transportation and
encouraging the public to make urban transportation more sustainable.
Despite employing proven concepts by
the NUTP, urban transportation still remains an anomaly. The pollution level is
on the rise because of adulterated traffic. Only a handful of UTs and states
have fully functional CNG stations. Poor traffic management is another major
hurdle in urban transportation. Lane segregation, a crucial method for managing
urban transport has not been enforced uniformly across the country. Public
transportation system is also marred by many shortcomings such as shortages of
buses, spares and staff, overused, old & tattered vehicles, low wages which
results in poor morale. The problems lie in the connectivity aspect of urban
transit. Currently, there is no integration in public transportation. For
someone to travel from point A to point B, multiple modes of transportation is
used which results in more expenditure and wastage of time. People who can
afford taxis prefer to hire them to get point-to-point connectivity and online
cab aggregators, with the use of technology offer better services. The
affordability of commuters is represented in the types of transit available in
urban centres. From Mass Public Transit (MPT) such as buses to Mass Rapid
Transit (MRT) such as metro system to single transit such as auto or taxis to
private ownership of cars or two wheelers, there is a stark difference in the
amount of commuters and their affordability. Lack of availability of more buses
and other forms of MPT reflects the loop in scalability plans in an urban
centre. Hence, affordability and scalability are crucial issues affecting urban
transportation connectivity.
These are only handful of problems
related to urban transportation in India. Some of the suggestions that can
assist in reviving urban transportation can be done by shifting focus from
planning and designing for mobility to enhancing accessibility which will
strengthen transport/land‐use link. The aim should be to
facilitate ‘complete streets’ using Transport Demand Management which should include
congestion pricing, parking controls and enforcement. Innovative use of technology
in urban transit can be used through fare integration. The concept of fare
integration can be used across multiple modes of transportation which could
well be cashless transactions. The role
of private sector should be expanded and more private-public partnership
enterprises should be welcomed on board for strengthening urban transportation.
Ultimately, the ideology of ‘urban transport as a civil right’ should be
acknowledged as a basic need enabling user‐side subsidies. To conclude, connectivity, affordability and
scalability in urban transportation system is crucial for development of urban
centres. With the NUTP already been implemented since 2006, the onus should be
on further strengthening the NUTP and providing more urgency in making it a
sustainable system.
