India Needs To Scale Up Urban Transport

Development
As India rapidly progresses towards the position of a developed nation, taking
stock of the sustainable development projects in India becomes critical. A
United Nations report says that in the coming two decades, the countrys
population would grow by another 300 million. Experts predict 68 cities with over
one million inhabitants by the year 2030, besides 6 megacities with 10 million
people each. The efficient urban infrastructure is generating 65 per cent of the
countrys economic output, massively attracting rural youth who is seeking
employment.

The tremendous growth of cities, however, has also created huge challenges, one
of which is erratic public transportation systems. The existing infrastructure for the
urban transport is already weighed down by large scale migration.

A conference held jointly by the Brihanmumbai Electrical Supply and Transport

Undertaking (BEST) in association with EMBARQ India, in 2013, extensively
discussed sustainable development projects in India, especially urban transport.
Scaling sustainable transport and amalgamating it with land-use development is
critical for Indian cities to keep up their potential of dynamic engines of economic
growth, while also giving its residents a quality life.

The deliberations resulted into certain key points on how various solutions for a
sustainable urban transport and development can be adopted for Indian cities.

Bus Rapid Transit Systems (BRTS)

A successful experiment of BRTS in Ahmedabad triggered its expansion there as

well created the possibility of BRTS in several other cities such as Indore, Surat,
Pimpri-Chinchwad, Hubli-Dharwad, Naya Raipur, Bangalore and Mumbai. It was
discussed that with the right mix of political will, technical expertise, resource
allocation, and knowledge-sharing, India could see a rise in the advanced bus
systems. Within a year, both the planning and construction of BRTS at most of
these places was done and operational.

Integration of land use

Merely scaling up of mass transport wont be sufficient. A Transit-Oriented-
Development is also essential. It is a great solution that will link sustainable urban
transport to other sustainable development projects in India. TOD model will
ensure that the inevitable expansion of Indian cities happens in a compact,
sustainable manner.

City bus services

When it comes to public transport, city bus services have always been the primary
mode for most urban areas. In metro cities, over 40 per cent motorized trips are by
buses. This is because they have proved to be the most cost-effective mode. Every
city, therefore, must put improvement in city bus services on top priority. Local
administrations have taken significant efforts to implement this thought. Still a lot
remains to be done, as the mindset that buses are still a downmarket mode of
transport, has to change. And the solution is to buy more attractive buses,
redesign routes and networks, use technology to make buses user-friendly.

Taking care of pedestrians, cyclists

Nearly 1.5 lakh Indians die every year in traffic mishaps. This number is huge.
And a major reason can be disproportionate allocation of road space. 15 per cent
private vehicle users take 80 per cent of the road space.

To increase pedestrian safety, the areas around railway stations and bus stops need
to be redesigned to give more pedestrian access. Such work is under way in many
cities, but this needs to be scaled up for a long term safe access for pedestrians.
This is as important as any other sustainable development project in India, and
so business districts and industrial associations should take up the work actively.

Private sector tie ups

Over the coming two decades, India needs nearly USD 871 billion to invest in
urban infrastructure. And transport alone will take about USD 500 billion. In the
wake of fiscal constraints in public sector, the country needs a lot of private
investors.

The conference more or less gave a programme to support a sustainable growth of

India.
A smart city is one which provides efficient and sustainable development keeping
in pace with the growing population. And sustainable urban development involves
creating access to drinking water and healthcare, a dependable power supply and a
reliable public transportation.