Making Urban Transport Efficient In India: Enough Room For A Smart System

Given the situation of infrastructure in urban space, the challenge is daunting: 70-80 per cent of the infra needed to meet the needs of the population by 2050 has not even been built yet.

The city's roads now see alternating gridlock and gladiatorial races due to increased population and motorization. To resolve the problems surrounding travel in cities, a sound urban transport planning is imperative. 

The planning should be based on an interface between policies and needs. This interface is required for all stakeholders.

A futuristic transport policy will look into several factors: multi-modal options, targeted land use planning, use of technology for better commuting, diversifying energy use, efficient freight transportation, climate change, social equity, road safety, air quality, and noise pollution. 

Daily congestion on roads undermines the city commuters’ mobility and imposes costs on the whole community. Adding new infrastructure capacity to relieve congestion in cities is slow and costly. 

Given the environmental norms, land acquisition or re-purposing, relocating people or small businesses, and construction undertaken, it can take several years before the new infrastructure is ready to use. This is why demand-supply management is vital to bring about quick and positive changes in urban transport. 

A Multi-Modal Transport System

Data from 1,507 cities across 126 countries in 2022 revealed about 52 per cent of the urban population had convenient access to public transport, with considerable regional differences. 

That said, India still has a long way to go in developing a safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable urban transport system. 

Indian cities need the integration of motorised transportation systems with Non-Motorised Transport (NMT), e.g., bicycle, rickshaw, short distance walking, through long-term sustainable urban mobility plans and targeted investments. 

A robust public transport system with NMT options will not only be more socially equitable but also address air quality and noise pollution to a great extent. This is because these modes occupy less road space per passenger km compared to cars.

A multi-modal transportation system would utilise a variety of transport modes to make urban travel easier. For example, a Delhi commuter may use a bicycle to a local train or Metro station, and then use a bus/ cycle rickshaw or an e-scooter to their office. 

Such a hybrid transport system will reduce traffic congestion by discouraging car use and provide employment, education, and leisure opportunities for the city residents. 

Metros in India have less than 50 per cent projected ridership since pedestrian and cycling infrastructure is inadequate, and feeder buses and shared transit are infrequent and unreliable. 

Expanding access to these modes in the long run can improve social equity by directly helping the urban poor, students, the elderly, and the differently-abled. 

Road Safety, Pollution And Fossil Fuel Dependence

India’s road safety record is worrying, it accounts for 10 per cent of road crash fatalities worldwide. There were 1,264 road accidents and 462 deaths recorded every day in 2022; one-third of the deaths took place in urban areas. 

To prevent such high fatalities, the roads need to be made safer for all, especially pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists—the most vulnerable. 

This places greater emphasis on operator and designer accountability for safety performance, transport system integration, improved infrastructure safety rating and assessment tools. 

Road transport accounts for 12 per cent of India’s energy-related CO2 emissions and is a key contributor to urban air pollution. Urban transport planning should be decisive on climate change imperatives and follow the Avoid-Shift-Improve strategy. 

This means that the strategy should revolve around avoiding travel through improved mixed land-use planning and other measures, shifting passengers to high-quality, high-capacity mass transit systems, and improving vehicle design and technology to reduce fuel consumption. 

In 2021, road transport in India accounted for 14 per cent of national energy consumption. Petroleum products constitute 98.5 per cent of the total energy consumption in the transport sector. Therefore, a shift from traditional automobiles and fossil fuels to electric or hybrid vehicles, or those running on biofuels, hydrogen fuel cells, etc. becomes the need of the hour to curb the overwhelming dependence on fossil fuels. 

In addition to this, a greater thrust needs to be given to transport electrification through subsidies and Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes. Similarly, the adoption of fuel-efficient technologies in cars and trucks can lower petroleum consumption in cities.

The demand for urban freight in India is projected to increase 140 per cent by 2030. Further, robust growth in sectors such as e-commerce will boost demand for urban freight. A significant amount of traffic in cities is generated by deliveries of goods to shops, factories, offices, hotels and households. 

It should be noted that big delivery vehicles take up more space than cars and require a larger space for loading and unloading. This implies strategies to create cleaner and better transport in cities, must also address goods deliveries and encourage cleaner vehicles and better coordination of logistics. 

Opting for a cargo-hopper solar-powered mini-train can transport a load equivalent to that of five to eight vans. Similarly, choosing electric mini-trucks would reduce traffic flow, noise, and air pollution. This would also increase road safety due to a reduction in the number of freight-carrying vehicles and ensure cost savings for small, medium, and big businesses.

Though a radical measure, car owners in cities need to be sensitised through existing digital platforms that single-use cars can end up being costlier if they don’t volunteer for ride-sharing. Globally, many cities have instituted rules that force car-owners to give rides to others to enter the central business district, without paying a fee. 

Dynamic pricing mechanisms for using roads, accessing parking, and shared-use assets will reduce the need for creating new infrastructure by balancing the demand-supply factors. 

Affluent city residents should see their vehicles as part of a large community transport network, just like their smartphones. A change in mindset can make future urban transport and city living experience better and healthier.

The Future Awaits

The urban transportation system of the future will be built on collaboration among neighbours, communities, governments, and traffic managers on everything from traffic planning to signal timing to commute planning. 

It would also require drastic overhauling of the National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) adopted in 2006. All such changes should wholeheartedly embrace efficiency, innovation, and sustainability.

Greater focus should be given to public transport and offer multi-modal options to people to address multiple needs—environment, social equity, cost efficiency, and safety of passengers and road users in cities.

Private car-focused transport needs to be brought down drastically through suitable advocacy and awareness interventions to address larger needs such as climate change, cost of living, decongesting the roads, and efficient traffic management.  

The urban transport policy of the future should utilise Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), real-time monitoring of road congestion status and provide help to commuters to opt for ride-sharing options to move from one part of the city to another at different times. 

Multi-modal transport options must offer Mobility-As-A-Service (MAAS), which is being adopted in many cities across the globe. 

Public-private partnerships need to be exercised to promote transport options such as buses, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and rickshaws. These will enlarge the public transport system and enhance liveability in cities.
 
Everything can’t be foreseen in a complex, volatile, and ambiguous world. However, addressing the shortfalls and bettering the existing urban transport policy can address multiple issues: road congestion, air pollution, efficient energy use, bringing in finances, striking social equity and safety issues of established transportation systems, unintended consequences of innovations, and uncertainties associated with the supply of EVs. 

(The author is a Bhubaneswar-based policy researcher, social development practitioner, and public narrative builder. Views expressed are personal.)