PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE URBAN TRANSPORT- book.docx

Strategy for Planning and Designing Sustainable Mobility in
Urban Settlements
Introduction
Cities and civilizations are synonymous because cities have existed as integral part of
human history. Cities have historically scripted the growth of mankind right from his
inception. As per the U N Habitat Report on State of the World Cities, 2008-09’,
‘Cities are perhaps one of humanity’s most complex creation, never
finished, never definitive. They are like a journey that never ends. Their
evolution is determined by their ascent into greatness or their descent
into decline. They are the past, the present and the future’. Cities are
great places because they are not only promoters and storehouse of ideas
and inventions but are also major contributors to the national economy
and global wealth besides generators of large employment.
India is urbanizing rapidly under the impact of industrial growth and spread of service
sector. The pace of urbanization is picking up with more and more people making cities
as their preferred place of residence and place of work. In India, cities are on move and
are designated to play critical role in the growth and development of the country. As
per McKinsey Global Institute Report - India Urban Awakening: Building Inclusive Cities-
Urban India by 2030 will house 590 million people (as against 377 million in 2011),
which is twice the present US population. Cities will generate 70% GDP and 80%
revenue of the country. Share of Urban India in new job creation will be of the order of
70% (170 million) which India, as a nation will generate. Cities will also create enormous
wealth at the individual level with 91 million urban households joining the select band of
middle class, more than four times the number of existing households ( 22 million).
Number of metropolitan centres will rise to 68 (53 in 2011), which is twice the number of
metropolises entire Europe has (35) . However, investment to the tune of $ 1.2 Trillion
will be needed to meet projected infrastructure demand, whereas 700-900 million sqmts
of residential/ commercial area will be needed annually- a new Chicago to be created -
to meet the built area needs of the urban India. In addition, 2.5 billion sqmts of roads
will have to be paved, which is 20 times the road network created in last decade.
7400km (350-400 km/year) of metro will be needed – 20 times created in last decade,
to meet the transportation demand of cities by 2030.
In this scenario of rapid and massive urbanization, cities have been found to be major
drivers of national economies using transportation to leverage their growth and
development . Movement of both people and goods, has been observed to be a

necessary and essential condition/component of development. Accordingly, traffic and
transportation, as a sector, has been gaining high degree of currency because of its
critical role in promoting economic development and social integration of a region and
country. In addition to bridging the gap between demand and supply of goods and
services and providing mobility for its citizens, transportation has been considered vital
for leveraging employment, promoting industries besides contributing to prosperity of a
nation. If cities are known as engines of economic growth, then transportation has
rightly been called wheels of such engine.
Role of transportation has been assuming critical importance in the urban areas
because of large concentration of population and activities leading to generation of high
degree of traffic volume and traffic demand. With rapid growth of population, sprawling
conurbation, scattered and unstructured physical expansion of urban centers in general
and metropolitan centers in particular, traffic volumes have been multiplying and
leapfrogging in these centers. The physical expansion of cities has led to increased
distances between place of work, place of living, place of trade and commerce, place of
leisure etc., placing large demand on transport network to ferry large number of people
and goods across destinations.
Transportation scenario in India is highly complex and is marked by large number of
dualities and contradictions. Despite low holding capacity of road network, numbers of
both mechanized and non-mechanized vehicles are increasing rapidly. Despite lack of
parking areas, more and more vehicles are being added into the cities occupying every
available road space including all possible open spaces. In the process, cities are
marked with high degree of vehicular congestion leading to long delays and raising the
cost of business; extremely low vehicular speed; high degree of air pollution threatening
the life /health of the people; large number of road accidents leading to loss of precious
life and property and emission of large volume of greenhouse gasses and global
warming. Instead of providing high degree of mobility and operational efficiency, urban
transportation has emerged as the major roadblock and threat to the economy,
environment and sustainability of majority of citie
Transportation, besides having environmental implication, is known to impact society in
a large number of ways imposing social costs on individual , communities and cities.
Social costs imposed by transport include road crashes, air pollution, physical
inactivity, time taken away from the family while commuting and vulnerability to fuel
price increases. Many of these negative impacts fall disproportionately on those social
groups , who are unlikely to own and drive cars. Slowing the delivery of goods and
services, traffic congestion invariably imposes enormous economic costs on residents,
communities and cities by wasting their precious time. (Image 1)

Image 1 ; Traffic and Transportation in Indian Context;
Source;analyticsindiamag.com
According to World Resource Institute,’ Car-oriented cities have a number of costs for
citizens’ health and well-being besides social costs. Up to 75% of urban air pollution is
caused by motor vehicle fuel combustion, and in 2019, seven million premature deaths
across nations were linked to outdoor air pollution. Numerous studies have also
shown that sedentary, car-oriented lifestyles contribute to higher rates of diabetes,
obesity, and other associated diseases With millions of precious man- hours lost in
everyday travel, transportation is adversely impacting the productivity of human beings.
In the process, travel and traffic blues are fast emerging as major threat to the effective
and efficient functioning of the urban centers.
With Indian transportation scenario marked with large variety of heterogeneous travel
modes, of varying speed and characteristics, operating in the urban centers and
competing with each other for adequate space on already highly stressed road network,
the problems of traffic and transportation are assuming alarming proportions. Majority of
problems are concentrated in core areas of the cities, which house major urban
activities besides large chunk of population. With limited space, inadequate road
network and limited holding capacity, these areas are already under enormous stress,
causing numerous operational and functional problems.
Considering the role and importance in overall economic and social growth, it becomes
important that urban transportation, as a sector and as an essential human activity, is
critically looked at and appropriately addressed with rational strategies put in place, on

priority ,to make it safe, affordable, faster, comfortable, reliable, sustainable, effective
and efficient. This would be valuable for improving accessibility to jobs, healthcare,
education, recreation and other day to day needs of human beings. This would involve
looking objectively at the entire mechanism of transportation. Since transportation is the
product of rapid urbanization, fast expanding cities, increased travel demand, rising trip
length, typologies of vehicles used , existing mobility network and defined land uses,
accordingly it calls for making urban transportation integral part of urban planning,
development and management process. In addition, it would also require redefining
our travel options, transport priorities and planning strategies in the urban sector, in
order to rationalize the travel demand and traffic patterns.
Traditional transport planning aims to improve mobility, especially for vehicles, but have
invariably failed to adequately consider and address wider impacts on human beings .
Basic and essential purpose of transport is providing cost-effective and time -efficient
access to; living, working, healthcare, amenities, infrastructure education, goods and
services, friends and family. There exist proven techniques and technologies to improve
access while simultaneously reducing environmental and social impacts, by rationally
managing traffic congestion. Cities and authorities, which are able to adequately
improve and address the sustainability, effectiveness and efficacy of their transport
networks have defined and shown the roadmap for creating more vibrant, livable
and sustainable cities. (Wikipedia)
Indian Transportation Scenario
With rapid urbanization and industrialization, demand for transportation of goods
and services is rising rapidly. Accordingly, freight industry is growing rapidly with annual
growth rate placed at 8.5%. Transport, as a sector, also makes substantial contribution
to the Indian economy. As per available statistics, overall contribution of transportation
sector to the national GDP stood at 6.5% in 2012-13 as against 6.0 %in 2001. Major
contribution came from the road transport whose share was placed at 4.9% (75%).
Contribution of railways stood merely at 0.9% (14%) whereas rest of the modes
accounted for only 0.7% (11%). Further, the entire increase in percentage share of
transport to GDP between 2001-2013, has come from only road transport sector,
whereas share of railways declined from 1.2% to 0.9%. During the same period, share
of other modes of transportation also recorded steady decline. This clearly indicates the
criticality of road transport in the Indian economy and urban growth. However, this also
indicates the marginalization of the other means of transport, which need to be
encouraged, promoted and appropriately leveraged, to promote speedier, cost-effective,
safe and sustainable transportation of goods and services in the urban sector
Post-independence period has witnessed enormous production and addition of vehicles
on the Indian roads . With India producing 26.36 million vehicles during 2019-20;

number of registered vehicles recorded in the country were ofthe order of 295.8 million(
March 31, 2020), as against the 89.6 million in 2006. Nine Indian states recorded
registration of more than 10 million vehicles each with state of Maharashtra
recording 30.22 million vehicles followed by State of Uttar Pradesh (2017) . Highest
concentration of registered vehicles was found to be in mega urban centers of Delhi,
Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru . Delhi, among cities, alone
accounted for 12 million registered vehicles in the year 2019. Large urban centres also
recorded mismatch in the growth of population and number of registered vehicles. Six
major metropolitan centers, where population increase was merely of the order of 1.9
times during last 2 decades , the number of motor vehicles went up by over 7.75 times
during the same period. Besides increase in numbers, pattern of vehicle ownership has
also undergone rapid change with personalized mode accounting for more than 80% of
total vehicles. Maximum growth has been recorded in the category of two wheelers
whose share went Northwards ,from 8.8%, in 1951 to 72.2% in 2006. During the same
period, share of buses went Southwards, from 11.1% to merely 1.1%.
Considering the fact that India is fast emerging as the global manufacturing hub of
automobile, Munich based Roland Berger Strategy Consultants Report estimated that,
vehicle penetration in India will grow six folds in next fifteen years from 12 vehicles in
2010 to 72 vehicles per 1000 persons in 2025 as against 187 for China, 221 for Brazil
and 388 for Russia. Vehicle market in India is expected to grow to 5 million units and
two wheeler market will become 29.5 million units in the year 2020. With rising income
and greater demand for mobility, the personalized mode of transport is likely to grow
rapidly in number and importance in the coming years. Proliferation of the personalized
mode of transport is likely to have serious implications in terms of traffic congestion,
parking, safety, energy inefficiency and pollution. Strategies need to be evolved to
reduce the ownership of personalized vehicles, promote public transport and other
means of user/urban friendly transportation, to reduce vehicular congestion on the
urban roads.
Rapid increase in number of vehicles has not only led to overcrowding and congestion,
but has also made road travel in the Indian cities highly risky and unsafe for the road
users, with number of accidents going up rapidly. As per data available, in the year
1981 number of accidents recorded were 1.6 lakh, 3.9 lakh in 2001 whereas in the
year 2019, number of accidents went up to 4.8 lakh. However, during the said period,
number of road related causalities increased from 28,400 in the year 1981 , over
80,000 in 2001 and 1.51 lakh in 2019. Looking at the entire context, after every 55
second, India roads witnessed an accident whereas every 3.5 minutes someone lost life
in the road accident. .Road accidents has emerged as one the major cause of deaths in
the country. The majority of causalities in terms of loss of life and injury were found to
be among the cyclists, pedestrians and pavement dwellers, showing the vulnerability of

these classes of road users. The transport related casualties are rapidly increasing in
India making the travel highly unsafe and travelers highly vulnerable. (Image 2)
Image 2 ; Large causalities caused by Vehicular accidents; Source;
www.pioneeredge.com
The Indian transport sector is marked with high degree of mismatch between the
number of vehicles and available road capacity. The growth of vehicles and vehicular
traffic has been observed to be much faster as compared to growth of capacity and road
network. During 53 years (1951-2004), motor vehicle population recorded a CAGR
growth close to 10.9% compared to 3.6% increase in total road length with National
Highways recording merely an increase of 2.3%. This mismatch between vehicular
growth and road capacity has led to high degree of congestion and capacity saturation,
resulting in creation of numerous operational and environmental problems. However,
with government focusing on the rapid growth of infrastructure, momentum of road
construction has gained pace with length of national highways placed at 1,32,500 kms
in 2019. Despite rapid increase in length of roads, urban India is still facing high degree
of congestion, due to large production and influx of vehicles on the urban roads. Due to
increasing vehicular congestion, motor vehicles are largely responsible for generating
greenhouse gasses in terms of CO2 , promoting global warming on a large scale. As
per recent study, cities produce 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions, largely from
energy consumption by transportation and buildings. Thus, if we have to decarbonize
the cities and make them eco-friendly, energy efficient and environmentally sustainable,
we have to create innovative and state of art options for effective , efficient and eco-
friendly urban transportation besides making buildings green.

Looking at the existing patterns of movement in urban areas, it can be clearly observed
that Indian urban transportation scenario is largely dictated by road transportation; ever
increasing individual vehicle ownership; low road capacity; poor road geometry; high
degree of fuel inefficiency; large obsolete vehicular population; heterogeneous traffic;
inefficient and inadequate public transportation; high degree of environmental pollution;
low priority for traffic planning; poor traffic management; large mismatch between
vehicle density and road capacity; absence of unified traffic regulatory authority; high
rates of accidents etc. These peculiarities of urban transportation require innovative
strategies to be put in place to address effectively the transportation issues and make
urban transportation promoters of economic growth and urban productivity besides
generator of environmental sustainability in the urban context. Adopting strategies and
options based on shifting daily commute from cars to sustainable transport modes – like
public transport, walking, and bicycling – incorporating physical activity into everyday
commuting; can help improving, not only the health of residents and communities
living in cities but also can usher an era of happiness in cities. Studies have found that if
cities adopt mixed- land use for urban planning , promote mass transportation
for urban mobility , and make city pedestrian friendly; the risk of obesity for its
inhabitants and problems of congestion, mobility and pollution can be reduced to a large
extent (Fischer).
Sustainable Transport
The term sustainable transport had its origin and genesis , as a logical and natural
corollary of the concept of sustainable development. Term sustainable transportation is
invariably used to describe and define, modes of transport, and systems of transport
planning, which are consistent with and supportive of the wider concerns
of sustainability. There exist numerous definitions of the sustainable transport, and
related terms sustainable transportation and sustainable mobility. However, European
Union Council of Ministers of Transport, has defined sustainable transportation system
in the most appropriate manner; as, the one that:
· Allows the basic access and development needs of individuals, companies and
society to be met with safely and in a manner consistent with human and ecosystem
health, and promotes equity within and between successive generations.
· Is affordable, operates fairly and efficiently, offers a choice of transport mode, and
supports a competitive economy, as well as balanced regional development.
· Limits emissions and waste within the planet's ability to absorb them,
uses renewable resources at or below their rates of generation, and uses non-

renewable resources at or below the rates of development of renewable substitutes,
while minimizing the impact on the use of land and the generation of noise.
Sustainability, in the larger context, is not only limited to movement of goods and
services but also extends beyond the operational efficiency involving life-cycle
assessment and cradle-to-cradle design emission and energy efficiency. (Wikipedia)
(Image 3 )
Image 3; Sustainable Urban Transport; Source; www.cag.org.in
Strategies
Considering large number of emerging threats and challenges posed, due to rapid and
massive urbanization; large influx of vehicles on the urban roads; limitations imposed by
lack of availability of adequate road and parking space; inefficient land market; low
priority accorded to transport planning; lack of availability of adequate resources etc.,
urban transportation in India needs immediate review and rationalization. Strategies for
rationalizing would have to be an innovative, combination and rational mix of
preventive, curative and innovative options. It has to be based on a mix of both hard
(infrastructure) and soft (planning) options. The strategies for traffic rationalization and
management, in urban sector should essentially and logically , revolve around and
focus on:
o Minimizing travel demand
o Minimizing trip length.
o Minimizing mechanized movement.
o Minimizing pollution.

o Minimizing number of vehicles on roads.
o Minimizing congestion.
o Creating multiple options for travel.
o Shifting people from individual vehicles to public transport.
o Promoting safe, comfortable and affordable travel
o Promoting sustainable transportation.
To achieve the above objectives, the options available would be:
o Redefining Urban Planning.
o Changing options for transport planning
o Planning for people and not for vehicles
o Promoting accessibility and minimizing mobility
o Redefining shape and size of cities
o Making cities compact
o Reordering priorities of modes of travel .
o Promoting pedestrianization.
o Promoting bicycles
o Making public transport more efficient.
o Equitable allocation of road space.
o Integrating public transport system
o Traffic Calming
o Road Pricing
o Promoting sustainable urban transport.
o Promoting innovations through R&D
o Leveraging state of art technologies
o Creating unified traffic and transportation Authority
o Involving communities
o Educating communities
Redefining Urban Planning
Transportation has been considered essentially as the product of the land use planning
and accordingly it becomes critical that land use planning is carried out in a manner,
which generates minimum traffic and minimum travel. It should also minimize the travel
demand and reduce the trip length. Master Plans, which primarily define the urban land
uses, should be used for integrating the land use and transportation. Considering the
present chaotic urban transport scenario, options and patterns used for working out land
use planning in the master plans need to be reviewed, revised and redefined with new
options put in place to make urban mobility more effective and efficient. In this regard
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) has been found to be of immense value in order to
rationalize and reduce travel and to promote highly efficient living-working relationship in
urban areas. In this pattern, a dedicated strip is reserved for high density development
along the major transport corridors, where compatible land uses are permitted in terms
of commercial, residential, institutional and other areas. Activities generating maximum
volume of traffic are accordingly placed along the major transport arteries in order to
facilitate/minimize travel.(Image 4)

Image 4; Transit Oriented Development; Soource;www.livabilitylaw.com
In addition, Pure- land-use planning, which segregates the cities and puts different
human activities in defined containers in different parts of the city, has been observed to
promote increased travel demand in cities, making people travel longer distances for
living, working and approaching education and healthcare facilities. Accordingly, pure
land use planning should be avoided. Mixed land use planning offers better options of
providing majority of facilities in close vicinity, cutting down on the travel needs of the
communities and making them self-contained and self-sufficient in basic needs.Further
in order to rationalize the travel, it would be critical to make transport planning integral
part of the urban land use planning. In fact, entire land use planning should be based
on the transport planning, if travel demands are to be rationalized. Transport plans
should enable a city to evolve an urban form that suits the topography and best
supports the key social and economic activities of the residents. Making transport plans
integral part of land use plans/planning, would help in rationalizing the transportation
within the urban centres. If future growth and development of any city is dictated and
led by a pre-planned traffic network (rather than developing a transport system after
uncontrolled urban sprawl has taken place), the city has better chance/opportunities of
serving its entire population and yet minimizing travel needs. Thus, the intent, content
and approach to prepare master plans for urban areas need to be re-defined in order to
make master plans supporters and promoters of rational transportation options. Master
plans should also invariably address the issue of regional connectivity in order to
rationalize both inter and intra-city traffic and save cities from the traffic blues.

Redefining shape and size of the city.
Travel in a city is closely linked to shape and size of the urban centre. It has been
observed that there are shapes which promote larger travel and larger traffic, whereas
there exist other shapes which minimize road network and make city more travel
friendly. Accordingly, in order to rationalize the travel demand, it will be critical to look at
the shape and size adopted for the city. Grid iron pattern should invariably be avoided
because it promotes more travel and is highly unsuitable for an efficient mass
transportation system .City of Chandigarh, known for its planned development, is facing
major problems of traffic and transportation which has its genesis in the grid iron road
pattern which has been used for its planning. However, wherever grid-iron pattern of
road is used, it must be supplemented by a system of diagonal roads across the city, to
cut down/shorten the distances within the city. Ring and radial road pattern offer better
options for reducing travel demand. Inherent advantages of Linear Cities can also be
thoughtfully explored for effectively managing the travel demand. Accordingly, while
preparing the development plans/master plans, it would be important to look at the
shape of the city being adopted to rationalize the traffic and transportation.
In addition, size of the city would also be critical. Larger the city, larger would be the trip
length; accordingly, cities must be made small and compact in order to reduce travel
demand and promote energy efficiency. Small and medium cities offer better and
simpler options of managing the traffic and transportation within urban centers as
compared to metropolitan centers. In case of larger cities, options of decentralization
could be used to create self-contained communities for minimizing travel. Chengdu . a
westernmost city of China, is following a new concept of city planning in which 80,000
residents will be living and working in a circle of half-square mile, where any location
will not be more than 15 minutes’ walk. City has been designed to be a pedestrian city
supported by efficient public transport system.
Making Cities Compact
Reducing travel and traffic within urban areas would largely depend upon the extent and
footprints of the city. Low density and large sized plots invariably lead to poor utilization
of land and increase the footprints of the city. Increased footprints result in increasing
distances between different corners of the city which makes people travel more. In order
to reduce and rationalize the travel, it will be important to look at the density pattern
adopted for the city. Promoting higher residential densities will make the city more
compact by housing large number of people within a small area. This pattern
automatically reduces travel distances and promotes non-mechanized vehicles for

commuting. Higher densities would involve; reducing plot sizes and changing pattern of
city planning. It will also involve prescribing higher Floor Area Ratio and larger heights
for buildings in order to create larger volume of built up area and optimum utilization of
land, housing more people and activities in a smaller area. Promoting group housing
instead of plotted development also helps in better utilization of land resource creating
more dwelling units in the same area making cities more compact besides avoiding the
land speculation. Higher densities not only reduce the travel needs but also the cost of
services.
It is not only new cities to be developed which can be made more compact , existing
cities also offer enormous opportunities of re-densification, provided their densities are
re-defined and rationalized, with a proper policy framework put in place and
appropriately supported by the additional infrastructure and services. Singapore
increased the capacity of the city by scientifically identifying the plots which were
underutilized and encouraged owners to promote high density development. New- York
city encouraged refurbishment of existing housing units by either dividing larger plots
into smaller units or adding studio apartments on the rooftops to create additional living
space. Creating high density communities offer a distinct option for making cities
compact, reduce mobility, improving environment, promoting better utilization of
resources and allowing people to walk rather than use cars.
Re-ordering prioritization of travel modes.
Travelling options exercised by people have also led to creating traffic blues in the
urban areas. Globally, it has been seen that passenger cars have dominated the travel
preference and are responsible for 75% of passenger kilometers travelled whereas the
average vehicle occupancy is close to one. Less than 10% passenger trips are
performed by the public transport which has the highest carrying capacity. Walking and
cycling is fast decreasing in cities. Less than 5% of passenger trips are being made by
bicycle. Indian transportation scenario is no different. Major problem facing the Indian
transportation is the highest priority being accorded to personalized vehicles, which
occupy maximum available road space, have very low load capacity and cause
maximum congestion and pollution. Accordingly, for rationalization transportation
needs and travel demand, we have to reorder our planning priorities in city
planning. Transport Planning must focus on and adopt the principle of people for people
and not for vehicles. In addition, it should promote accessibility and not mobility.
Accordingly, cities should be planned with highest preference/ priority given to
pedestrians to be followed by cyclists. Public transportation should be accorded third
priority whereas personalized vehicles should have the least priority. If the plans are
prepared with this hierarchy, cities will have better options/chances of rationalizing its
traffic demand and creating sustainable transportation. This would also help in making
cities more eco-friendly besides least consumers of energy. (Image 5)

Image5; Changing Order of priority for urban travel ; Source;
www.transportprojects.org,nz
Promoting Pedestrianization;
Despite the fact that pedestrian traffic constitutes considerable proportion of the city
traffic, still it has the lowest priority in the transport planning. Accordingly, it will be
critical that pedestrian traffic is appropriately catered to in the planning process in order
to promote pedestrianization on a large scale. The most popular measure to attract
people in urban areas to adopt walking, as the preferred mode of travel for shorter
distances, would be, the creation of well-defined pedestrian zones and dedicated
pedestrian ways. Most of the central crowded areas, having high degree of traffic
congestion/limited road space, offer best option for creating such zones. Core areas
and walled cities need to be pedestrianized with appropriate planning and design
options. Vehicles in the core areas could be discouraged by introducing metered
parking with high parking charges prescribed. However, these areas need to be linked
with an effective and efficient public transport system for providing high degree of
accessibility. Pedestrian zone is the best option for improving the travel conditions and

promoting safety for pedestrians in urban areas .Further, linking the major nodes of the
city with efficient public transport and planning for pedestrians will help in rationalizing
the traffic in the city. In addition, walking has enormous health related advantages.
Besides promoting sustainability and livability in cities and towns, walking is known to
help individuals in terms of reduced body fat, reduced obesity and lower blood
pressure. It may also take less time than one thinks to reach your destination.
Studies have shown that most people underestimate time taken, related to car journeys
and overestimate the time it will take to walk. The average walking pace is six
kilometers per hour and if one walks, there is no need to find a car bay on arrival. In
Paris 53% of trips are made by walking, 3% by bicycle, 34% by public transport, and
only 10% by car; and Ile-de-France region, where walking remains the most popular
way of transportation and in Amsterdam, where 28% of trips are made by walking, 31%
by bicycle, 18% by public transport and only 23% by car. Unless inconvenient, walking
creates win-win situation for the individuals , communities, cities, climate
and environment.(Image 6)
Image 6;Planning for Pedestrinisation-Oxford Street, London;
Source; londonist.com
Promoting Bi-Cycle Traffic
After pedestrianization, most preferred mode of travel should be bicycle. Besides being
economical, flexible and environment friendly, bicycles are essentially zero emission
vehicles (ZEV). In addition, cycling is also recognized as one of the healthiest transport
mode for travelling short distances. Despite having distinct advantages, bicycles have

been neglected, by both transport planners and communities, as least preferred mode
of transportation. Its enormous potential remains unexplored. As per the data available,
cycling still has the largest share of urban transport, not only in India but even in
developed countries. In China highest priority is given to bicycles by creating express
cycle-ways and creating exclusive lanes dedicated to the cycle traffic. Cycle lanes form
integral part of city road network including the major arterial roads, in order to facilitate
safe movement of bicycles in the urban centres. Majority of car trips of less than 5
kms can be conveniently made by bicycles, which can go a long way in reducing traffic
problems in the urban areas. Most of the developed countries are now promoting use of
bi-cycles for shorter trips and trips undertaken for education and shopping. However, in
order to promote bi-cycle it would require the creation of dense network of bi-cycle lanes
in cities including, all the major road network; creating a ring road around the most
congested areas; preferential positioning of cyclist at the crossing and junctions;
declaring certain roads as bicycle street; allowing cycling in pedestrian zones; creating
bicycle stations; supervised parking lots; integrating cycling with other systems of
transportation and connecting with important destinations including; schools, offices,
industries, leisure etc. Copenhagen city is known for its bicycling culture and supporting
infrastructure. Over the years ,city has created 388 kms of cycling routes catering to
50% of the city trips. In order to make city bi-cycle friendly, Copenhagen is putting in
place a unique traffic system by the name, Green Wave ,which would ensure that
cyclists will never encounter a red light during travel. Corbusier, in the planning of
Chandigarh redefined the system of 7Vs to include 8bc for catering to two wheelers
traffic , peculiar to the new city. However, the same was not been put in place and
Chandigarh is suffering from major traffic problems. However, under smart city mission,
dedicated cycle lanes have been added in the city. Promoting bicycle traffic would
require launching public campaigns on regular basis to involve communities and people
to use bicycles. However, technology related to cycle would also require upgradation on
regular basis besides making cycle affordable and efficient. Despite all limitations, bi-
cycle offers the best option, as cost-effective non-polluting, safe and energy efficient
mode of urban transportation, occupying minimum road/public space to solve majority of
urban traffic ills. Cycling like walking, also makes users happy and healthy besides
decarbonizing the city. It is said that switching, from car to bi-cycle, a weekly ten
kilometer journey, will help burn 300 calories of energy each way, besides saving 300
kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions, on annual basis. In addition, peak hours trip,
up to 10 kms, can be performed faster by bike, as compared to other means of transport
,when measured door to door, taking a time span of 15-30 minutes. .(Image 7)

Image 7; Copenhagen- most bi-cycle friendly city; Source;www.pressenza.com
Making Public Transport more efficient
Public transport holds the key to rationalization of traffic demand in the metropolises
and mega cities. However, despite enormous potential, public transport remains largely
a neglected area and least preferred mode of transportation. Unfortunately, in India
public transport has been considered a mode of travel largely used by poor or who do
not own any vehicles. This has led to keeping the fares, low, leading to large resources
going as subsidy to keep the system going. This approach needs rationalization and re-
look. Low allocation of resources has been one of the major factors for perpetual
neglect of public transport in the urban areas. Vesting power with the local authorities to
run the public transport has emerged as the major bottleneck in its rational growth due
to lack of knowledge, understanding and expertise besides availability of adequate
manpower, technical and financial resources.
Making public transport a preferred mode of travel would require re-definition of the
entire gamut/approach and framework of public transportation including its planning,
operation and management. Promoting public transport would require putting in place
higher frequencies; improved regularity; better safety; higher comfort; more effective
communication with users; provision of new buses/trains/LRT systems besides
competitive and easily comprehensible fare levels; dedicated right of way; prioritization
at traffic lights and integration with other modes of traffic etc. Identification of potential
corridors for mass transportation would help in rationalizing the traffic demand in urban
centres. Use of eco-friendly mass transportation vehicles using non-polluting fuels
(CNG) can usher a new era of sustainable transport in the urban centres , making them

free from major problems of vehicular pollution. In addition to providing an efficient,
effective, affordable and cost- effective means of transportation, public transport has
been found to be highly effective in reducing road congestion and air pollution and
accordingly requires higher priority. Considering different categories of clients, different
travel options must be offered to divert people using cars/two wheelers to public
transport. Promoting public transport on large scale would also involve creation of state
of art infrastructure including improved bus stations/terminals; improved passenger
information system; use of intelligent transport systems for monitoring and control;
affordable ticket pricing; e-ticketing; using single ticket for all modes of travel making
any number of changes; carrying out maintenance during the night and introducing
comfortable buses (air conditioned buses) etc.
Study recently made by Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), has revealed that
Delhi Metro, having daily ridership of 27 lakhs, has helped in replacing 3.9 lakh vehicles
off the Delhi roads in 2014 besides saving Rs 10,364 crores in terms of fuel, pollution
and passenger’s time. In absolute terms, the annual reduction in fuel consumption has
been recorded at 2.76 lakh tonnes, as against the corresponding figures of the year
2011, besides bringing down the travel time of commuters by 32 minutes. In addition to
promoting operational efficiency and making Delhi cleaner and green, study furthers
states that metro has made the city safer by reducing the number of fatal accidents.
Ahmadabad BRTS has already demonstrated its strength in solving the traffic problems
of the metropolis. Delhi metro has already achieved the mark of moving 2.7 million
passengers in a single day and is now gearing to reach 6 million marks, when all the
phases will be completed. Mumbai sub-urban trains have proved to be lifeline of the city
to keep it running even in all adverse conditions. To effectively solve the problems of
traffic, Copenhagen has developed world class public transport system from where all
residents will be living within a distance of 400 metres to minimize use of private cars, to
promote public transport. City of Chicago is also extending its suburban railway network
to ensure that 75% of the city residents should have houses within a walking distance
by 2040, under ‘Go to 2040’ plan to rationalize travel within the city.(Image 8)
Electric vehicle technology holds enormous potential to reduce transport
CO2 emissions, depending on the embodied energy of the vehicle and the source of the
electricity. Sourcing energy from non-conventional sources or using batteries , can help
achieve the objective of low carbon emissions by such vehicles. In countries, with a
significant share of coal in their electricity production, adaptation of electric vehicles has
only a limited climate benefit. The climate benefits vary substantially and depend on the
vehicle size, electricity emissions, driving patterns, and even the weather. Nissan LEAF,
electric car in UK, having two batteries and advanced technologies (in 2019 ), produced
one third of the greenhouse gases than the average internal combustion car. Electrical

Bus has proved the efficacy and efficiency of electrical vehicles to make the urban
transport sustainable. Thus, public transport has enormous potential, which needs to be
carefully and thoughtfully exploited, explored and managed, to solve majority of the
traffic problems of urban areas.
Image 8; Delhi Metro Redefining Urban mobility; Source; www.itdcem.co.in
Equitable Allocation of Road Space
Indian transportation scenario is distinctly marked with multiplicity of vehicles
occupying , sharing and competing for the common road space. In the absence of any
clear allocations, road space occupation is largely governed by first come first serve
basis. With focus on vehicles, majority of road space is being occupied by personalized
vehicles that outnumber the other vehicles. This leads to high degree of congestion
because of low capacity of these vehicles and squeezing of other vehicles out of the
road space. Bus carrying more than 50 people, requiring merely 2.5 times the road
space that is occupied by a car carrying 2-3 people, has very limited space available to
move on urban roads. Disproportionate space allocation has invariably led to higher
travel times and imposing higher travel cost. Majority of the people suffering from this
paradigm belong to lower income groups.
The existing trend needs to be rationalized and an appropriate mechanism of rational
allocation of road space needs to be immediately put in place. The focus of the road
space allocation has to be based on equity and the carrying capacity of the vehicles in
order to rationalize the traffic and minimize the congestion. It has to be redefined with
focus shifting from being vehicle centric to the people centric. Vehicles carrying large
commuters should be allocated more space in order to ensure their speedier

movement. Further based on equity, all the modes of transportation should be given
priority in terms of their carrying capacity. This objective can be achieved by reserving
lanes and corridors exclusively for public transport, non- motorized modes of travel, high
occupancy vehicle lanes, pedestrians and bicycles, depending upon their share in the
overall traffic. However, preferential allocation to public transport and cyclists will help in
diverting more traffic to these modes from personalized vehicles; leading to higher
degree of operational efficiency and better capacity utilization of existing road network
besides promoting sustainable transportation. Many cities in the world have used,
successfully and effectively , the mechanism of reserving stretches of roads exclusively
for the use of public transport to reduce congestion, air pollution and improving
efficiency of rapid bus transit system. Istanbul dedicated 42 kms of existing road lanes
for the newly introduced Bus Rapid Transit System. This helped in two fold increase in
speed of buses as compared to other vehicles. With buses arriving at 30-45 second
interval providing continuous service, city was able to effectively and efficiently move
6,20,000 passengers a day.(Image 9 )
Image 9; Smart Street accommodating all Kinds of Road users;
Source; www.muliveablecity.com

Traffic Calming
Traffic Calming is another concept being followed in developed countries to minimize
the hazards of traffic, promote quality of life in urban centres and eliminate
environmental pollution. Major elements involved in the concept are redesigning of
streets and roads for a reduced vehicular speed not exceeding 30 kmph; giving priority
to public transport; promoting pedestrianization and bi-cycle traffic; enhancing the social
quality and vitality of cities; allocating large road space to vehicles other than
personalized mode of travel; creating large green areas as integral part of transportation
network; management of car traffic through routing, parking management, signaling etc.
; surveillance and sanctions besides communication and participation by the public.
Feedback received from the communities, where the system was made operational, has
given distinct appreciation of the concept in terms of reduced noise & air pollution
besides promoting increased road safely and improved quality of life in all residential
areas(Image 10).
Fig 10; Traffic Calming- City of Toronto; Source;www.toronto.ca
Road Pricing
Road pricing is a new concept which has been used effectively to rationalize traffic,
minimize congestion , promote public transport , minimize use of personalized modes of
travel, safeguard environment, reduce pollution and generate resources. Singapore has
used the road pricing mechanism effectively to tackle the problem of congestion on city
roads. It has put in place a, ‘Unique Electronic Road Pricing System’, which makes road
users to pay a variable congestion charge, according to the prevailing traffic conditions
and distance travelled. It not only generates revenue for the city government but also
encourages drivers to take less congested roads. Levy of charges has discouraged use
of personalized cars , promoted preference for carpooling and use of public transport.
The system generated a revenue of $ 125 million in 2010. ( Fig 11)

Fig 11; Electronic Road pricing Singapore; Source;www.alamy.com
Creating Unified Transport Authority
Indian transportation scenario at the local level is distinguished by existence of
multiplicity of authorities with overlapping areas of operations in large urban centres and
absence of such agencies in the smaller towns. Both have led to a scenario which
is highly chaotic. Available agencies, where created, lack in capacity, competency,
expertise and requite manpower to study , analyze , plan , develop and manage the
entire gamut of inter and intra-city traffic, with the result urban transport is being
managed by proxy. This calls for creating a dedicated and unified agency for managing
traffic and transportation at the state and local levels, in order to holistically address the
problems, issues and traffic blues. The agency must be equipped with appropriate level
of manpower, having in-depth and adequate knowledge and experience of peculiarities
of urban traffic and provide solutions to solve them. Research and Development should
be made integral part traffic planning, in order to bring innovations in traffic
management.
Involving Technologies
Technology can play major role in rationalizing and planning the urban traffic.
Unfortunately, potential of technology has been used to a limited extent in India to

manage traffic. In developed countries technology has been extensively leveraged for
monitoring, planning and designing the transportation policies, and programs and their
implementation. In addition, it has been used effectively to monitor the traffic
conditions prevailing in the city and its various parts , to minimize the problems of
congestion and to ensure smooth flow of traffic. Use of IT has also helped in generating
valuable data for framing realistic and rational short and long term policies and
programs, based on ground realities. Many countries have used cameras at
intersections to optimize the traffic lights and cut transit time while reducing air pollution
and cost of tackling it. In London, transport operator, ‘Transport for London’ has shared
its data to encourage the development of service oriented apps such as ,Bus I T
London’, which suggests best bus route for any journey in the city depending upon
users’ location. Road Pricing mechanism evolved by Singapore has its genesis in the I
T technology. Thus, IT needs to be extensively and innovatively used in rationalizing ,
planning and managing urban traffic.
.Recognizing and incentivizing Sustainable Transportation
Recognizing and incentivizing all good practices which lead to promoting sustainable
transportation, on the analogy followed by the Government of India, can help in faster
learning and putting in practices simple and cost-effective options for promoting
sustainable transport systems at the local level in various cities in the country. Such
awards try to showcase the options which can be exercised at the local level,
demonstrating the efficacy and efficiency of various components involved in sustainable
transportation. The award is given in recognition of putting in place simple, cost-
effective, user-friendly and efficient transport facilities at the local level in various
states and Union Territories of India. Recently, Ministry for Housing and Urban Affairs,
Government of India, has recognized and awarded city of Kochi in the state of Kerala ,
for putting in place the most Sustainable Transport System. The award has been given
in recognition of the projects implemented including, Kochi Metro, Water Metro (Water
Connectivity with the same experience as metro) and E-mobility; to enhance the
transport facilities in the city of Kochi. The creation of the Kochi Open Mobility Network,
which digitized and integrated various transport facilities, also helped to win the award
Evolving Good Practices
Considering the role and importance of sustainable transport in minimizing the global
warming, climate change, decarbonizing and reducing carbon footprints, international
agencies , cities and countries are trying to evolve appropriate strategies and finding
valid options to rationalize mobility and making travel supportive of the environment and
ecology besides minimizing pollution caused by use and burning of fossil fuel in the
transport sector. Various countries /cities are making transportation more sustainable in

both long-term and short-term, by using both positive and negative methods of traffic
planning, development and management involving;
· Ensuring that transport policies evolved , programs implemented and
investments made , help in preserving and promoting quality of life and supporting
sustainable development of communities , cities and nations on sustained basis.
· Putting in place appropriate legal framework to mandate transport agencies
to consider sustainability issues and climate change impacts, as integral part of
transport planning and operations,
· Recognizing the need to link sustainability and transport policies, by
making cities integral part of the global network- of- Climate Protection program
· Focusing on people, environment and climate, rather than on vehicles
· Promoting , ‘Avoid-Shift-Improve Approach’, through incentivizing behavioral
change.
· Changing options of travel, shifting people from using personalized mode
of transport to mass / public transportation, cycling, and walking
· Prohibiting using cars in well-defined zones to restrict the number of cars and
discourage people from using personal modes of travel.
· Reducing the number of vehicular trips to lower greenhouse gases emission.
· Improving public transport, through larger coverage of urban area in order to
provide more mobility and accessibility,
· Using new technologies to make public transportation more reliable, responsive,
comfortable, cost-effective, operationally efficient and safe.
· Encouraging walking and biking through the provision of wider pedestrian
pathways, bike share stations , locating parking lots far from the shopping center,
limiting on -street parking, creating slower traffic lane in central commercial area.
· Increasing the cost of car ownership and gas through increased parking fees, tolls
and taxes , encouraging people to drive more fuel efficient vehicles and using revenue
generated, for improving public transportation and empowering poor communities.
· Making sustainable transportation integral part of urban planning, development
and management processes and practices.
· Incentivizing pedestrianization, bi-cycling and public transportation by making
cities user friendly, on the analogy of Paris, Ile-de-France region, and Amsterdam ,

where majority of trips are performed by walking, bi-cycling, public transportation and
very few by cars.
· Promoting integrated public transportation system , on the analogy followed by
City of Jakarta’, by creating longest bus rapid transit in the world, , reached a milestone
of serving one million passengers on daily basis, using a mechanism of dedicated
lanes, connecting with smaller vehicles, local buses, informal microbuses ,serving a
larger region not accessible otherwise, off- board fare collection, reliable, fast and
frequent operations, avoiding traffic congestion and long lines to pay fare
· Making sustainable transportation integral part of daily living and part of teaching
and learning for promoting a culture of cycling following the examples of cities
like Copenhagen where 62% of people commute to school or work by bicycle
· Leveraging decentralization, for creating self-contained and self-
sufficient communities/neighborhoods/cities within larger city.
· Included sustainability as a key consideration in transport and land use planning,
based on the examples of cities like Curitiba, Brazil; Bogota, Colombia; Portland,
Oregon; and Vancouver, Canada.
· Creating green highways to minimize the impact of vehicular pollution and
promote sustainable transportation.
· Generating resources for promoting sustainable transportation through relying on
user’s pay; levying fuel taxes; capturing land values; improving capacity of cities to
generate resources; incentivizing private investment and leading by examples.
· Minimizing human loss of life by focusing on road accidents and transport induced
air pollution by making adequate provisions of road safety as mandated in the UN
decade of Action on Road Safety.
Conclusion
Transport is known to occupy centerstage in many prevailing environmental,
economic, physical and social developmental challenges, accounting for about 64% of
global oil consumption, 27% of all energy use, and 23% of the world’s energy-related
carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, more than 7 million people lost their lives in the
year 2019, due to traffic accidents and transport-induced air pollution, of which share of
developing countries has been placed at 92%. With number of personalized vehicles
recording highest growth and exhaust from cars and buses emerging as the largest
contributor to the greenhouse gas emissions & promoter of global warming, it becomes
critical that road transport, as a sector is focused more critically and objectively, with
efforts put in place and strategies evolved to make the road transportation, more
rational and sustainable.

Challenges posed by transportation sector remain both daunting and formidable. To
overcome these challenges, options would clearly hinge on and making
urban transport, environment/user friendly, cost-effective , efficient and sustainable.
Sustainable urban transport would essentially calls for; shifting the daily commute from
cars to environment friendly transport modes like public transport, walking, and
bicycling; minimizing use of personalized vehicles; promoting non- mechanized/ non-
fuel based options for travel; using public transport with large capacity run essentials on
non-polluting fuels /electricity ; using state of art technologies to make vehicles zero-
emission by using alternate eco-friendly fuel; making cities more compact to limit the
need of mechanized travel; using land use planning to rationalize the travel pattern etc.
It would also involve; use of information technologies, as one of the key mechanisms,
to reduce travel by using homes as offices, schools, libraries etc. Using options of high
density development for making cities more compact can also be considered as
a distinct option for minimizing travel demand of the city. However, creating sustainable
urban transport would require a multi- pronged strategy, based on leveraging the
advantages of all modes of travel, involving communities and stakeholders besides
actively involving professionals engaged in urban/transport planning, development and
management. Increased use of environment- friendly public transport systems and
halting of urban sprawl in cities can substantially reduce emissions and make cities
cleaner, greener and sustainable. Sustainable transport can help save nations lot of
resources and money, reduce environmental footprints, minimize global warming &
climate change and provide dividends in terms of improved individual health , to make
this world more heathy, happy, sustainable place to live and work.
Studies made and reports published by UNO, has concluded that, transportation
remains the major consumer of energy and generator of greenhouse gas emissions .
Generating close to a quarter of energy-related global greenhouse gas emissions, with
emissions projected to grow substantially and exponentially in the years to come,
transport would be playing critical role in making this world sustainable. Accordingly,
transportation and mobility have been reckoned to be central and critical to achieve
sustainable development, improve urban air quality and health, and reduce greenhouse
gas emissions. Sustainable transportation has also been recognized for its capacity
to enhance economic growth and improve accessibility; achieve better integration of the
economy while respecting the environment, improving social equity, ensuring health and
resilience of cities, bonding urban-rural linkages and improving productivity of rural
areas.
High Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport (HLAG-ST), set up in the year
2104 by the UN Secretary General, representing all modes of transport including road,
rail, aviation, marine, ferry, and urban public transport providers, has recommended the
need for prioritizing sustainable transport and mobility across the globe. Report states

that transport system has critical role to play in making cities and human settlements,
safe, resilient and sustainable and calls for strengthening efforts to provide access to
safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all including children,
persons with disabilities , women and older people. It also places transport across
several sectors, especially those related to food security, health, energy and economic
growth, infrastructure,
Following the mandate given in the SDG11, calling for promoting an affordable and
sustainable transport, globally all nations must immediately come out with an agenda
and a vision based on carbon neutrality, on the pattern evolved by Hyundai Motor
Company, which approaches and makes a call to all stakeholders, ‘ To make
commitment to realize emissions-free mobility as a fundamental human right; doing the
best things for humanity and society to lead towards a better and sustainable future;
proactively promoting a paradigm shift towards electrification and creating a hydrogen
based society for bringing sustainability. Stakeholders in general and corporate sector
in particular ,must be made more active when responding to climate change, with
a strong sense of responsibility and journey towards sustainability must continue for
the sake of humanity and generations to come. Nations must move beyond mobility
towards creating a sustainable future based on hydrogen fuel-cell technology by
adopting an integrated approach’.
Besides meeting the sustainable development goals, sustainable transport is known for
its distinct and numerous social and economic benefits for the communities, cities,
environment and ecology. Studies made and analysis carried out by Low Emission
Development Strategies Global Partnership (LEDS GP) has concluded
that; Sustainable transport can help create large number of jobs; improve commuter
safety through investment in bicycle lanes and pedestrian pathways; reduce use of
fossil fuel on large scale; minimize adverse balance of trade; minimize pollution and
congestion, making cities walkable; and spongy; saving cities from flooding; making
access to employment and social opportunities more affordable and efficient besides
decarbonizing cities and making urban settlements more livable and sustainable.
Sustainable transportation also offers a practical opportunity and simple method
of saving people's time, improving people’s health increasing household income and
making cities great places for happy, healthy and more productive living
besides making investment in sustainable transport, a 'win-win' option and opportunity
for all stake holders.’ Decarbonizing, Carbon Neutrality and Zero-Carbon shall remain
the agenda to redefine, promote and achieve the sustainable transportation in urban
areas and to achieve the mandate/goals given in SDG11.
Bibliography:

 U N Habitat Report: State of World Cities-2008-09
 Mckinsey Global Institute; How to make a city great, Mckinsey Cities Special
Initiative
 Mckinsey Global Institute; Report on India Urban Awakening: Building Inclusive
Cities; 2010
 Government of India, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development; National
Urban Transport Policy
 Government of India, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development : Revised
Draft Concept Note on Smart Cities, October 14,2014
 Government of India, Planning Commission, October 2011: Faster, Sustainable
and More Inclusive Growth- An Approach to the Twelfth Five Year Plan
 Gupta J K : Promoting Sustainable Transportation-a published paper
 Fischer a; Seven ways to encourage sustainable commuting in your workplace;
The Fix City; World Resource Institute; October 7, 201
 Hyundai Worldwide Global Navigation; Hyundai Motor Company’s Carbon
Neutrality Vision
 Wikipedia encyclopedia; Sustainable transport;
 UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Group ;Sustainable Transport
Position Paper on Financing Sustainable Transport ; Addis Ababa; 13 July 2015,
 Gupta J K: Strategies for Planning Smart and Sustainable Cities; a published
paper
 Leila Mead; The Road to Sustainable Transport; May 24, 2021,
 Mordor Intelligence; Transportation Industry In India- Analysis of Growth trends
and Forecast (2020-2025)
 Trukky Blog; Road Vs. Rail Transport -Their Contribution To Indian Economy;
 Note’; All images are sourced through google.com, which are gratefully and
sincerely appreciated and acknowledged. They are used to illustration the text.

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