URBAN TRANSPORT
Overview:
Urban
Transportation Systems are considered as the pre-eminent arteries to bring all
round development of any geographical region. According to WHO report on Urban
Population Growth (2015), 54% of the world’s population live in urban areas[1]
and it continues to grow at a rapid rate. In India, 31.16% population lives in
urban areas[2]
which is much lesser in comparison of the world average of 54%. However, being
one of the fastest developing economies, India has seen the tremendous growth
of urban areas in last few decades. Rapid urbanization puts excessive stress on
urban services hampering the qualitative growth. Transport system, a chief
driver of development, should be given an appropriate attention to ensure
uninterrupted and smooth development of any urban area.
This paper attempts
to examine the status of Urban Transport in India. The main theme of the
paper is to analyse the empirical issues of Urban Transport System in Mumbai
and suggest the solutions to move towards more efficient, sustainable and
convenient urban transport system which will take us a few steps forward in
achieving ultimate goals of economic development and public welfare.
The Present Situation:
Mumbai, lying on
the Konkan coast in West India has population of over 22 million and stands as
the most populous urban agglomeration in the country[3].
. Although it has all the chief means of transport, the entire available
infrastructure is being overburdened making it difficult to cope up with the
rising demand of the population. Public transport mainly facilitates the
movement of people in the city with over 80% commuters relying on it[4].
Mumbai Suburban Railway, commonly referred as ‘Mumbai Locals’ are the backbone
of city’s transportation system carrying over 8 million commuters on daily
basis[5].
To offer a little relief to the overburdened railways, network of Monorail and
Metrorail is being extended in the city. Another important means of transport
is the Bus service operated by Brihan-Mumbai Electric Supply and Transport
Undertaking (BEST) which carries around 2.8 million commuters on a daily basis.
Taxis and Rickshaws are also inseparable threads of the City’s transport
network.
Apart from the
public transport defining the picture of Mumbai’s Transport, urban sprawl in
the surrounding regions has also increased the role of Private Transport. The
number of private vehicles in Mumbai is near 2.5 million[6].
In recent years, private taxi operators like Ola, Uber have also entered in the
picture as a viable option of daily transport. Although the transport system
appears to be wide and efficient, but in reality all the above means are
proving to be insufficient and inefficient. The city’s transport has many
lacunas and shortcomings which eventually slow down the process of achieving
ultimate goals of all round development and public welfare.
Major problems associated with Urban Transport:
Heavy traffic and
congestion is the problem associated with every industrialised region and
Mumbai is not an exception. It occurs when transport infrastructure is unable
to accommodate the volume of movements by people and vehicles. It varies with
time, with overloaded traffic during ‘rush hours’. Increase in use of private
cars, commercial vehicles, inadequacy of roads, and lack of traffic discipline
are some other factors contributing to congestion in traffic movement.
Inadequate Public
Transport, which fails to cope up with increasing population, adds to the
problem of transport in Mumbai. Railways are overcrowded during rush hours
making it difficult for children and elderlies to travel during that time.
According to data released by Government Railway Police (GRP) in response to an
RTI query, around 3000 people are losing their lives every year on railway
track which takes Mumbai to the top of the list of cities accounting highest
number of railway deaths[7].
Mumbai’s public transport has halted due to several reasons like collapsing of
Railway Bridges, Water logging etc. which highlights the problems with
infrastructure in public transport.
The Environmental
and Health Impact created by urban transport is another major problem which is
borderless affecting the lives of nearby regions too. Increase in atmospheric
pollution, especially noise pollution and air pollution are the consequences of
inadequate policies of urban transport. Emitted fumes from vehicles contain
pollutants which have harmful impacts on human health.
All these concerns
have deep impact on country’s economy and human capital. Right steps must be
taken in order to prevent the loss and make the urban transport as effective as
possible which will be in the interest of nation in all ways.
Solutions for Efficient Urban Transport in Mumbai:
The ultimate aim of
any infrastructural planning is keeping in mind future demands and raising the
capital in such a way that it will cope up with the needs of future, not merely
the present. There can be many solutions to deal with the above mentioned
problems. Some ideas are listed below.
1. Making
Executive more Accountable through Democratic Cards:
Maintenance of
infrastructure is essential for keeping urban transport smooth and reliable.
Condition of road infrastructure in Mumbai is really substandard due to poor
material used. Potholes on roads lead to slowing down traffic and also it leads
to road accidents. Risk sometimes becomes fatal especially in case of two
wheeler riders. Maintenance of Roads within the city is responsibility of
Municipal Corporation. The tools of Direct Democracy could be implemented in
modified manner to increase accountability of executive towards citizens. To
make corporators more responsible, citizens should be given more rights.
There shall be a
concrete way for citizens to reach to the corporator for making complaints
about potholes on roads. Citizens by showing Yellow Card to the corporator will
give him the limited time frame within which roads should be repaired. Failing
to comply with that limit, citizen will have right to show the corporator Red
Card, which will end his tenure and the candidate from opposition will serve
the area for remaining tenure as a corporator. Although this may lead to
instability in local self-governments in the initial years, but it will ensure
that the public office is more accountable to the people.
2. Multi Layered
Flyovers / Overpasses:
Infrastructural
development and planning which includes widening of roads is necessary to deal
with the problem of congestion in Mumbai. However, to implement that, land
acquisition becomes the major challenge in front of government. Multi Layered
flyovers can be introduced in Mumbai which will ease the traffic jams without
the need of acquiring more land. It is the system of ‘flyover over flyovers’
where the topmost flyover could be the road for light vehicles, middle one
could be the Metro line and the bottommost road will be used by heavy vehicles.
Although it will put a pressure on government funds to raise such infrastructure,
but it can be the solution in long term to deal with Mumbai’s transport
problems.
3. Eliminating
the concept of Rush Hours:
In Mumbai, most
number of households are engaged in service sector. Concentration of big
corporate houses, Government offices, industries in South Mumbai leads to one
directional traffic movement during office hours. As a result of this, trains
are overcrowded during Rush Hours and mostly run empty in afternoons and late
nights. As an instant solution to the above problem, government and private
offices may collectively consider to modify the office timings in such a way
that the pressure on transport mediums will be equally distributed. This will
result in optimum use of available resources.
4. Promotion of
Inland Waterways:
Mumbai, being an
island city has strong network of inland water channels. It has numerous creeks
covering area of approximately 71 sq kms[8].
The island city has Vasai creek in the North and Thane creek in the East. Mahul
creek, Mahim creek and Gorai creek are other important creeks. Strong network
of inland water channels could be utilised to connect Eastern and Western
suburbs thereby giving a little relief to commuters travelling in overcrowded
trains.
5. Promotion of
Public Transport, Eco-Friendly Transport & Car pools:
Promotion of public
transport and car pools will keep a check on traffic congestion with fewer
vehicles on road facilitating smooth movement of transport. It will result in
saving of fuel cost, time and energy of commuters. Apart from this, bicycle use
should be promoted for short distance journeys. Government as well as private
bodies, societies can take initiative to implement this policy.
Conclusion:
The above mentioned
solutions demand for structural changes,
behavioural changes as well as some infrastructural changes. In economic sense,
they may incur a cost of investment for the government in a short run, but these
measures will certainly improve the efficiency of urban transport in Mumbai.
Also, such investments bring development in a long term. In a political
context, Government of India is devoted to achieve the directive of public
welfare. Implementing policies to strengthen urban transport will prove to be a
major step in achieving India’s goal of all-round development.
[6]
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Vehicles-in-Mumbai-increase-by-more-than-half-in-seven-years/articleshow/33570794.cms
[7]
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/railways/3014-commuters-killed-on-mumbai-railway-tracks-in-2017-rti/articleshow/62663578.cms
[8]
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mangrove-makeovers-could-save-greenery/articleshow/12565500.cms?
