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Inadequacy of urban public transport, congestion, pollution etc. are common problems experienced today. This paper analyses the issues involved and the long-term policy initiatives required.
Itispertinent to look at the urbanization trends.In India urban population is increasing at a faster rate (3.11%) than the overall growth in population (2.11%). The problems of urban infrastructure are also increasing at a much faster rate. Urbanization of India in the last two decades is very high as could be seen from the above figures.In India out of the total population of 1027 million as on 1st March 2001, about 742 million live in rural areas and 285 million in urban areas.
The net addition of population in rural areas during 1991-2001 has been to the tune of 113 million while in urban areas it is 68 million. The percentage decadal growth of population in rural and urban areas during the decade is 17.9 and 31.
Percentage of urban population to the total population of the country stands at 27.8. There has been an increase of 2.1 percentage points in the proportion of urban population in the country during 1991 – 2001. Million + cities which were only 9 in 1971, have gone up to 12 in 1981, 23 in 1991 and 35 in 2001. Much of the urban growth was contributed by Mega cities like Greater Bombay, Delhi, and Chennai etc. 2. Importance of urban areas in the economic development of the country: Urban areas contribute substantially to the economic growth of the country.
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The following table illustrates this fact.
Urban India is the engine of productivity and growth in the country. This is manifest in the increasing contribution of urban sector to national income. Growth of employment (main workers) in urban India during 1981-91 was recorded at 38% against 16% in rural areas and 26.1% in the country as a whole.
Urban transport is an important infrastructure essential for urban growth and sustainability. In India, transportation demand in urban areas continues to increase rapidly as a result of both population growth and changes in travel pattern. Globalisation has its impact on urban growth and its planning. The competition between Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad etc. to attract capital and soft ware industry is well known. At global level also, this trend is evidenced and city governments (e.g. Sydney, Singapore and London) have been adapting to their new global environment. It has been assumed that to gain comparative advantage it is necessary to beat their competitors in the game of attracting investment from the leading sectors of the new globalized economy.
In fact the governments are acting like entrepreneurs. The global city’s orientation places much emphasis on communications. Transport with its direct and indirect impact on environment, safety and energy considerations, has a vital role in the globalized city. To make a city competitive, liveable and attractive, a well functioning urban transport is very essential. Contribution of well functioning urban transport to City Development Index (CDI) is substantial. A well functioning urban transportation system can increase society’s productivity and welfare by improving people’s access to jobs, educational institutes and recreational activities.
An important feature of urban transport is the phenomenal growth of transport demand. Passenger transport demand is expressed in terms of daily vehicular passenger trips and depends on three main factors:
Public transport systems are inadequate and are unable to cater to demand imposed on them. As a result, there is tremendous increase in the use of personalized vehicles but the carrying capacity of roads has not kept pace. Following tables illustrate this trend.
Since the transport infrastructure development and provision of public transport facilities have severely lagged behind, the roads in cities are now virtually suffering from explosion of personalised vehicle, acute traffic congestion, steeply increasing number of accidents and high levels of pollution. This situation is evident in the transport scenario of all big cities like Mumbai. Intermediate transport modes like mini-buses, taxies, scooter rickshaws and cycle rickshaws, falling in the category between private modes and conventional bus transport and mass transit systems, also fulfil travel requirements of urban areas of different dimensions.
Use of individual motorcars creates a peak hour traffic problem both in space and time. In Indian cities, there is wide prevalence of two-wheelers, which comprise about two-thirds of the total fleet; cars add another 25% while buses comprise only 1%. Private vehicles carry a small proportion of the total transport demand but dominate the available road space in urban areas. This is leading to congestion, continuous slowing down of average vehicular speeds, increasing air and noise pollution, increasing accident rates and excessive use of non-renewable energy. The increase in number motor vehicles (two wheelers in particular) is phenomenal. The road accidents have also been increasing causing loss of human lives.
Process of urbanisation has resulted in imbalance in the spatial distribution of population and economic activities necessitating large-scale intra-city movement of people, goods and vehicles. There is an urgent need to divert traffic from the personalised modes to public transport and emphasise the need to improve availability through route rationalisation and optimisation of resources. In the absence of a good, convenient and efficient public transport system in urban areas, there has been an increasing trend towards more and more ownership and utilization of personalized motor vehicles to commute which is not only more energy intensive and polluting, but also more expensive to the economy. The only sensible and practical approach is the synoptic one in which not only are all forms of transport taken into account but also all aspects of metropolitan planning and control. Towards this end, combined, co-ordinated and comprehensive effort is needed by all authorities –- private, public as well as government and the coordinated effort of different disciplines and professions
In India, the present day urban transport systems are characterized by- obsolete network- inequity of access, poor public transport, low journey speeds and high travel times, increase in vehicle owner ships, scarce parking space, no co-relation with land use, risk of safety in travel, high consumption of fossil fuels, high pollution levels, rapid decline in productivity.Present institutional arrangements are characterized by-multiplicity of authorities; everyone’s interest yet no one’s responsibility, a state of benign neglect, dispersed functions and conflict in operations, deterioration in quality of life etc.
At present, institutional arrangement for planning and developing urban transport in the country are far from satisfactory. There are a number of acts like - Indian Railway Act, Metro Act, Trams way Act, M V Act, RTC Act etc., which are the governing laws of public passenger transport system. These fall under the jurisdiction of different ministries including Ministry of Road Transport and Highway etc. But in Indian context, the following questions remain unanswered.6. Who is responsible for Urban Transport Planning and provision?• Central government - Urban development Ministry? Or - Surface Transport Ministry? Or -Railway Ministry?• State Government- Municipal and Urban Development Department? or- Transport Department? or - PWD and R&B Department?• Municipal Corporation of the respective city?• Regional Development Authorities like – BDA, DDA etc?The answers are always inconclusive. All the institutions mentioned above play some or part role in urban passenger transport. But, none takes the coordinating or nodal agency role.
Some of these Acts are also out dated and need considerable amendment in the context of present day requirements. Rationalization of such acts, therefore, is essential for the success of the mass transit system. But the substantive problem is that solutions are expensive and require massive mobilization of resources for investments that have long gestation periods.
Synergization Of Urban Modes Of Transport. (2024, Feb 28). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/synergization-of-urban-modes-of-transport-essay
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