Steady migration of people to urban centres in search of jobs and livelihood has put immense pressure on cities, not just in India, but globally. Rapid rise in population has rendered most public transportation systems in Indian cities inadequate.
The capital city of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) can possibly boast of the best available transport infrastructure in the country. Nonetheless, Delhi NCR has its fair share of issues with public transportation as well.
While the Delhi Metro is considered a shining example of a modern transportation solution, providing the National Capital Region of Delhi its transportation lifeline, for a city that continues to expand its boundaries, it still isn’t enough. The city bus network hasn’t been the favourite go to mode for passengers either.
Invariably, the city has seen an influx of personalised vehicles over the years. In 2020, Delhi saw the registration of almost 12 million motor vehicles. In the last decade, the number nearly doubled. Some estimates claim Delhi is one of the most traffic jam-prone cities in the world. Market and consumer data firm Statista claims that the real travel times in Delhi are 47% longer than travel under free-flow conditions.
Of course, there is a limit to transportation infrastructure that can support a burgeoning population in cities. What ails the system, and what measures can be introduced to make public transportation exciting for commuters to discard the use of private vehicles?
Mobility Outlook spoke to Rajesh Agarwal, Managing Director & CEO, Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) for a deeper understanding. DIMTS is an urban transport and infrastructure development company formed as an equal equity joint venture between the Government of Delhi and IDFC Foundation.
What are the problem areas?
Traditionally, the bus system in the city has been notorious with time management. Incorrect scheduling, lack of punctuality, enforcement of best practices and unruly driving habits have been some of the glaring pain points of the city bus system in Delhi, and the country largely.
Unlike the Delhi Metro, which brought about unprecedented discipline to the city’s transportation system from a scheduling or punctuality perspective, the bus network – despite several interventions by relevant authorities – continues to face difficulties. And there are reasons why; the primary cause being the mixed traffic on our roads. Buses often miss schedules and face delays owing to that.
The other mode is para-transit vehicles, the three-wheelers essentially, which Agarwal said has grown beyond control and is now crowding even the main streets.
The need of the hour is to have a holistic planning between these three mobility modes – metro, buses and para-transit, said Agarwal. There should also be a concept of light metro rail, he said.
Approach and changes needed
The hassles with transportation and traffic management can be solved using the right technology. The use of Geographic Information System (GIS), which allows the mapping of every road, lane and utility, should be undertaken. “It is possible, since it is not a very difficult science. And we have got multiple agencies in our country to do this job; create a control room for the entire city under one of the umbrella organisations,” Agarwal suggested.
Secondly, traffic modelling that maps the likelihood of traffic in peak hours and non-peak hours, or one that predicts traffic trends for various days of the week, should be prepared. In addition, aerial surveys can be conducted with the use of drones.
Dovetailing all these possibilities will offer a better picture of the entire city network. This will enable authorities to understand the traffic situation better, identify bottlenecks and thus help create improved traffic designs to ease out congestions.
“The government is trying to create seamless traffic that keeps moving without any interruption by removing signals and building flyovers. But a lot is still to be done,” said the 1985 batch Indian Railways Service of Engineers (IRSE) officer.
Specific to buses, the nine- and 12 metre buses must be the prime mode of movement in the main city roads and highways. These buses should be used only to move people from larger distances. On smaller roads, 15-17 seater smaller vehicles must be deployed. “It is not necessary that our DTC buses or cluster buses enter every route. In smaller roads, such buses slow down traffic, causing jams,” he said.
DIMTS is also accumulating and analysing data on the para-transit vehicles. It studies the number of trips these vehicles make on a specific route, and based on the need, suggests if that route warrants a bigger vehicle, or a full-length bus.
Plausible solutions
Under the Central Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), a Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project across the Delhi NCR is currently being implemented. Consulted by DIMTS, this RRTS project is India’s first and will cater to passengers looking to travel a relatively long distance with fewer stops and at higher speeds. The designed speed for the RRTS is 180 kmph, while the operational speed will be 160 kmph.
As part of the functional plan 2032, RRTS will have eight corridors, out of which three are prioritised in Phase 1. These include the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor, Delhi-Gurugram-SNB-Alwar corridor and the Delhi-Panipat corridor.
While appreciative of the technology, Agarwal has a deeper concern on this. “The big question is what should be the city limit? Can we continue to increase the city radius and keep on stretching the limits? My personal perception is no. Cities should be confined,” he said.
The other likely solution is light metro rail. This mode has been in discussion for long, but considering it is extremely capital intensive, without moving too many people at one go, light rail isn’t really a viable option. Technically, light rail can go into interior roads, as it doesn’t have issues with regards to manoeuvrability.
“Light rail has a lot of economic advantage, but it is inconceivable to even think of earning operation profit from light rail. Although capital intensive, it could still be a good solution for our cities like Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai,” Agarwal said.
Where lies the solution?
DIMTS had done a study for one of the ministries, where it found that a bus system is being managed by different departments in different cities. While in some places it is managed by the municipal corporation, in some other cities the responsibility was with urban planning, urban development or the transport department.
The situation clearly warrants a coordinated approach. “There has to be certain changes in the Act. My personal view is that urban planning, land use and transport should all be integrated. The organisation that controls the land should also control transport,” Agarwal said.
His suggestion makes absolute sense. For a city to create a viable and seamless transportation system, one transport mode cannot be competing with another mode. Transportation planning overall has to be common and integrated, developed considering the topography of the city, availability of land and all such things.
Currently, of course, it is all scattered. Delhi Metro does its own construction planning, while buses do their own. Increasing the number of buses for a city is one issue, but finding land for the parking of those buses is an entirely different issue that is handled by a different department.
One successful model adopted by DIMTS is the gross cost model for cluster buses. “Tier II cities should start working on that type of model. Unfortunately, these cities have gone for metro rail systems, which to my mind look a little premature. A good bus transit system could have been a better solution in those cities rather than constructing a very capital-intensive metro system,” Agarwal argued.
A common transport policy would have options as per a city’s suitability. One shouldn’t promote a particular sector, but consider developing the overall transportation sector. As Agarwal said, the best way forward would be to aggregate them together (metro, buses and para-transit), and then let the policy makers decide what is best for a particular city.