In busy Indian cities, getting around can be challenging. We deal with problems like traffic congestion, pollution, and the constant struggle to find convenient transport options. The rapid growth of India’s urban population has triggered an increased demand for transport in the cities and surrounding areas, with commuters taking multiple long trips each day. This has also meant an augmented need for public transport. Public transportation systems account for 30 percent of trips in cities with populations between one and two million, 42 percent in areas with populations between two and five million, and 63 percent in cities with populations over five million.

The innovation in the mobility space to close the first and last mile gap such as bike taxis, erickshaw, e-scooters should be encouraged as they offer better first and last mile connectivity. Further, a multimodal integration of all public transit modes in the city would enable service providers to build solutions to close the first and last mile gap.
KEY DISCUSSION POINTS

1. Is India’s declining public transport ridership associated with poor first and last mile connectivity options?

2. Projected riderships in metro systems are often not achieved. Does this have a link to the non-availability of feeder services?

3. Governance Perspective:

• Who is responsible for ensuring first and last mile connectivity in Indian cities?

• How do you think the permit system and capping on number of autorickshaw permits (in cities like Kochi) would affect the efficient implementation of first and last mile connectivity?

  
  

  4. Role of Micromobility: What role do micromobility options like bicycles and e-bikes play? Have they been able to cater to first and last mile connectivity? In some cities like Indore, these companies (eg. MyByk) are given VGF initially for operating. What other measures do the authorities have to take to ensure proper first and last mile connectivity?

Urban vehicular pollution has become a critical issue in the contemporary world, driven by rapid industrialization, urbanisation and the concentration of human activities in metropolitan areas. When discussing urban pollution, we tend to concentrate more on the air, sound and water pollution in urban areas. But it is equally important to delve into other attributes that influence and worsen the already prevalent pollution.

We leave out one important aspect of pollution: urban congestion and its subsequent effects. The increase in vehicular ownership in India leads to congestion on urban roads, resulting in commuters spending more time on roads being stuck in traffic, leading to increased carbon emissions.

The word congestion is often used in relation to vehicle traffic by specialists and the general public alike. The Concise Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford University Press, 2002) defines it as “abnormal accumulation, crowding, or obstruction, especially of traffic, etc.” It is commonly understood as a situation in which many vehicles are in motion and each of them progresses slowly and fitfully.

Even though these definitions are subjective and fit into everyday usage, they are not completely accurate. Many attempts have been made to define what congestion is and to determine the origin point of traffic congestion. Multiple reports and research materials are available to get a better understanding of the same.

This podcast discusses how traffic congestion contributes to urban pollution, what the possible reasons are and explores solutions for the same. The rationale for discussing urban congestion lies in its multifaceted impacts on economic efficiency, environmental sustainability and social well-being. Traffic congestion leads to significant economic costs due to lost productivity, increased fuel consumption, and delays in goods and services delivery. Additionally, it exacerbates aspects of conventional air and sound pollution.

With many cities now having metro systems, there has been recent debates of the viability of metro systems specially in those cities where Bus Rapid Transit System was first implemented. The ridership in metro systems in most Indian cities are lower than what is projected. However, some experts suggest the debate over bus versus Metro rail is unnecessary and cities should get the benefit of having every single mode of transport.
In this podcast, Mr Ranjit Gadgil, Program Director at Parisar, Pune, discusses about the viability of metro systems in cities with BRTS.
The major discussion points include:
• How cities that have an existing BRT look at investments in metro infrastructure
• Pune being the first city to have a BRT system, still faces challenges in maintaining the operations. Is this a consequence of planning issues or mindset of the authorities?
• How has the view of commuters and the State/city been towards advancing BRTS in Pune
• How has Pune’s transport investments been over the years?
• Was metro rail a necessity in Pune? How is the current ridership and do people prefer it over BRT?

• What are the indicators to keep in mind when choosing the appropriate PT system in a metro city like Pune?