As living standards improve and employment opportunities multiply, urban areas will witness a surge in population. India needs to proactively re-imagine the future of its cities by incorporating advanced transport systems
The Delhi Government’s initiative of allowing odd and even numbered vehicles to ply on alternate days may make a comeback in April this year. The car rationing scheme was launched in January and elicited a mixed response from the people, who withstood the inconvenience of inadequate public transport system and yet got no respite from air pollution.
While vehicular congestion went down, air pollution levels in the form of exposure to particulate matter less than 2.5mm, rose by 17 per cent during the 15-day period. Increased levels of pollution, coupled with a shortfall in public transport, is indicative of the fact that any policy change must account for subsequent implications and ensure the presence of supportive infrastructure. In this case, an eco-friendly and sustainable public transport system is vital to make the new policy a success.
According to a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur, four-wheeled vehicles account for no more than 10 per cent of Delhi’s overall vehicular pollution. Therefore, the other major sources of pollution need to be identified and curbed.
The success of the second stint of the odd-even plan will hinge on how the Delhi Government manages the paucity of buses, since nearly 1,300 private bus operators are planning to take their vehicles off the road to protest against cluster scheme regulations. In view of these challenges, the Delhi Government has timed the second round of the odd-even plan in April when schools will be shut and buses that ferry students can be drafted into service as well.
Though of the determination of the State Government to control pollution is praiseworthy, the entire process is suggestive of piecemeal planning and makeshift arrangements. And herein lies the problem as the Government is continuing to implement a programme without a coherent strategy. If the initiative fails twice, it will not only set an adverse example for the rest of the country but also result in a negative image for an otherwise excellent initiative.
Delhi Government must realise that the odd-even scheme must be preceded by sufficient preparations that enable the programme to run for a longer duration. The positive impact, especially on lowering pollution levels, will only be apparent in longer periods of implementation.
Cities of the developing world are witnessing growth at an unprecedented rate. Nearly 1.4 million people are being added to urban areas each week, and it is estimated that, by 2030, around 60 per cent of the global population will live in cities.
India, through Smart Cities initiative, is at the forefront of developing world-class urban infrastructure. As living standards improve in cities and employment opportunities multiply, an increase in population migration from rural to urban areas will be triggered, thereby, exerting additional pressure on urban resources and infrastructure, especially urban transport. Unless a new and eco-friendly transport system is put in place to handle the population surge of the future, pollution levels can reach dangerous proportions.
Delhi’s first move towards adopting extraordinary measures to curb vehicular pollution must not only evolve but also spread to other urban parts of the country. The current shape of urban development in India contributes to the growth and use of private motorised transport, whereas public transport is relegated to poor services provided through inefficient and polluting vehicles, making the transport sector a major source of air pollutants such as black carbon and nitrogen oxide.
India needs to proactively re-imagine the future of cities by incorporating advanced and eco-friendly, inter-city and intra-city transport systems in the urban development strategy. In addition, strengthening strategic planning at the city, regional and national levels, with a focus on improved land use and integrated multi-modal transport infrastructure, will also help mitigate the threat from vehicular pollution.
Further, reforming fuel subsidies and introducing new pricing mechanisms such as road-user charges, can reduce and eventually eliminate incentives to fossil-fuelled vehicles and their use. The Union Government can also consider charges on urban land conversion and dispersed development and other related measures that place a higher price on land than on buildings such as land and development taxes.
These reforms can generate revenue to invest in public transport and transit-oriented development. The Government can also introduce new mechanisms to finance upfront investments in smarter urban infrastructure and new technology. These may include the creation of dedicated national, regional or city-level investment platforms to prepare and package investments to attract private-sector capital into the transport sector.