Polluted, yet personal vehicle culture intact

The Times of India , Monday, April 11, 2016
Correspondent : Manish Umbrajkar
Pune: Most cities in India, including Pune, are choking on air pollution caused by the exhaust from aging vehicles, those that run on diesel, construction dust and smoke and particles from the burning of garbage.

Every now and then, there is a hue and cry about discouraging the use of personal vehicles on the roads, yet statistics show that it shows no sign of falling.

Nearly half the population in Pune city alone (about 35 lakh as per Census 2011) uses two-wheelers or cars, according to a report compiled by the urban development ministry. The study blamed low parking charges for the preference to personal vehicles.

The mode of transport in Pune shows that nearly 38% people use two-wheelers, the highest among 10 cities, including Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Kanpur. Though Pune's population is less than many of these cities, the number of people relying on two-wheelers for transport is phenomenally high.

Regional Transport Office staff said two lakh vehicles were added in a span of 10 months beginning from April 2015. Of the total 2.04 lakh vehicles registered till January this year, about 1.46 lakh are motorcycles and 39,000 are cars. Nearly 20,400 vehicles were registered every month since April 2015.

In Pune, despite the comprehensive mobility plan pointing out that parking charges should be higher, corporators have been opposing the move.

Parking charges in other Indian cities are also abysmally low which encourages the use of personal vehicles leading to traffic congestion in the central and congested areas.

Many cities abroad have steep parking charges which deters people from using personal vehicles. The urban development ministry has cited the example of London city with high parking charges are a tool to reduce traffic congestion.

The ministry, which came out with its first report on urban statistics, has a comparison of parking charges in Indian cities as well as charges in cities, abroad.

"Parking charges in India are less. Higher parking charges create a disincentive for using private vehicles for transport and are an important tool in promoting public transport. In cities like London, parking charges have been used as an instrument to reduce congestion on roads. It can also be an important source of financing municipal corporations," the ministry added.

The ministry during the UPA-II tenure had asked cities to explore the possibility of increasing parking charges.

Pune Municipal Corporation's comprehensive mobility plan said there should be limited parking space as well as high parking charges, so that more people opt for using public transport.

At present, most roads in the city have free parking, the CMP said. There is a revenue generation potential through parking charges. Parking structures in the core city area in the development plan should be implemented and that the parking plazas should improve traffic circulation in the vicinity, the plan added.

Retired town planning expert R N Gohad said parking charges should be increased substantially for reducing traffic congestion on the roads.

"Parking on roads is almost free. The carriage width on the roads reduces considerably and this leads to severe traffic congestion," he said.

The use of personal vehicles, he said, is because public transport is inefficient. "There is at least one vehicle, either a two-wheeler or a car in each family. Public transport should be improved so that this use of personal vehicles is reduced. Parking problems have affected a lot of cities around the world and they have all managed to tackle the menace," he added.

The urban statistics report shows that public transport in all the cities is on the decline. With incessant growth of personal transport, sustaining urban transport has become a challenge for policymakers and urban planners, the ministry stated.

While 38% Puneites use two-wheelers, the percentage of personal motorized transport increases if the 10% people who use cars are added. This means that nearly half the travellers use personal transport. The share of public transport in Pune is a poor 12%.

Several non-governmental organizations have stressed the need for better and safe pedestrian facilities.

"Pune faces severe problems like traffic congestion and pollution. This situation is a direct outcome of flawed traffic and transportation policies which promote use of private vehicles by providing more and more road space, flyovers, subways and one-way plans. There is utter neglect of public transport and non-motorized transport like walking and cycling. Congestion affects movement of buses and pedestrians the most, further making these modes less attractive," Prashant Inamdar, convener of Pedestrians First, said.

The urban statistics show that 24% people walk, while cycle is a mode of transport only for 8% of the population, and another 8% uses autorickshaws.

Senior officials of transport utility Pune MahanagarParivahanMahamandal Limited (PMPML) admit that the city's public transport is in a bad shape. "The municipal corporations of Pune and PimpriChinchwad as well as the state government should help PMPML in building new depots and workshops. The present infrastructure is in a bad condition. PMPML needs more funds,'' a senior official said. Many buses are more than eight years old and suffer mechanical breakdowns. Repair and maintenance are challenges, the officials added.

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Polluted-yet-personal-vehicle-culture-intact/articleshow/51771184.cms
 


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