Three things Gurugram must do to unclog its roads and make its air breathable

The Times of India , Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Correspondent : TNN
Gurugram has the highest per capita car ownership, almost three times that of Delhi that was earlier regarded as the car capital of the country. In addition, Gurugram also registers 50,000 motor vehicles every year. Therefore, it wasn't surprising that in February this year the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), adjudged Gurgaon as the most polluted among the country's 28 urban centres.

The CPCB survey found the city's air quality to be beyond 'poor', in the 'severe' category, due to the high concentration of PM 2.5. The readings in Gurgaon were found to be 434 micrograms per cubic metre as against the acceptable limit of 60.

Vehicle exhaust is the largest contributor to air pollution and is responsible for 30% of PM 2.5 concentration in greater Delhi's 'airshed', which also includes Gurugram. In addition, commute is identified as a high-exposure activity, and therefore, any fight against air pollution must necessarily include transportation solutions. Here are three things that Gurugram can do about its mobility that will also address air pollution.

PROVIDE HIGH-QUALITY PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Acoording to the 2010 toolkit of the ministry of finance and Asian Development Bank, about 60 buses are needed for every 1 lakh of urban population. Therefore, Gurugram needs over 1,000 buses as the current population is estimated to be around 18-20 lakh (almost double the 2011 census number of 9 lakh). Haryana Roadways currently operates only 40-odd buses in the city. The 1,000 buses could carry anywhere between 6-8 lakh trips per day. This means a significant decrease in emission as people will tend to shift from other inconvenient modes like autos, informal mini buses, two wheelers, etc. It will also mean a decrease in exposure to pollutants for 3-4 lakh passengers every day, assuming one person makes two trips a day. A study by WRI for Delhi in June 2016 found that buses were the safest vehicles for commuters in terms of exposure to black carbon and the second safest in terms of PM2.5.

PROMOTE SAFE WALKING AND CYCLING

The comprehensive mobility plan for the Gurugram-Manesar urban complex, 2010 estimated that a third of the population in Gurugram walks or cycles. The same document also listed that the city doesn't have a single kilometre of cycle tracks and only 23% of the footpath is usable. This means that not even 1% of city's infrastructure has been designed for over 33% of the commuters. While walking and cycling are the most environment-friendly modes of transport, they are also the most dangerous, especially when it comes to road safety. In 2016, around 410 people were killed in Gurugram in road crashes, of which about 50% were pedestrian and cyclists. Therefore, a network of segregated cycle tracks and unobstructed footpaths will not only help protect cyclists and pedestrians but will also induce demand from other modes, thereby reducing emissions.

STOP BUILDING HIGHWAYS INSIDE THE CITY

Fascination with speed and motorised travel inside a city needs to stop. Projects like the 16-lane signal-free corridor, connecting Golf Course Road to National Highway-8, is a classic example of how not to design an urban road. While such projects compromise the safety of pedestrians and cyclists due to absurdly high speed, they also decrease the use of public transport, evident from the gross underutilization of Phase II of Rapid Metro. Planners need to understand a simple economic theory that supply creates its own demand. Thus, more roads will simply result in more traffic, leading to more emission and pollution. Therefore, the city needs to build streets and not highways.

The impact of pollution in Gurugram is not only limited to its geographic boundary, and can be felt in neighbouring areas, including the already highly polluted Delhi. Gurugram has an opportunity to shape its transport-air pollution agenda, provided it makes the right choices, else it will be 'locked in'.

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/three-things-gurgaon-must-do-to-unclog-its-roads-and-make-its-air-breathable/articleshow/59344798.cms
 


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