Review of Urban Transportation in India

Cities play a vital role in promoting economic growth and prosperity. The development of cities largely depends upon their physical, social, and institutional infrastructure. In this context, the importance of intraurban transportation is paramount. This article provides an overview of urban transport issues in India. Rather than covering every aspect of urban transportation, it primarily focuses on those areas that are important from a policy point of view. The article first reviews the trends of vehicular growth and availability of transport infrastructure in Indian cities. This is followed by a discussion on the nature and magnitude of urban transport problems such as congestion, pollution, and road accidents. Building on this background, the article proposes policy measures to improve urban transportation in India. Indian cities cannot afford to cater only to private cars and two-wheelers and there has to be a general recognition that policy should be designed in such a way that it reduces the need to travel by personalized modes and boosts public transport system. This requires both an increase in quantity as well as quality of public transport and effective use of demand as well as supply-side management measures. At the same time, people should be encouraged to walk and cycle and government should support investments that make cycling and walking safer. Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 8, No. 1, 2005 80 Introduction The establishment of State Transport Undertakings (STUs)1 in India in the 1960s and 1970s did an enormous service in linking towns and villages across the country, particularly in the western and southern parts. Even though the service may leave much to be desired in terms of quality, the importance of STUs lies in the fact that, unlike in most other developing countries, one can connect to almost every village in India. Urban areas in India, which include a wide range of megacities, cities, and towns, are not all that fortunate in terms of intracity transportation. Transport in this context has been a victim of ignorance, neglect, and confusion. As far as the public transport system in Indian cities is concerned, dedicated city bus services are known to operate in 17 cities only and rail transit exists only in 4 out of 35 cities with population in excess of one million. Transport demand in most Indian cities has increased substantially, due to increases in population as a result of both natural increase and migration from rural areas and smaller towns.2 Availability of motorized transport, increases in household income, and increases in commercial and industrial activities have further added to transport demand. In many cases, demand has outstripped road capacity. Greater congestion and delays are widespread in Indian cities and indicate the seriousness of transport problems. A high level of pollution is another undesirable feature of overloaded streets. The transport crisis also takes a human toll. Statistics indicate that traffic accidents are a primary cause of accidental deaths in Indian cities. The main reasons for these problems are the prevailing imbalance in modal split, inadequate transport infrastructure, and its suboptimal use. Public transport systems have not been able to keep pace with the rapid and substantial increases in demand over the past few decades. Bus services in particular have deteriorated, and their relative output has been further reduced as passengers have turned to personalized modes and intermediate public transport. Individual cities cannot afford to cater only to private cars and two-wheelers. There must be a general recognition that without public transport cities would be even less viable. There is a need to encourage public transport instead of personal vehicles. This requires both an increase in quantity as well as quality of public transport and effective use of demand as well as supply-side management measures. People should also be encouraged to use nonmotorized transport and investments may be made to make it safer. Cities are the major contributors to economic growth, and movement in and between cities is crucial for improved quality of life.3 Review of Urban Transportation in India 81 Vehicular Growth and Modal Split In 2002, 58.8 million vehicles were plying on Indian roads (Table 1). According to statistics provided by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India, the annual rate of growth of motor vehicle population in India has been about 10 percent during the last decade. The basic problem is not the number of vehicles in the country but their concentration in a few selected cities, particularly in metropolitan cities (million plus). It is alarming to note that 32 percent of these vehicles are plying in metropolitan cities alone, which constitute about 11 percent of the total population. During the year 2000, more than 6.2 million vehicles were plying in megacities (Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Chennai) alone, which constitute more than 12.7 percent of all motor vehicles in the country (Table 2). Interestingly, Delhi, which contains 1.4 percent of the Indian population, accounts for nearly 7 percent of all motor vehicles in India. Table 1. Total Number of Registered Motor Vehicles in India: 1951–2002 (in Thousands) All TwoCars, Jeeps, Goods Year Vehicles Wheelers and Taxis Buses Vehicles Others 1951 306 27 159 34 82 4 1961 665 88 310 57 168 42 1971 1865 576 682 94 343 17