This is the second in a series of posts about intriguing ideas in climate-resilient urban planning that emerged from the International Workshop on Sustainable and Climate Resilient Urban Development in New Delhi, India, September 8 and 9, 2010. The event, supported by DFID and the Rockefeller Foundation brought together think tanks, municipal corporations and other stakeholders to envision climate resilient solutions to urban planning problems.
Mike Keegan, the Transport Commissioner, London, approached the concierge at his hotel in New Delhi to ask how to reach India Gate, a memorial to Indian soldiers who died in World War I and the Afghan Wars. The man told him to take a bus or a taxi.
“But it’s only a mile away, can’t I just walk?” Keegan asked.
“No.”
Land transport—walking and biking—are often ignored when talking about public transportation, Keegan told the audience at the conference the next day. In India, this is especially true because vendors often crowd sidewalks and force walkers into the streets.
To encourage walking would take more than a shift in people’s thinking—infrastructure in whole cities would have to be addressed.
But such transport solutions shouldn’t be overlooked, as India’s cities are growing at a rate that’s unlikely to slow anytime soon. Combine that with the growing Indian middle class—McKinsey estimates India’s demand for private vehicles will increase six times by the year 2030—and India will have to drastically rethink transportation in its major cities.
Currently there are 250 millions private cars in India. If the McKinsey estimate is true, that means 1.6 billion cars will vie for space on Indian roads in 2030. And traffic on the subcontinent is already bad. In a recent IBM study of traffic worldwide, New Delhi ranked fifth in the commuter pain index, and 40% of drivers were willing to work longer hours if their commute were shorter.
At the conference, Keegan presented a case study of London. The city has dramatically increased its share of commuters who get to work via bike and walking by making their trips easier and safer.
Changing the mind of Indians might not be as hard as it seems. The Comprehensive Transportation Study for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region reported that 60% of all trips were on foot while 40% of work-related trips were on foot in Mumbai. But the trips are not easy—or safe.
Cities in India would be best to create an environment where vendors, walkers and bikers and motorized vehicles can share the space in a safe, efficient way. One way India is already making walking safer in cities is by building pedestrian bridges that extend over roads and intersections.
Of course, there are issues with the pedestrian bridges, as well. One of their glaring shortcomings is the fact that they are not handicapped friendly—most require a scaling a significant flight of stairs. Because there are few points to enter and exit the bridges, roadside vendors’ business tends to suffer.
There are fewer strategies that exist for increasing bike traffic in the developing world, but one only needs to look to bike-friendly cities in Europe and North America to see that solutions exist. Some of the most common and successful projects are bike-sharing schemes which allow riders to borrow a bike to ride. One new progam is Sobi which allows riders to unlock a shared bicycle using their cell phone.
Photo by Flickr user themumbaiflyover
