Urban Transport in India Challenges and Recommendations IIHS RF Paper on Urban Transport Table of Contents 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 6 2. Methodology and Scope of Work ....................................................................................... 7 3. Trends influencing urban mobility in India ....................................................................... 8 a) Rapid Urbanisation ......................................................................................................... 8 b) Rapid Motorisation ......................................................................................................... 9 c) Dwindling share of Non-motorised Transportation ..................................................... 10 4. Urban Transport Problems ............................................................................................... 11 a) Road congestion ............................................................................................................. 11 b) Parking problems .......................................................................................................... 12 c) Air pollution .................................................................................................................. 14 d) Deteriorating road safety .............................................................................................. 15 5. Challenges ......................................................................................................................... 15 a) Gaps in Laws and Regulations ...................................................................................... 16 b) Fragmented Institutional Frameworks ......................................................................... 17 c) Distorted land markets affecting transport infrastructure development ..................... 18 d) Comprehensive design standards for transport infrastructure lacking ....................... 19 e) Human Resource challenges......................................................................................... 19 f) Absence of reliable transport data ................................................................................ 20 g) Inefficiencies in bus based PT services ......................................................................... 20 h) Energy Security ............................................................................................................. 21 6. Policy responses to address urban transport issues ......................................................... 22 a) Planning Commission ................................................................................................... 22 b) National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) .................................................................... 23 c) Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) ............................... 24 7. Proposed policy reforms ................................................................................................... 26 a) Re-aligning legal and regulatory instruments .............................................................. 26 b) Institutional Restructuring ........................................................................................... 26 i. At central government level: ..................................................................................... 27 ii. At state government level: ......................................................................................... 27 iii. At city government level: ....................................................................................... 28 c) Resource Mobilization .................................................................................................. 29 i. Public Financing ........................................................................................................ 29 ii. Capacity building within government agencies & systems to attract best talent ..... 30 iii. Knowledge management and research and development ..................................... 31 d) Planning reforms .......................................................................................................... 32 CHALLENGES AND RECOMMENDATIONS IIHS RF Paper on Urban Transport in India e) Transferability of best practices.................................................................................... 32 8. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 34 CHALLENGES AND RECOMMENDATIONS IIHS RF Paper on Urban Transport in India List of Abbreviations CAGR Compounded Annual Growth Rate CDP Comprehensive Development Plan CiSTUP Center for infrastructure Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning CMP Comprehensive Mobility Plan CNG Compressed Natural Gas CoE Center of Excellence CPCB Central Pollution Control Board CRRI Central Road Research Institute CSIR Council of Scientific & Industrial Research DCR Development Control Regulations DPC District Planning Committee DULT Directorate of Urban Land Transport under Government of Karnataka EPCA Environmental Pollution Control Authority FAR Floor Area Ratio FSI Floor Space Index GEF UNDP’s Global Environment Facility I&C Inspection and Certification IRC Indian Roads Congress ITS Intelligent Transportation System IPT Intermediate Public Transport IUT Institute of Urban Transport JNNURM Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission KMC Knowledge Management and database Centre LTP Local Transport Plan MOUD Ministry of Urban Development MPC Metropolitan Planning Committee MTA Mid-Term Appraisal NMT Non-Motorised Transport No. Number NRSTMB National Road Safety & Traffic Management Board NUTP National Urban Transport Policy OTS Office of Transport Strategy PEARL Peer Experience and Reflective Learning PM10 / PM2.5 Particulate Matter PMC Pune Municipal Corporation PT Public Transport R/P ratio Reserves to Production ratio Rs Indian Rupees RTO Regional Transport Office Sq. ft. Square feet SRTU State Road Transport Undertakings TRIPP Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Program ULB Urban Local Body ULCRA Urban Land Ceiling and Regulation Act UMTA Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority CHALLENGES AND RECOMMENDATIONS IIHS RF Paper on Urban Transport in India UNDP United Nations Development Programme UT Urban Transport UTF Urban Transport Fund Unified Traffic And Transportation Infrastructure. (Planning & UTTIPEC Engineering) Centre WHO World Health Organisation CHALLENGES AND RECOMMENDATIONS IIHS RF Paper on Urban Transport in India 1. Introduction India’s transport sector is large and diverse, it caters to the transport needs of 1.1 billion people. In 2012-2013, the sector contributed about 5.2 per cent to the nation’s GDP, with road transportation having a major share of it.1 Good physical connectivity in urban and rural areas is essential for economic growth. Since the early 1990s, India's growing economy has witnessed a rise in demand for transport infrastructure and services. Efficient and reliable urban transport systems are crucial for India to sustain high economic growth. The significance of urban transport in India stems from the role that it plays in reduction of poverty, by improving access to labour markets and thus increasing incomes in poorer communities (Antonio Estache, 2007). Services and manufacturing industries particularly concentrate around major urban areas, and require efficient and reliable urban transport systems to move workers and connect production facilities to the logistics chain. Mobility flows have become a key dynamic in the rapid urbanisation process of Indian cities with urban transport infrastructure constituting the skeleton of the urban form (Amin et al., 2013). Despite the increasing levels of urban mobility in Indian cities, access to places, activities and services is becoming increasingly difficult in terms of convenience, cost and time. In fact, present levels of urban mobility are already generating a crisis situation characterized by high levels of congestion, environmental pollution, traffic fatalities and inequity eventually leading to a situation of undesired accessibility crisis (Pucher et al., 2005). With over a quarter of India’s urban population below the poverty line, the mobility problems of the poor are of special concern (C Rangarajan et al., 2014). The unaffordability of private transport or the lack of public transit options forces this segment of the urban population to walk or cycle increasingly long distances, and, consequently, suffer severe pollution. As Indian cities continue to spread outward, those residents too poor to afford motorised transport will be increasingly put at a disadvantage, and further cut off from employment, recreational, educational, medical and other activity sites they need to access in the city. In spite of the large diversity in the urban size, form and growth patterns of the 468 cities in India, there are several common factors that contribute to the severity of urban transport problems. Within the scope of this study, the main objectives are as follows: To review the key trends in urban India that translate into negative externalities or problems in urban transportation; To identify major challenges that influence effective policy formulation and implementation in this sector; To review existing policy and programs in the urban transport sector in India;