The city has poor facilities for bicycle users and pedestrians. Besides, use of private vehicles is quite high as compared to public transport, while road safety continues to be a cause of concern.
All this have been reflected in the first of its kind citizens’ Transportation Status Report (TSR) brought out by Parisar and Save Pune Traffic Movement (SPTM) two NGOs working on issues related to sustainable transport and road safety. The report has emphasized the need to increase the share of public transport, as well as walking and cycling.
The TSR, which is on the lines of the Environment Status Report (ESR) and published by the Pune Municipal Corporation every year, selected nine parameters that indicate the state of the city’s transportation system. The parameters are road safety, modal share (transportation modes used by people), facilities for pedestrians, quality of public transportation, facilities for bicycles, commuting time, pollution, parking on mobility corridors and public opinion.
The report is considered to be used as a tool to help officials decide what sort of projects are needed as well as what sort of projects should be avoided to improve the city’s transportation system and make it more sustainable and safe. Besides, providing mobility to everyone is another focus area.
A detailed household survey of 3,600 individuals, conducted to determine the modal shares, revealed that cycling as a mode of transport has dropped to just 5% in the erstwhile “bicycle city”. On the other hand, modal share of personal vehicles has reached 47 %. This includes 35% two-wheelers and 12% cars. The public transport share is less than 19%, with the share of PMPML and autorickshaws is almost the same (8%) and the rest taken by other buses.
In the TSR, the scores are poor for three parameters modal share (because of high use of personal vehicles instead of public transport), cycling infrastructure, and arterial roads used for parking. Scores for road safety, pedestrian infrastructure, public transport quality and public satisfaction are at medium level, while scores for commuting time and pollution are at an acceptable level.
There is a need to implement the comprehensive mobility plan rather than ad hoc implementation of projects aimed primarily at moving personal vehicles. Current trend would be unsustainable, leading to more congestion, pollution and accidents, besides becoming a drain on public funds.
Source: timesofindia, Jan’14
