Many papers, books and reports are being published on Sustainable Transport as there is a growing interest in the subject for well being of the society. This paper provides a brief understanding of sustainable transport and need for Policy level approach to achieve the same.
There is no universally accepted definition of sustainability, Sustainable Development “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (Brundtland Commission, 1987)
Sustainable development is the achievement of continued economic development without detriment to the environmental and natural resources.” (Themes Sustainable Development, 2004)
Several factors contribute to interest in these issues. Concern about sustainability is rooted in the growing awareness that human activities have significant environmental impacts that can impose economic, social and ecological costs. It’s not just in Transport Sector, sustainability is being discussed and given importance but in all the fields of Engineering, Planning, Policy making, etc. Sustainable Transport further needs a great integration within these respective fields.
The various factors contributing to sustainable transport are presented in the pictorial format. Sustainable Transport is not just the consideration of environment but the combination of many critical aspects. Sustainability is like preventive medicine for health. There is a strong relationship between Land Use and Transportation where Sustainability can be achieved by creating bicycle and pedestrian friendly neighborhoods, linkages between environmental issues, public transport, non-motorized transport and safety must be given proper and adequate attention.
If a large portion of population cannot afford to avail motorized transport-private vehicles or public buses- then they have to either walk as pedestrians or use bicycles to work. Secure infrastructure for bicyclists and pedestrians may require segregation of road space or reduction of speeds of moving vehicles. In both the cases, restriction of mobility on vehicle users in bound to take place. All these issues when studied in detail have lots of specified aspects to be looked at to improve the final output and arrive at sustainability.
Sustainable transport systems can be optimized by the promotion of public transport and non-motorized modes of mobility and accessibility in Indian Mega cities. City bus services are and will continue to be the primary mode of public transport for the majority of India’s urban citizens. In major metropolises like Delhi and Bangalore, buses account for more than 40 percent of all motorized trips. For medium and smaller-sized cities, buses are and will remain the only cost-effective mode of public transport.
Improving the scale and quality of city buses, then, should be central to any city’s strategy to promote public transport over private vehicle use. Significant efforts have been made toward this goal. In 2009, the Government of India, through the JNNURM, funded the procurement of 15,625 buses for 61 cities across India.
And in the mega cities BRTS and MRTS are already in operation and coming in to operation in the nearing future for reducing the use of private vehicles and attracting people towards public transport.
Statistics indicate that globally 1.3 million people die in traffic-related accidents each year. In urban areas, more than half are the most vulnerable users – pedestrians and bicyclists, and in India, 13,00,000 people die each year in traffic fatalities. Conventional approaches to road safety ignore this fact and instead focus on making motor-vehicles safer.
Segregated lanes for non motorized transport is one of the important aspect to be looked at,
Comprehensive adherence to urban and road design characteristics to ensure the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists. Construction/provision of segregated bicycle lanes, subways and crossing facilities on all arterial roads in mega cities with a policy level guidance.
Conclusion:
There is a huge contribution yet to be done in the way of Sustainable Transport. Participation of various field experts and their expertise is to be used for the enhanced solutions that can be arrived for the better living of the societies which is the prime motto of any project. With the increased population, urbanization, industrialization there is an urgent need to develop a safe and Eco-friendly transport environment. Policy level approach will lead to a sustainability of transport in a number of areas and can be reported. Adequate policy level approaches and technology modifications are to be taken for further improving the present situation of growth which is definitely possible in the nearing future.
References:
Holger Dalkmann and Ashwin Prabhu (2013), 5 Keys to Sustainable Development in Indian Cities; April 22
Ashok Kumar (2005), paper on Sustainable Transport Environment in Indian Megacities: Problems and Remedies
