For a city of 1.70 crore population, Delhi is awfully short on the number of public transport vehicles – Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has just about 6,000 buses.
There goes around a joke about a businessman leaving his high-end car with a bank as collateral when he steps out of Mumbai. Returning from the airport, he picks up his car, easily pays the loan and accumulated interest for a week. The stunned bank manager asks the reason why did he need a loan at all? “As I could not afford the parking fees for a week!” replies the businessman.
What he implied was that bank loan was cheaper than parking charges in Mumbai. If only it was true. Not just in Mumbai, but other metros and almost all cities across India have witnessed abysmally low parking charges. Clubbed with that, complete absence of reliable public transport in many cities, including shamefully the National Capital Territory of Delhi. For a city of 1.70 crore population, Delhi is awfully short on the number of public transport vehicles – Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has just about 6,000 buses. No wonder, the working class, the business class and even the labour class do not have any option but to bring out their own vehicles – cars, two-wheelers and cycles.
Delhi currently has more than 150 cars per 1,000 of its residents. (The number is higher in case of two-wheelers) and this number is expected to cross 370-380 cars per 1000 people in the next 8-10 years. The only reason this is happening is Delhi never really discouraged car ownership. On the one hand, it was the lack of reliable public transport and on the other, it is the easily available parking at relatively cheap rates (compared to other metros across the world). There is simply no deterrent for a Delhi resident for not taking out his/her car to go to an already congested area for shopping or business meeting – as parking rates are not restrictive enough, neither at market places nor in the residential areas.
An October 2015 study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) had shown how in a typical south Delhi residential neighborhood, Alaknanda, the road carried three times more traffic than its original capacity and actual on-street parking is 3.15 times more than the legal parking area.
The 2006 National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) – which is too old, much outdated and needs an immediate update – did argue for considering the externalities associated with car ownership and, also, mentioned the need for how urban policy, including transport, will have to ensure this in view of the crumbling urban infrastructure. Congestion taxes are in the pipeline is an oft-repeated headline in newspapers. But market forces and car lobbies throw weight to not let this happen. High time Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and other cities impose strict congestion charges, increase parking charges in the heart of the city immediately and also discourage ownership of more than one private vehicle, especially four-wheelers.
Numbers tell the story
Take for instance, the case of National Capital Territory of Delhi. The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has been around for many decades. Since the last 15 years and more, the Delhi Metro has consistently expanded its network. And then there are the increased number of autorickshaws and taxi/cabs available for a common commuter.
A look at the table below that showcases the number of vehicles in Delhi categorized type wise points to the existing problem, if anybody cares to study it. Over the years, the number of four-wheelers has increased, steadily, no doubt. But, compared to that the number of two-wheelers is huge and increasing exponentially. For 2016-17, the number of four-wheelers stood at 31,52,710 while that of two-wheelers stood at 67,07,891. And these are vehicles registered in Delhi. There is no guesstimate about the number of four-wheelers and two-wheelers that ply on Delhi roads, from the surrounding NCR towns and also, from other states of India as the owner shifts to Delhi to work. If provided with good options, all these two-wheeler drivers would easily shift to a reliable public transport. As on today, these two-wheeler drivers are those who have no better options. Imagine the plight of a two-wheeler rider exposed to extreme May or June heat or for that matter, the fog and extreme cold in January or February! If reliable public transport with last mile connectivity is available, more than half of these would easily abandon their two-wheelers.
In case of four-wheeler drivers, especially going by Delhi statistics and the tendencies witnessed here, even when there is an option of good public transport, barely half of them will forsake their car as it is seen more as a status symbol. But whatever number is ready to, the onus lies on the government and the policymakers to ensure that they get a comfortable travel in buses sans any rowdy co-commuters.
Benefits of increased public transport:
The only solution I see is exponential increase in good simple yet sturdy, quality buses, forget AC buses or low-floor buses. I consider healthy public transport as a metaphor, for a healthy society, healthy nation. Especially for claustrophobic urban disasters such as Mumbai or Delhi, a throbbing public transport means a confident society that can travel safely in buses, at any time, any place – indicator that law and order is in place.
But the benefits go much beyond that. Persons will be physically more active. The fact that citizens choose to opt for public transport means we have a healthy society ready to walk, ready to breathe in open air (it will be an additional responsibility of the government / policymakers to ensure clean air) and are keeping healthy.
If you see the statistics involved, buses, because of the obvious speed regulations put while in cities, are less involved in accidents compared to private vehicles. Which means, an effective public transport will also decrease the number of accidents and fatalities.
Ultimately it all boils down to looking at larger public cause and not allow a bunch of private car owners to misuse public facilities at low cost. Instead, co-opt them for a better common future with robust public transport.
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