In Bengaluru, vehicular pollution and dust are the major contributors to air pollution, and as listed earlier in this series, they cause several health and environmental problems. While the dust is mostly from construction activities, the air currents and constant vehicular motion keep the pollutants in circulation all the time.
There is no single solution to mitigate air pollution given the number of government agencies involved and the heterogenous mix of vehicle users and commuters. In this article, we look at the role individual road users play.
On an average, 6734 BMTC buses ferry 49,50,000 passengers in 79677 bus trips across the city. As on March 31st 2014, there were 50,50,057 vehicles registered in Bangalore city of which the two wheelers, cars and jeeps were 44,74,722. As a single unit, a two wheeler maybe adding a lower pollution load but the fact that there are as many as 34,79,208 two wheelers in the city means that collectively, two wheeler riders contribute to air pollution as much as or more than other vehicle users.
Our autophilia shows when a less populous India beats China in automobile travel according to a study, which also says there is no correlation between salary and car usage. Though the need for one to buy a vehicle may vary, one common reason is the convenience it provides – that of not being at the mercy of someone else when one needs to commute.
That being said, when the cons of driving individual vehicles, including increasing air pollution, traffic jams, fuel costs, ill-tempered motorists and reducing parking spots etc. are listed down, maybe it is time to take a step back and consciously make a decision to avoid being a part of the problem – thousands are doing it but there is no significant impact because a larger number are still using their own vehicles to commute.
Why individuals matter?
When individuals choose to contribute there are always options. While proper vehicle maintenance, use of public transport and vehicle pooling are the common known solutions to air pollution, commuter cyclists in Bangalore are beginning to make their presence felt.
Ensuring vehicles are environment compliant
The easiest contribution to a cleaner environment by a vehicle user is good vehicle maintenance. The awareness brochure for vehicle users by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers lists out the Dos and Don’ts for fuel efficiency and economy. The manufacturers have also been mandated to adhere to five details of the fuel economy under standard test conditions (Images from the SIAM site)
Using public transport
It would be wrong to presume that all BMTC or BMRCL commuters do not have a private vehicle and have no choice but to use public transport. Public transport is a tried, tested and adjusted-to mode of transport for many. It would also be wrong to make blanket remarks like buses take a long time to reach a destination, buses are unsafe, bus stops are far away, how will I manage with the kids, I will begin when all Metro routes are functional and other such statements that sound less like justifications and more like procrastinations.
BMTC has come a long way in terms of its infrastructure, areas serviced, special services and customer grievance redressal. Under the Safe Routes to School, the BMTC ferries thousands of students to school and back home and has not only decreased the use of many private vehicles but also decongested several points in the city during peak hours.
The BMTC ezyTrip mobile-friendly site helps commuters plan their trip and get information on bus routes and fares. While BMTC is working on their mobile app, some commuters use Bangalore BMTC Info app for more information. The fact that BMTC will soon introduce a fleet of CNG buses is a reason for the city to cheer. BMTC promotes and creates awareness by organising the Bus Day on the 4th of every month. Even with frequent fare hikes, BMTC continues to ferry as many people as before.
Carpooling
It is a common sight to see single-passenger cars in the city but in reality there are several Bangaloreans who do opt for car pooling. This mode needs some research, many trials and a lot of patience and determination. Though the impact on air pollution will be felt only when the numbers are significant, for every converted car pooler the savings on fuel alone is incentive to keep the car pool going. There are several sites that enable easy carpooling if one doesn’t have enough colleagues or neighbours commuting in same direction. The Mapunity Bangalore Traffic Information System’s carpool portal, Car Pooling in India, Carpool.in are some websites that connect carpoolers. Letsride.in and Lets Drive Along were the two new carpooling options available for the city drivers; Let’s Drive Along can also be installed as an app on android phones.
Be a true eco-commuter
Cyclists have been a part of the commuter fabric for decades now, from the milkman, newspaper boy, postman, school / college students and others going to a point of work. Though there is no record of the exact number of cyclists commuting to work, the last couple of years has seen a new wave of bicycle riders earning the city the title of the “Cycle Capital of India”. When an individual, who otherwise ride or drive to her / his destination, opts to cycle the contribution to the city is tremendous. The fact that several corporate offices and establishments like Leela Palace and Forum Mall now have parking slots for cyclists shows that there is an awareness and change in perception about cyclists. Several corporate offices have changing facilities further encouraging these cyclists.
With a little planning and a point to start, individuals can slowly begin moving away towards a more eco-friendly ride. Whether it is one way to work or twice a week, whatever the option may be – public transport, car pooling or cycling, any start point is a good start. Simply put, the amount you saved in fuel costs, be it a few litres of fuel a day or over a week, is also the load of pollutants you saved your air from.
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Company buses are a no-brainer. But there are many who still opt not to use them. This usually means that apart from people who use their own vehicles adding to the pollution, company vehicles run at 50-60% capacity adding to the pollution.
Apart from different modes of commuting, would be worthwhile exploring non-commuting options too.
1. Try to Work from home a day or 2 days a week. That brings down your contribution to pollution by 20-40%.
2. If possible, try to live close to your workplace. It avoids longer commutes and your contribution is much lower than if you have to longer distances. Not everyone has a choice here. But if choosing, between a bigger house 25 kms away and a smaller one 5 kms away, choose the latter. Studies are showing that shorter commutes improve quality of life significantly.
Well I am agree with you and to give some good to my city from my side. I decide to go my office in Marathahalli from my residence on this Saturday using BMTC Bus instead of using my Bike.
From my place I have to take 500K Volvo the route and timing I find in mybmtc.com to reach Marathahalli so I went to bus stop and I wait almost 1 hour & 20 min but 500K not came, then I decide to take K4 which will drop me near Corporation so luckily after another 15 min I got K4 but when I ask conductor about daily bus pass he told he don’t have it now, as I have no other option so I took the ticket only.
As per mybmtc.com in that 1 hour and 20 min atleast 3 buses has to come but I not got a single 1.
I think every one conductor have to keep sufficient no of passes with them as they keeping other tickets, had any one hear from conductor that I don’t have the ticket to give you so you pay me amount and travel without ticket, then how come they don’t have passes.
Along with these all when traffic jam is there then bus movement will be very slow,
So because of these all problem most of the persons are avoiding to use public transport i.e. irregularity of timing of the bus, bad behavior of conductor and traffic jam.
Yes, companies in the services sector and especially the software ones need to encourage their employees to work from home (or even from the employee’s hometown). The educational institutions can work 30 minutes extra daily and follow a 5 day week. The same idea must be implemented for some of the government departments, banks and so on (wherever possible). I have commuted by BMTC many times and it has its own share of woes. They must improve and find innovative ways to attract people towards using the PT. Take a survey via social media and see the number of commuters going to work and provide special buses in those directions.The parking should be regulated and it should not be free. Increase the road tax for private vehicles to make it unattractive. Work for getting the commuter rail system and coordinate with various civic agencies to implement the same.
Most ideas mentioned by all of us can be implemented with ZERO expense, but unfortunately there is no one among the authorities that listen to these.
Improve the quality of roads. This will reduce the time taken by a vehicle to complete its journey. This will reduce the time the engine is switched on and will save tons of fuel.
What about Bullshit Roads? Dont they contribute to pollution?
India has abundant Bullshit Roads.