Commute

Shakuntala (61) is a domestic worker in Mumbai's Lower Parel where she takes up jobs in and around the area and travels in BEST buses. On the rare days when she cannot afford the tedious task of waiting at a bus stop, she chooses the luxury of a kaali peeli taxi. Shakuntala was surprised to find out that the city's traffic police are now imposing fines of Rs 200 if all the passengers in a car fail to wear a seatbelt. "I travel short distances, my commute is limited from home to work and back I don't know about all of this," she…

Chitlapakkam has evolved over the years from being a Town Panchayat sandwiched between Tambaram and Pallavaram Municipalities to now being a part of the Tambaram Corporation. Chitlapakkam has seen tremendous growth, with a population of 40,000 residents at present. Many residents still commute to the core city for work or study. One aspect that has been a pain point for residents has been the poor bus connectivity. After tremendous efforts, a mini-bus route that was discontinued has been brought back to service, with residents hoping for more such services in the coming years.  Mini-bus service in Chitlapakkam For more than…

In the first part of the story, we looked at Mumbai’s AC trains, evaluating whether they are attracting car users off the roads and improving traffic in Mumbai. In Part 2, we shift our attention to the Mumbai Metro, which nears a decade since beginning operations in the city. When Gokhale bridge, a connector between the East and West sides of Andheri, closed for repair on Monday, November 7th, alternative routes suggested by the traffic police saw congestion and traffic jams. Some people, however, chose to park their cars and use the metro. Till 5 pm that day, 11,000 more…

Before the arrival of the Chennai Metro, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) bus and Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) train services were the primary drivers of public transport, largely defining the local transport landscape for people in Chennai's core area. The EMU services ran in three directions North Line, West Line and South Line and helped in residential development as people moved out of the core city, due to the availability of a comfortable reliable transportation system and reduced travel time. The suburban rail network was a boon to commuters from faraway, suburban localities such as Palavanthangal and Tambaram.  But with the passage…

India's cities are ranked amongst the world’s most congested cities. This has huge repercussions in terms of reduced productivity with commuters wasting precious hours of their lives stuck in traffic and fuel waste. This multi-part series examines the measures needed to sustain and improve urban mobility. For a detailed discussion on each measure, check the following guides: Part 1: Urban planning measures Part 2: Transportation planning measures  Part 3: Traffic control measures Also see: Action agenda for better mobility (this article) The article How to make Bengaluru traffic jams go away analyses these measures in the context of Bengaluru.  NITI…

As AC trains in Mumbai turn five this Christmas, they have milestones to celebrate. In August, the AC trains on the Western Railway (WR) carried one lakh passengers in a single day for the first time - a feat that is a regular feature now. On October 27th, it celebrated moving one crore people in only the first seven months of the financial year. AC trains on the Central Railway (CR) started later and had fewer services. It recorded a patronage of Rs 72.32 lakh in the same period. The number of daily passengers boarding the trains has skyrocketed in…

"As a car driver, sometimes one is compelled to use the riskier mode of a two-wheeler on potholed roads because of lack of on-street or stilt/ basement parking. It adds 15 to 20 minutes of travel time, risk of towing, and undue pressure on the driver to plan the trip according to possible/potential parking availability, " says Namrata N, a regular commuter. This is a problem that every commuter in Bengaluru, who has taken out their private vehicle, has been resonating with for quite a long time now. Parking ranks high on the list of the city's road problems. It…

Good mobility relies on a number of measures – urban planning, transportation planning and traffic flow control. In earlier parts of the series, we have looked at how urban planning and transportation infrastructure planning can actually help solve common mobility woes in our cities. This multi-part series examines the measures needed to sustain and improve urban mobility. For a detailed discussion on each measure, check the following guides: Part 1: Urban planning measures Part 2: Transportation planning measures  Part 3: Traffic control measures (this article) Also see: Action agenda for better mobility The article How to make Bengaluru traffic jams go…

Good mobility rests on many factors from urban planning, transportation planning and traffic control. In an earlier article, we explained the many facets of urban planning that ensure smooth mobility within a city. This guide deals with the creation and management of transportation infrastructure (vehicles, stations, depots, interchanges, etc). These measures plan and manage transportation-related infrastructure. This multi-part series examines the measures needed to sustain and improve urban mobility. For a detailed discussion on each measure, check the following guides: Part 1: Urban planning measures Part 2: Transportation planning measures (this article) Part 3: Traffic control measures Also see: An action…

Commuting in the city has only become harder for those who rely on public transport. Attesting to this, Deepa. P, a commuter, who travels regularly from Bommanahalli to Central Bengaluru District, says how this often compels commuters like her to use ride-hailing apps, like Uber and Ola, despite their prices. In a previous article, we traced the city-wide circumstances that led up to a temporary ban on autos of ride-hailing apps, like Uber and Ola, in Bengaluru. This exposed the legal violations by the aggregators and practices that inconvenienced commuters and drivers alike. The second part of the series will…