Commute

Mumbai is the most stressful city to drive in globally, according to a study by Hiyacar, a UK based car sharing company. It is also ranked 5th in global vehicular congestion by the TomTom traffic index of 2021, a global traffic index. Not surprisingly, traffic congestion, road rage incidents and the stress of commuting long distances to work is adversely affecting the physical and mental health of drivers. Additionally, the state of the city’s roads, poorly built, burdened by pothole and unsafe dividers has led to a 15% increase in road accidents in the first six months of 2021. Deaths…

The history of water transport in Mumbai dates back to the Seven Islands of Bombay, which were under Portuguese possession. In 1661, they were handed over to the British, and between 1820 and 1857, the islands slowly became what was then known as Bombay. It was with the opening of the 'Overland Route', a transportation route that made it possible to travel to Europe, that Mumbai built its first steamer in about 1830. The route cut travel time down from five months to one and a half. By 1850, Bombay came into being. Trade between Europe and India was expanding, with the…

This is the third of the three-part analysis of various mobility policies/plans for Bengaluru that aim to regulate the use of private vehicles to reduce road traffic congestion, improve public transport, and create the right infrastructure for non-motorised transport, particularly cycling and walking through the mobility intervention. Given the problems and delays plaguing the expansion of the metro lines and suburban rail system, for Bengalureans, the city bus remains the only alternative to using personal vehicles. The financially troubled transport corporations are trying to augment their fleets and increase and improve services. One aspect of these efforts has been the…

This is the second of a three-part analysis of various mobility policies/plans for Bangalore that aim to regulate use of private vehicles to reduce road traffic congestion, improve different modes of public transport and encourage its use, and create the right infrastructure to enable and encourage safe use of non-motorised transport, particularly cycling and walking. The only way to regulate and reduce the use of private vehicles is for the city to provide different modes of affordable and efficient public transport. Ensuring availability of quality public transport services and non-motorised transport (NMT) infrastructure finds prominent mention in the approved Comprehensive…

This is the first of a three-part analysis of  various mobility policies/plans for Bengaluru that aim to regulate use of private vehicles to reduce road traffic congestion, improve different modes of public transport and encourage its use, and create the right infrastructure to enable and encourage safe use of non-motorised transport, particularly cycling and walking. COVID-induced Work From Home (WFH) has given a slight relief to Bengalureans from its perennial road traffic congestion. The last two years have seen manageable traffic around IT parks. But the situation in the CBD (Central Business District) and certain other parts of the city…

This is the first in the series -- Cycle 2 Work, with interviews of people working in diverse sectors. The series will bring to you stories of these green commuters who are cycling to work. The hope is that these stories will inspire and encourage more Bengalureans to cycle, and not drive, to work. Shilpi Sahu is an IT employee who works for Qualcomm in Bengaluru and has been cycling to work for over 10 years. “I started cycling to work in 2010 and was on and off but since 2018 I am cycling to work regularly,” says Shilpi. “I…

Since 2012, I've been working towards building a strong culture of cycling in Mumbai, way before I was appointed bicycle mayor of Mumbai. I’m not a transport planner, architect or urban planner. My work does not lie in an area where I can bring infrastructural change. But, my years of experience in advocating for non-motorised vehicles has helped me build a dialogue with authorities. The work of bicycle mayors is multifold. We work in different areas. Either you’re building a cycling culture, or you’re in transport planning and infrastructure (installing cycling stands, for example). There is also policy intervention, where…

Like millions of Mumbaikars, Prashant, a diamond broker, does the first leg of his journey to work by the local train. But on descending at Bandra station, he switches to the Yulu bike, a means of transport available only to those who work at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). Stationed at Anant Kanekar Marg, the powder blue electric bikes are lined up with no apparent lock in place. Named ‘Miracle’, they are lighter and thinner than a scooter, faster than a bicycle. To unlock, one has to download the Yulu bike app and scan the QR code displayed on the stem…

Chennai has made strides in cycling in the recent years. The promising start has seen many new riders take to cycling during the pandemic. Recognising the need to make the city safe for cyclists, dedicated cycling lanes have been piloted in parts of the city. While these steps augur well for the future of cycling in the city, there is a long way to go in making cycling mainstream. Cycle lane in ECR  A proposal for creating more happy streets - closure of streets for activities by citizens - came from the cycling community and has been taken up with…

According to reports in media, the average footfall on Chennai Metro Rail crossed the one lakh mark in December 2021 and on December 30th, as commuters in the city found road traffic coming to a standstill in the face of unseasonal torrential rain, 1.83 lakh passengers used the Metro on the single day to reach their destinations. While the figures may have made news, it's clearly not enough to put authorities at ease. For, according to a report by the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), if the Chennai Metro Rail Ltd were to break even, it would have to…