Commute

Over the past few months, there appears to have been a marked improvement in the number of cyclists and the total trips taken in the city. This trend was gauged from the riding data of a subset of cyclists who use the popular service Strava. The charts below have been drawn from the data collected by Strava Metro which helps cities improve infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians. The data is provided by real time users who enable the app to track their ride. This data provides insight on the different corridors and the number of cyclists during the day. Surge…

October saw heavy downpour in Bengaluru, causing flooding and traffic breakdowns in many parts of the city. The city usually gets much of its rainfall in the evenings and nights, which also makes it more vulnerable to flooding and traffic jams during peak traffic hours. Floodings have been one of the most common, inevitable outcomes of climate change. The constant feeding of emissions into the atmosphere leads to extreme precipitation, which then results in floodings. Urban flooding affects transport in different ways, such as increase in travel times, change in route, congestion due to low speeds, etc. There is an…

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and Chennai Smart City Limited (CSCL) conducted a 'cycling preferences survey' with an aim to understand the challenges faced by cyclists, improve the roads and make them cycle-friendly and promote cycling. It was done as part of the Cycles4Change Challenge, an initiative of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, to inspire and support Indian cities to quickly implement cycling-friendly initiatives in response to COVID-19. A total of 1968 participants took part in the survey. Here are the results: Interestingly, the Greater Chennai Traffic Police Police (GCTP) experimented with a Dedicated Bicycle Lane (DBL) on Kamarajar…

In considering sustainable urban mobility as a solution to urban transport, one parameter that is constant is the Volume to Capacity ratio or V/C ratio. Why is this? Traditionally,  transportation engineering in urban areas has taken a bottom-up approach. In other words, it follows an infrastructure supply-based approach, and critical to this is the V/C ratio. This ratio is calculated using Passenger Car Unit (PCU) for every road in the given urban area to identify hotspots of congestion, so as to figure out infrastructure-based interventions like road widening, flyovers/underpasses, elevated road corridors, etc.  But over time, such interventions have proven to…

Air-conditioned coaches, swanky stations, easy ticketing options -- the infrastructure in Chennai Metro places it at par with similar commute options in developed global cities in most ways. The third largest metro in India, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is also often lauded for connecting the arterial parts of the city and being the fastest mode of transportation.  But when Raghuraman K, a person with visual impairment takes the metro, he does not feel very positive about it. The tactile paving (textured tiles on the ground) doesn’t serve its purpose of assisting visually challenged people with navigation, as a result of…

What use is it if Mumbai reduces lockdown restrictions but doesnt open up its main public transport system? Unlock - 5 started from October 1 but the local trains are still restricted to a select few.  Local trains can be accessed by ‘essential workers’ by using a QR code based electronic pass system, that can be availed only through their organisations.  Subsequently, personnel from private power companies and is now stretched to include private medical staffers, aircraft maintenance personnel, private bankers and even advocates were allowed on trains. More buses are being brought in to supplement the existing BEST bus networks,…

With the onset of COVID-19, Indian cities have been working towards finding a solution for transporting citizens. Worries about maintaining social distancing has led more people to take up cycling and walking as their preferred modes of transport. Interest in cycling has picked up sharply since the COVID-19 lockdowns, with sales of cycles having risen across the country. For this trend to continue beyond the pandemic, the government needs to invest in infrastructure that favours walkers and cyclists in city spaces which are typically jam-packed with motor vehicles.  Bengaluru, which has over 1.39 lakh cyclists, has a thriving cycling culture that…

While COVID-19 is causing fatalities across the world, it also brought to focus our frailties when it comes to collective action problems. There were forced lockdowns across India, starting late March, that highlighted clean air gains from the lack of vehicle emissions. Social distancing measures and closure of gyms kept people indoors, which meant lack of activity would take a mental and physical toll after a while. Across the world this was a perfect opportunity to promote a clean, healthy and socially-distanced personal transport vehicle called the bicycle. The window of opportunity presented itself and some of us in Bengaluru…

Bengaluru has more than 50 lakh two-wheelers on its roads. Let that number sink in. These two-wheelers make up ~70% of all motorised vehicles in the city.  This staggering number of two-wheelers is often attributed to Bengaluru's inadequate and inaccessible public transportation system, whose modal share stands at a meagre 48% in comparison to 80% for Mumbai.  In a 2019 survey conducted by Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC), 24% of respondents who don’t use public transport cited lack of first-mile and last-mile (FM-LM) connectivity as the major hindrance. Given the need for better connectivity to public transportation and the ubiquity…

Drone shot of a Metro station. All transport projects including Metro should be reviewed in light of COVID-induced changes, says a letter from three civic groups to the Centre. Pic: Siddharth Sriram This September 16, Hardeep Singh Puri, Centre's Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, said no time limit could be specified for the sanction of the ORR-Airport Metro line (from Silk Board to airport). He further said that Metro projects are cost-intensive and hence require extensive inter-ministerial consultations. In this context, members from three civic groups - Bangalore Environment Trust, Praja-RAAG and Citizens for Citizens - have written to…