Postgrad Dissertation
Pedalling through Partnerships : Role of Private & Third Sector in Active Travel in Delhi May - July 2016
Abstract : India is home to fifteen of the twenty most polluted cities of the world, with Delhi topping the chart (WHO, 2015). Often the causes of pollution are attributed to growing population and traffic congestion. Delhi’s situation is unique because of the complex governance that complicates planning processes in the capital. This makes tackling local pollution problems even more difficult to achieve, and makes the need for solutions even more pressing. The dissertation studied the relationship between state-led efforts and some of the newly emerging private and third-sector or voluntary organisations, in promoting Active Travel. It also aimed to study public receptivity to pro-cycling policies before delving into doable strategies for want of an effective partnership model.
Presented at the 9th Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference , Ahmedabad, November 2016 RESEARCH AIM The dissertation aimed to investigate the Role of Private and Third-sector organisations in promoting Active Travel in Delhi; and explores potential of their collaboration with the public sector to combat car-dependence and formulate sustainable transport policies in Delhi. This was achieved through a set of Objectives which are as under: 1. Understanding existing issues around air-pollution and mobility pattern in Delhi using secondary data analysis. 2. Exploring cycling promotion policies in World Cities from developing countries. 3. Exploring recent cycling promotion initiatives in Delhi and analysing the Role of Stakeholder Organisations. 4. Reviewing previous and current policies with respect to existing governmental or authoritative structures in Delhi. 5. Mapping resident receptivity to possible NMT promotion strategies. 6. Assessing practitioner views on cycling, NMT promotion and policy. METHODOLOGY The research used qualitative and quantitative methods in achieving these six objectives in six chapters as given :
INTERVIEWS Practitioners with significant contribution in NMT promotion, design, and implementation were identified from all sectors and interviews were conducted to dwell their understanding of the transport planning process. Themes extracted from the interviews were rationalised into a theoretical framework of stages/processes in NMT planning - Promotion / Design-Consultation and Implementation, which was further used to develop a partnership model of possible collaborations between Public, Private and Third Sector.
SURVEY - Pedal Up Delhi An online survey branded ‘Pedal-Up Delhi’ was created to understand resident receptivity to pro-cycling policies and the future of bikes in Delhi. The survey was circulated on popular social media platforms and was deemed successful with a sample size of 172.