VOX-POP
Fortify public transport
M Venkaiah Naidu Minister for Urban Development
“We need better transport planning like master plans for all cities; there is a compelling need for long term city transport plans. Entire civic infrastructure is collapsing under the weight of mounting urban population” O P Agarwal, Director General, Institute of Urban Transport
“We need to plan a very effective public transport system, non-motorised transport. It is not that we have two lines of Metro and all our problems are over. Focus needs to be on last mile connectivity” C K Khaitan, Joint secretary, MoUD
“Unless we force Urban Local Bodies (ULB), town and country planners to think on a proper land use in urban transport it will not become practical. We need to get a legal notification done” Dr M Ramachandran, Former Secretary, MoUD
“Whenever the government sanctions Metro project in the DPR, there should be an intervention done for a credible data for each and every line. Data generation couldn’t be a tough task” Anjlee Agarwal, Executive Director, Samarthyam NGO
“Smart city should be inclusive and accessible to the common man. We should feel convenient and free. First and last mile connectivity should be comfortable, accessible and safe” R K Singh, Director (UT), MoUD, said
“For proper pedestrians system, a proper system need to be built, we have to channelise things in a systematic manner. Efforts are on the right direction”
, Principal Research Scientist, CSTEP
“Government should consider ways to re-focus on sustainable transport systems. Before any city starts to implement a cycle track or BRTS, they should know whether it is feasible”
42 December 2014 | www.urbanupdate.in
The country need enhanced public transport system for a healthy future of urban transport and foster an environment conducive transit in and around cities. A well organised system, which are a proper bus, train route network, optimum frequency of service, level of comfort are essentials that cannot be ignored. “We need to plan a very effective public transport system, nonmotorised transport. It is not that we have two lines of Metro and all our problems are over. Each and every aspect needs to be focused, for example, the last mile connectivity. If we have Metro, Mono rail, and BRT in a city, most people—when they take any such public transport services— they do not want to walk, for say, more than 10 minutes. They need an effective feeder system for every Metro stations,” O P Agarwal, Director General, Institute of Urban Transport (India) told Urban Update.
Comprehensive plan required
The experts emphasised that a visible change can be brought in only when all urban transport projects prepare a comprehensive proper land use and mobility plan. “We need a Comprehensive Land Use and Mobility Plan (CLUMP). The plan will help to streamline the land use in urban sector,” Agarwal said. C K Khaitan, Joint secretary, MoUD, told Urban Update, “Unless we force Urban Local Bodies (ULB), town and country planners to think on a proper land use in urban transport it will not become practical. We need to get a legal notification done. We also need a think tank at national level for the same. Proper finance is required to regulate public transport in each and every city.”
Urban transit data‑missing link
To solve the congestion on roads in Indian cities, a proper data collection and analysis is required. In order to understand the proper transport characteristics, and to compare it with various cities, a suitable data