Policy alternatives to reduce congestion in urban areas

Abstract

There is a widespread expansion of cities with a large number of people migrating in search of better livelihood opportunities. This in turn is giving rise to a host of problems in urban areas such as congestion, solid waste management, urban slums and deteriorating quality of life. The focus in this paper is on Congestion and ways to address this issue. It is of utmost importance that the urban mobility issues are effectively addressed for the cities to remain liveable. There are several costs associated with congestion. While time is the most obvious one, there are also factors such as pollution, fuel costs, vehicle maintenance costs which are aggravated. There is a need to consider all the costs to realise the severity of the issue. The present scenario in India is characterised by inadequate infrastructure, increased motorisation and personal vehicles, declining share and quality of public transport. The problem is further aggravated due to multiple players operating with conflicting interests and a lack of an integrated policy. Such a scenario is not sustainable considering the fast growing needs of the urban population. Measures such as smart transportation, ride sharing, congestion charging and feebates can be deployed to address the problem of congestion. There is also a need for a holistic development of villages to curb migration to cities. We can also learn from the experiences of other countries in managing traffic. Authorities grappling with this problem are coming up with innovative ways to mitigate congestion. For instance, Jaipur has been implementing smart traffic solutions for the ease of its residents and to provide a pleasant experience to its tourists. Jaipur is employing traffic analytics and smart parking solutions to enhance the experience of the road users. There are several policy initiatives undertaken by the government such as the Smart Cities Mission and AMRUT which focus on developing the cities. However, there is a lack of an integrated policy with a sole focus on Transportation. There is a need for the transportation to be futuristic and have sufficient regulatory and legal framework to take it forward. There is a compelling requirement to create an enabling environment for new technologies and for innovative solutions to sustain. Mass transit needs to remain in focus as it has high passenger carrying capacity and will solve the problem of congestion for the long run. It will also create a virtuous cycle in which the dependence on personal vehicles will reduce and due to increased usage more number of players will provide better quality services. There is a need to look at congestion as a major urban crisis which needs the support of all the stakeholders such as government, civic agencies, transport providers and citizens to provide effective solutions.