ITDP India

Promoting sustainable and equitable transportation worldwide

Free parking is not a right, but a blight!

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In the 1970s when Joni Mitchell crooned “Big Yellow Taxi”, not many realised the clairvoyance and the forewarning that the song’s lyrics expressed. Though every bit of the lyric has its own essence and social messaging, the starting couplet is resounding. The verse—“They paved paradise, And put up a parking lot”—held a mirror up to society, and here we are four decades later, perplexed and baffled as to how we got here.

Automobiles are the scourge that drive up emission levels and other environmental issues, yet their numbers continue to rise unabashed. As per a report by the Centre for Science and Environment (Delhi), it took India 60 years (1951-2008) to cross the mark of 105 million registered vehicles. The same number of vehicles were added in a mere six years (2009 – 2015) thereafter!

But when you throw ill-conceived parking systems into this mix, it is like taking gasoline to a firefight. The backlash of this self-inflicted problem is found in every nook and corner of our cities, in all sorts of positions (angular, parallel, perpendicular) and scales (on-street, multi-level, automated).

In India, the conversation surrounding parking management is kindled every now and then, only to be impounded with plans of creating more parking spaces. Or even worse, buried six-foot deep with a parking lot as a symbolical headstone. Irony at its best.

So, why is it that dialogues on parking and its management generate public ire, whereas implausible measures—such as unchecked on-street free parking and multi-level parking—venerated. The answer lies in the psyche of vehicle owners and commuters in general, who lay fodder to a whole bunch of myths regarding parking management.

Now, what are these myths and how do the arguments hold; well, not as solid as the ground their vehicles are parked on.  

Let’s deduce this argument with the adage, “Your liberty to swing your fist ends just where my nose begins”. A citizen has the liberty to own a vehicle, but it doesn’t entitle them to occupy a public space of their fancy. Furthermore, no text, context, and subtext of a right allows for the infringement of someone else’s right. Whereas, parking poses as an obstruction for someone to use that common public space from walking or cycling.

Clearly, parking is not a right or an entitlement, but a privilege which needs to be charged and heavily at that.  A parking fee must be charged proportional to demand, factoring in criteria such as location, time of day, duration of parking, and category of vehicle (defined by size and type).

Take the case of Ranchi, where a pilot parking management project on the arterial MG Road stretch led to a 12-fold increase in parking revenue. Even the state of Jharkhand, spurred by the revenue spike at Ranchi’s pilot parking management project, invested efforts to regulate parking as a statewide policy. According to reports, Greater Chennai Corporation stands to gain Rs 55 crore per year in revenue from the pricing of about 12,000 ECS (equivalent car spaces) of parking in Chennai: a whopping 110 times increase in revenue from what it presently earns. 

Cities can innovatively use parking revenue to encourage sustainable modes of transport. For example, Bicing—the public cycle-sharing program in Barcelona—is financed by its parking revenue. London’s Freedom Pass, which allows elderly (60+) and disabled residents to use public transport for free, is funded by the parking fees collected in many boroughs. You can find more about these cases and other best practices in ITDP’s publication, Europe’s Parking U-Turn: From Accommodation to Regulation.

As per Dalia Research, the average global commute time per workday is 1 hour 9 minutes, India’s commute estimate hovers around 1 hour 31 minutes. That figure helps us to the third spot in the global list, behind only Israel and the UAE. So does the solution of offering more parking space offer a concession on congestion, the answer is and has always been in the negative.

An analogy often used while talking about urban commute is “Travel time was so much lesser when there were lesser vehicle!”. Hence, parking is to private vehicles, what flame is to moths. More parking only begets more private vehicles to hit the road.

An excessive supply of parking will only encourage people to use personal motor vehicles—even when good public transport is available. Cities, therefore, need to limit total parking supply, including off-street and on-street parking. Based on the capacity of the road network, cities must set caps on the total quantum of parking available in each zone.

Most cities invest in developing multi-level car parks to resolve parking woes. But examples, from across the world and India, clearly indicate that it is a myopic attempt. Over time such infrastructures only turn into ‘big white elephants’.

Take the example of Bengaluru’s 11 multi-storeyed parking complexes—Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Company (BMTC) owns nine and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) owns two. According to a Bangalore Mirror report, these “ghost storey” parking lots barely have 20-30% occupancy, reason being parking on roads or pavements is easier, since it is free and the safer.

“Multi-level car parking doesn’t solve parking woes, better on-street management does. Multi-level parking structures remain empty while people continue to park on the streets as long as it remains free and unenforced,” said Shreya Gadepalli, ITDP India Programme Lead. Thus, cities must manage and enforce on-street parking effectively before building any off-street parking facilities, public, or private.

In 2009, Janette Sadik-Khan, the then transportation commissioner of New York City, envisioned Times Square to be a car-free zone. That is, the hub would be less of a conduit for vehicles and an urban space where people could freely walk, sightsee, dine, and take in the magnanimity that is New York. Though there were initial reservations, the results were quite remarkable and by 2010 the changes were made permanent. Citylab reported that “business for merchants in the area was booming, and travel times for cars actually went down”.

There are plenty of such examples be it Hong Kong—where demand for commercial establishments rose post pedestrianisation, Copenhagen—a pilot pedestrian project from 1962 has since reclaimed 100,000 sq.m of motorised transit. Here in India, the Mall Road in Shimla, Temple Street in Madurai, and Heritage Street in Amritsar are examples of how reinventing urban design to focus on pedestrianisation does not affect commercial establishment as feared.

People over parking: regulations allows better streets, better cities, better lives

In conclusion, the need of the hour is to regulate parking, not to take it off the table. Policies which focus on parking management not only help in easing congestion, emissions, and travel time, but also are a feasible revenue generation model for a city. A robust management system clearly defines parking zones, pegs user fee to demand, and uses an IT-based mechanism for information, payment, and enforcement—discussed at length in ITDP’s Parking Basics.  

The conversation revolving around parking management has been catching up, with ITDP India Programme offering plausible solutions to cities. Leading the conversation is Pune, which is on the verge of implementing a parking management policy—a demand-based parking system that smoothens traffic movement.

Multiple studies allude that personal cars and two-wheelers occupy most of our street space, yet serve less than a fourth of all trips. They also sit idle for 95 per cent of the time—consuming over a third of street space that could be used more effectively as footpaths, cycle tracks, and bus rapid transit (BRT). The discourse over urban mobility shouldn’t revolve around parking, rather the onus must be on transit-oriented development. Wherein, last-mile connectivity and rapid system of transit ensure movement of people and not just vehicles. As cities evolve, there is an urgent need to step away from an oblivious “man proposes and parking disposes” mentality.

More resources from ITDP on parking management and reforms:

Parking Basics

Park it right

InFocus: Revolutionary Parking Reforms

Parking: Searching for the good life

Sizing Up Parking Space

U.S. Parking Policies: An Overview of Management Strategies

Carefree on Car-free Sundays: Citizens take to city streets for fun and revelry

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Imagine an arterial road in your city. Now, place a child running about in that stretch. Fair to assume that your brows twitched at the thought of these two events aligning. Though stark, urban dwellers are naturalised to the danger that arterial roads or streets in general hold. But to hold a static entity accountable is unfair. So where does the buck stop?

Let’s reimagine this sequence of events. Same arterial city road and same child running about carefree. This time though, cordon off vehicles from the section. Suddenly, the road seems to be devoid of chaos. It even becomes an oasis where people can come together to run, play, and enjoy themselves to their heart’s content.

Isn’t it bewildering how one component can drive our stress up the walls and still be considered an integral part of our lives. This is exactly what the “Car-free” initiative was conceptualised to debunk. Originated in the Netherlands and Belgium during the 1956 Suez Crisis, the move was planned to ration petroleum. But it took its true form in 1958, when New York City residents blocked vehicles into their neighbourhood to protest the extension of a road at the cost of a public space.

As vehicles started taking over our streets and lives, the initiative gained prominence to counter this menace. And it is with the same intention that the initiative made its way into the Indian quarters. The “Car-free Sundays” drive, proposed by ITDP India Programme in collaboration with Riverside School and other partners, was first introduced to Ahmedabad in 2009. Every Sunday, citizens were given unconditional access to three arterial stretches to experience the freedom of walking and cycling on safer car-free streets.

India’s first car-free Sunday in Ahmedabad in 2012

It wasn’t long before other states recognised the transformative nature of the initiative. Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra were quick to come on board and transform their streets into vibrant spaces for citizens, not vehicles, to occupy.

Leading the charge in Tamil Nadu was Coimbatore. The dialogue, facilitated by ITDP, was a success. All partners –including the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation, Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore (RAAC), print media partners and the residents– realised that the concept would help improve walking and cycling conditions in the city.

The Corporation and the Coimbatore Police left no stones unturned to help citizens reclaim landscape lost to vehicles. With prior public consultation workshops for residents, the campaign was launched across two stretches –DB Road and T V Swamy Road– for a total of 1.7km, in 2015. This sense of emancipation was refreshing, as many came in droves to be part of the revelry. Soon accolades started pouring in, with the campaign being honoured with the Best Project Award, Non-Motorised Transport category, by India’s National Ministry of Urban Development.

People enjoying hop-scotch at the car-free Sunday in Coimbatore

The obvious impact was soon realised by Chennai and it didn’t take much for city officials and the police to join the bandwagon, with ITDP again playing a hand holding role in collaboration with Chennai City Connect and The Hindu (media partners). Titled “Namma Chennai Namakke” (Our Chennai for Ourselves), many residents took an instant liking to the idea.

“I would love to see children aimlessly ride their cycles on the road…or adults playing badminton and pet enthusiast take their companions for a walk. I personally would indulge my pet, without the fear of him/her getting hit by a car,” said Jennifer Jacob-Murali, resident of Chennai.

Father and daughter bonding over skipping at the car-free Sunday in Chenani

Every Sunday, the ruckus of vehicles were replaced by that of laughter and excitement. Of kids being kids and parents joining the act. Of people dancing, doing yoga, and enjoying art and craft. Of citizens, young and old, not surrendering their right to walk, run, and cycle to the chagrin of fuel guzzling automobiles.

Today, these cities have taken a step ahead towards sustainable urban transport solutions with Chennai adopting a Non-Motorised Transport Policy and Coimbatore adopting the Street Design and Management Policy. Car-free Sundays helped citizen to wake up to the possibility of enjoying public spaces like roads and streets without the hindrance and dread of vehicles. Its success gave momentum to the ‘Model Roads’ project, as citizens demanded better walking and cycling infrastructure across Coimbatore.

Not even John Lennon could have imagined how vehicles would take over lives, leaving us struggling to find our way. So an ode to his legendary vision, with a twist of our own.

Imagine there are no vehicles
It’s easy if you try
No fumes around us
Only people and the sky
Imagine all the people living for today

Cover image courtesy: Times of India, Coimbatore.

Maharashtra Urban Mobility Policy

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If life is a theatre, then commuting on Indian urban roads is a Greek tragedy that unfolds daily. Jostling for space, dashing to beat a signal or tip-toeing around oncoming traffic, all these are daily reminders of how desperately the Indian transport system needs an overhaul. According to a Boston Consulting Group survey, a commuter in Mumbai spends 135% more time in road travel than any other Asian city.

Yet, our current vehicle-centric transportation planning only adds more vehicles on roads. And beating congestion by adding more roads is a battle that no city has won. It isn’t just the rapid increase in congestion, traffic snarls or travel time, but also the subsequent rise of pollution and road accidents that hamper quality of life in our cities.

“Every rupee spent by a city on public transport boosts its economy by four rupees!” said Mr Khatua, Director of Mumbai Technical Support Unit, at a workshop on the Maharashtra State Urban Transport Policy. Succinctly put, the senior officer magnifies the need of the hour: sustainable public transport systems.

Closely looking at Maharashtra’s urban population, it is expected to increase by a whopping 30% in the next decade and by another 50% in the years to follow. Going by the present-day scenario of urban commute in the state, the future seems too hazy. To counter these issues, the Urban Development Department of the state has drafted and published the Maharashtra Urban Mobility Policy.

With sustainability at its core, the policy looks to develop transport systems in accordance. So efforts will be concentrated on urban transit systems which reduces burden on resources and most importantly, offers an equal space to every commuter. Hence, facilitating walking, cycling and usage of public transport.

How the policy came about

In 2006, the National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) was laid out as a guidance for transportation planning in Indian cities. It prioritized the movement of people and not vehicles in cities, emphasizing on adequate road space for sustainable transport modes, such as walking, cycling and public transport. However, the NUTP mostly existed as a term of reference on papers.

You may ask, so why bring it up now? Well, Maharashtra is taking strides to plug this gap, making it the first state to define its own transportation policy. This further ensures that its urban transportation projects are consistent with NUTP. In June 2017, the Urban Development Department released a draft of the policy. To ensure transparency and insight on feasibility the process was participatory, taking into consideration comments and suggestions of citizens and officials from various cities.

Consultation with Pune Municipal Corporation

Consultation with Nashik Municipal Corporation

In all of this the ITDP India Programme provided technical guidance to the Urban Development Department, and the department is now in the last stages of finalizing the draft.

What it offers

Applicable to all urban areas of the state, the policy envisions transport modes which are safe, reliable, sustainable and accessible for citizen from all walks of life. Additionally, focusing on women’s safety.

The key objectives that the policy will enforce upon cities are:
· Safety and convenience offered to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users.
· Reducing usage of personal vehicles
· Our transportation infrastructure must be is universally accessible
· Road fatalities should be drastically reduced
· Ambient air quality should meet or exceed Central Pollution Control Board norms

All this is easier said than done, of course. Hence, the policy offers tangible metrics for infrastructure implementation, followed up with support and training provided by the state government.

The policy also helps to detangle the bureaucratic red-tape and ensures a coherent approach is in store. Cities with a population of 10 lakh or more are expected to establish a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority and an Urban Transport Fund to manage financial resources for all transportation projects. This will ensure that each agency works in coordination and follows an identical vision.

In conclusion, the policy offers a glimmer of hope; and we say glimmer because there are still many a miles to go and stretches to be reclaimed for equal distribution. But this clearly is a step in the right direction which will impact and influence other states to follow suit. In essence, Maharashtra has shown its wherewithal to get with the times and be the trailblazer that leads by example.

Are flyovers the problem or the solution to traffic woes in Indian cities?

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The growing traffic problems in our cities calls for urgent and effective remedies. Yet old-school ‘solutions’ such as flyovers, wider roads, and elevated expressways actually make matters worse. Flyovers represent a twentieth century delusion of free flowing traffic, built at extraordinary costs for a very small percentage of road users.

Over decades, planning and development authorities around the world have fetishized the flyover as putative symbols of ‘modernity’ or ‘technological advancement’. Their actions to fuel the velocity and demand of private vehicles have shaped the urban space discourse. Flyovers continue to hack through the urbanscapes, displacing homes and economies.

In reality, while such infrastructure may provide a short-term illusion of relief from traffic woes, but by making it easier for people to use their own vehicles, new roads attract even more traffic and repeat the vicious cycle of congestion all over again.

Around the world, cities from Seoul to San Francisco are tearing down flyovers and/or rejuvenating dead spaces under the flyover with human scaled spaces that promote green modes of transport. In doing so, these cities have been able to reduce pollution, improve safety, and ensure that high quality public transport offers a meaningful alternative to sitting in traffic.

The Cheonggyecheon River Linear Park Project, Seoul

Cities in India have started to recognise that the key to urban mobility is moving people, not vehicles. In 2016, Ranchi (capital city of Jharkhand), a city for which ITDP India Programme has provided technical support since 2013, took bold steps and stalled the construction of two flyovers on Main Road.

The Urban Development and Housing Department, Government of Jharkhand, cancelled the flyover project that was proposed to decongest the city area, and instead focused on designing the street to prioritise the cleanest, most efficient modes: walking, cycling, and public transport.

Over a third of the population in India cities rely on walking, cycling, and other forms of human-powered transport to commute to work and get around cities every day.  Increasing the use of cycles and the ease of walking is one of the most affordable and practical ways to reduce CO2 emissions, while boosting health and access to economic opportunity.

Indian cities should also focus on public transport driven mobility. By international standards, our cities need 20-30 km of mass rapid transit for every 10 lakh (one million) residents. This means that the larger cities of the country like Chennai require over 300 km of rapid transit.  Currently, with only 100 km of suburban rail and metro combined, it would take two generations to build enough rapid transit in the city!

One of the most effective option to scale up the nation’s ability to provide high capacity public transport corridors is the Bus Rapid Transit, also known as the BRT. The system features dedicated median lanes for buses, allowing commuters to bypass the congestion in mixed traffic lanes.

A Bus Rapid Transit can carry anywhere between 10,000-30,000 people per hour per direction, which is approximately seven to eight times more than the capacity of a 2-lane flyover. The system can also be deployed quickly at a fraction of the cost of a flyover. A flyover costs approximately Rs 200 crores per km, whereas, a Bus Rapid Transit costs Rs 15-20 crores per km.

Cities like Seoul, San Francisco, Toronto, built flyovers between the 1950s and 1980s, only to pull them down later to make space for its people! To be ‘smart’, Indian cities must learn from these examples and best practises. Our cities should realise that such infrastructure only begets more traffic and pollution, and shift focus to prioritising walking, cycling, and the use of public transport.

Authored by Kashmira Dubash

ITDP India – Our Journey from a Dream to Reality

team ITDP

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It was back in 1998 that ITDP began its engagements in India, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s words, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” What started as one woman’s journey to change the dystopian path our cities were drifting towards has transformed into a formidable force of young, passionate visionaries who strive to bring back life in a place we call home. Today, ITDP celebrates two decades of action on the ground, catalysing tangible transformation at scale in over a third of urban India.

Transportation is the focus of many pressing issues facing the world today—decisions about whether to build highways or bus corridors have a great impact on our health and our planet. For this reason, ITDP has worked with over 18 Indian cities to reduce the human impact of transport choices: ensuring cities put people before cars, all citizens can walk and cycle safety, and jobs and services are a bus ride away. Through the dedicated efforts of our team and a strategic approach towards sustainable transport, ITDP India programme has impacted the lives of millions for the past 20 years.

ITDP in India

The journey in India began in Agra. The vision to develop a modern cycle rickshaw to counter the growing threats of motor vehicular pollution, gave way to the India Cycle Rickshaw Improvement Project. What started off as five prototypes has become sustainably embedded as the standard design in cities across North India. Today, around half a million of these modern cycle rickshaws serve  4-5 million zero-carbon trips daily and offer dignified livelihood to over a million people, transforming the lives of their families as well.

Cycle rickshaws

ITDP realised the need to transform the quality and availability of public transport in Indian cities. Since 2003, the India Programme evangelised the idea of the Bus Rapid Transit (popularly known as BRT) to transform mediocre bus services into high-quality mass transit.

Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s largest city, welcomed ITDP to reimagine bus transit in 2005. Our partnership with Environment Planning Collaborative, and thereafter with CEPT University and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation resulted in the launch of Janmarg (in 2009)—India’s first high quality BRT system that expands to a network of 87 km. Janmarg has inspired many cities in India, and with guidance from ITDP, five cities have created 200 km of high-quality BRT to date.

janmarg

In 2009, the India Programme revolutionised the way people perceived streets in India. Safe, child-friendly streets are not just a mirage of the past, but can be a beautiful reality even today. Ahmedabad was the first city in India to host Car-Free Sundays in collaboration with ITDP, Riverside School and other partners.  The initiative allowed citizens to experience the freedom of walking and cycling on safer car-free streets.  The success enabled expansion to Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra to raise awareness and transform their streets into places we all dream of everyday.

ITDP India Programme initiated collaboration with Chennai City Connect in 2009 to improve cycling and walking conditions across the city. Change isn’t easy in cities where the car is a symbol for status. But within five years of ITDP’s engagement with the city, Chennai took the bold move of adopting the Non Motorised Transport (NMT) Policy—first in India.

The policy mandates that a minimum of 60 percent of of transport funding to create and maintain walking and cycling infrastructure in the city. Having retrofitted over 50 km of walkable streets over the years, Chennai has initiated the next phase of redesigning an additional 50 km of street network. Chennai’s policy has inspired many national and international cities—from Chandigarh to Nairobi—to adopt similar policies. The comprehensive approach undertaken by Chennai, was awarded the Sustainia Award in 2015.

 

chennai complete streets

Since 2013, the India Programme has worked with the smaller cities of Tamil Nadu – Coimbatore, Trichy, Tirupur, Salem, and Madurai.  In Coimbatore, the Namma Kovai Namakke (Our Coimbatore Ourselves) campaign, initiated by ITDP, sparked citizen demand for better pedestrian facilities. Coimbatore was the first city in Tamil Nadu to host Car-Free Sundays, that inspired Chennai and Madurai to do the same. The city also adopted The Coimbatore Street Design and Management Policy that aims to increase walking, cycling and public transport use. In light of Coimbatore’s vision to improve people-mobility, the city has planned a 30 km-network of walking and cycling paths to connect the city’s major lakes, in line with the guiding Policy.  

The India programme began its engagements in Maharashtra in 2009, first with the Municipal Corporations of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, and thereafter in Nashik and Aurangabad. Today, Pune is the epitome of a smart Indian city. Pune launched 40 kms of the Rainbow BRT in 2015, with an additional 45 km in the pipeline. The city adopted the Urban Street Design Guidelines and plans to redesign 100 km of streets based on the world-class standards set by the transformation of  JM Road and DP Road pilot project.

While Pune has taken the first steps towards developing a people-centric city, the next challenge is to address the encroachment onto footpaths by parked vehicles. As a result, Pune adopted the Public Parking Policy to regulate parking, in 2018. The Policy aims to manage on-street parking through an efficient paid parking system but exempts bicycle parking from any charges. Pune realises that encouraging cycling reduces CO2, improves commuters’ health and increases retail visibility. As a result, the city plans to implement a dockless Public Bicycle Sharing system of 13,100 cycle, under the city’s Bicycle Plan.  Yes, the city has worked wonders. Pune, Chennai, and Coimbatore – all cities ITDP assisted, were selected in the first round of the national government’s Smart City Mission.  

Pune complete streets

In 2013, the India programme also expanded to Ranchi, the capital of the state of Jharkhand. Local conditions were unfavourable to support sustainable transport; thus, ITDP initiated collaboration with local civil society groups, educational institutions and trade associations that formed the Ranchi Mobility Partnership. Ranchi’s Mobility for All action plan prepared by ITDP, with input from the partners, provided a detailed roadmap of transport solutions for local conditions.

The action plan inspired the city to take responsibility of overseeing operations of 100 new buses, and an additional 300 buses in the due course—an applaudable move for a city that had fewer than 30 buses. The plan also identified a cycle network to improve access to public transport; as a result, the city is in the midst of constructing the state’s first Bicycle Sharing system comprising of 1200 cycles.

Onward and upward, Ranchi’s Parking Policy has inspired other cities in the state, like Jamshedpur, to manage on-street parking. The State too realised the chaos caused by unregulated parking and thereafter adopted the  Jharkhand Parking Regulations—first in India. Jharkhand is also the first state to endorse the Transit Oriented Development Policy that was prepared in consultation with ITDP India.

On account of leveraging the sustainable transport agenda at the national level, the India expanded to the country’s capital, Delhi, in 2016. This gave rise to the policy brief on Women and Transport in collaboration with Safetipin and UN Women. Women represent the largest share of public transport users, yet they face many barriers that limit their mobility such as safety, comfort, convenience and affordability. Empowering women in transport enables them to participate in workforce, thereby creating a societal shift to transform the entire world economy.

The India Programme’s capacity development work, through training workshops and study tours, has been imperative to the success of its projects and policy. The India Programme has trained over 1000 government officials and other stakeholders. Over the years, our knowledge products have not only been used for best practise references, but also endorsed by the government – for example, the National Guidelines for Public Bicycle-sharing for the Ministry of Urban Development, and Street Design and BRT Guidelines for the Indian Roads Congress (IRC).

capacity development

Since 1998, ITDPs’ agenda of improving the quality of life of citizens through equitable and sustainable transport has only magnified in momentum over time. Times have evolved, but our dream remains the same. Take a moment and imagine a 2050: will we design a future where we continue to get trapped in endless traffic while pollution destroys the city, and infrastructure fails to deliver? Or, will we live in ‘smart cities’ where people can zip around town, connected with walking and cycling boulevards and world-class rapid transit. The choice is yours; we chose the latter.

P.S. Dear Mahatma Gandhiji, we are being the change we wish to see in the world today. And, we have been doing it successfully for the past 20 years in India!  

Jharkhand’s Vision 2026 set to embrace Transit-Oriented Development

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“I would like to see Transit-oriented development materialize on the ground”, stated C.P.Singh, the Urban Development Minister of Jharkhand, at the public consultation workshop held in July, for the adoption of the Jharkhand Transit-oriented Development Policy (JTODP). The workshop, organized in Ranchi by the Urban Development and Housing Department (UD&HD), thus backed by political will, was an important step towards realizing Jharkhand’s vision of making its cities safe and sustainable.

The Jharkhand government has set high goals to this end in the proposed State Transit-oriented Development (TOD) Policy. According to this policy, by 2026, public transport, walking and cycling will become the predominant modes of transport for over 80% of the city trips, thereby reducing usage of personal motor vehicles to less than 20%. Quality  public transport will be accessible to a majority of the population within a 400m walk. Further, more than 50% of the residents in larger cities will have access to rapid transit at the same walking distance. Reduced trip lengths have also been aimed at. Once adopted, the policy will guide the future growth of all cities in Jharkhand.

img_1823

By 2031, Jharkhand’s urban population is expected to double to 13.85 million!

The 21st century has seen an increase in Jharkhand’s urban population by 32% from 2001 to 2011, totaling at 7.9 million — 67% of which is constituted by 11 cities with a population of 1 lakh and more. Unplanned rapid urban growth in these cities has translated into low-density urban sprawl, longer commutes, increased dependence on personal motorized vehicles, congestion and pollution. This disastrous outcome is a result of conventional car-centric planning and insufficient development of sustainable modes of transport such as walking, cycling and public transport.

By 2031, the number of city inhabitants in Jharkhand is expected to further double to 13.85 million! With its cities urbanizing at such quick rates, Jharkhand faces the challenge of planning this transition in ways that will ultimately provide a safe, affordable, sustainable and inclusive environment for its citizens. The state is looking to bring about this paradigm change by adopting a TOD-approach.

In contrast to the current method of development, TOD involves actively planning for future mixed use developments — residential, commercial, and other uses — within a compact city form, so that most citizens live, work, and play within walking distance of public transit. Well designed and fully realized TOD areas can play a transformative role in the city’s economic and cultural well-being, creating vibrant and lively places for people of all ages and income groups. Adequate parking fees and overall reduction in parking supply can disincentivize the use of personal motor vehicles.

Key features of TOD

Key features of TOD


At the consultation workshop held in Ranchi, Ms. Shreya Gadepalli – Regional Director, South Asia, ITDP – presented the key features of the Jharkhand TOD policy. She reinforced the primary principle that streets are meant for people rather than for cars and stressed the need to adopt a transit-first approach to help achieve social inclusion, safety and resource efficiency. The presentation also sought to bust many parking myths and laid emphasis on managing and pricing on-street parking to restrict private vehicle use. The necessary changes to be made to the bye-laws and institutional framework were then elaborated.

Following the presentation was a dynamic discussion with the stakeholders — including Principal Secretary and Director of UD&HD along with town planners; Municipal Commissioners of Ranchi; Director, State Urban Development Authority; members of CREDAI and Architects Association of Ranchi. The discussion brought out the likely challenges in implementing the JTOD policy and sought solutions for the same, such as selection of transit corridors for TOD-transformation.

Ranchi Workshop

Following the presentation was a dynamic discussion with the stakeholders.

The consultation workshop witnessed Vision 2026 being received with promising welcome and endorsed by most stakeholders – along with a much needed political backing. It can be expected to soon transform Jharkhand’s urban spaces into people- and environment-friendly pockets, giving way to safe, sustainable and inclusive cities!

‘Smart City’ gives wings to Ranchi’s urban dreams

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Ranchi, capital of Jharkand- one of India’s youngest states, is taking incredible strides to transform itself into a livable, healthy, and sustainable city  in a very short span of time. With focus on improving the quality of life for its citizens, Ranchi is embracing people-centric planning practices including strengthening public transport services, implementing a progressive parking management system and adopting transit-oriented development principles for urban planning. These efforts were reflected in the city’s Smart City Proposal (SCP), which was selected in the fast-tracked second round of India’s Smart City Mission in May 2016.

Originally, Ranchi was not among the first twenty cities to be selected under the Smart City Mission. The proposal, which selected a greenfield development with focus mainly on drinking water, sanitation, sewage and solid waste management, failed to address the challenges of urban mobility posed by Ranchi’s rapidly growing urban population.

Until recently, the city’s transport problems were on the back burner. Although half of all the trips in the city are made on foot or cycle, footpaths and cycling lanes are almost non-existent. In the absence of a formal bus service, high polluting and unsafe informal paratransit caters to two thirds of all the motorised trips. Further, the limited financial capacity of the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) has been a major hindrance in changing the status quo.

However, in mid 2015, the city began to take its first steps towards a sustainable transport transformation. RMC assumed responsibility of overseeing city bus operations and is working towards expanding and improving the service. The city has also initiated the process to adopt a progressive parking policy to tackle traffic congestion. To test the policy, the city is working towards implementing priced parking on a heavy traffic commercial zone. The parking prices, which are pegged to parking demand, are approximately four times higher than the current rates. Building on these initial steps, Ranchi’s revised SCP, improved with technical inputs from ITDP, embraced multiple sustainable transport initiatives.

Ranchi-July16-existing

Ranchi-July16-proposed

Caption:The rendering (above) shows the proposed design of a major intersection, Albert Ekka Chowk (existing photo), on the Main road in Ranchi—with all elements of a complete street.

Over the next five years, Ranchi aims to increase its modal share of public transport to 50% by expanding its bus fleet by more than five times—from existing 65 buses to almost 375 buses. An intelligent traffic management system will help improve efficiency and service of its bus fleet. Further, to provide comfortable access to its public transport and encourage walking and cycling in the city, Ranchi aims to redesign 31.5 km of its streets as ‘Complete Streets’ with wide, safe and continuous footpaths, safe crossing facilities, clearly demarcated parking bays, and uniform carriageways.

The greenfield area based development is proposed to adopt a transit-oriented development (TOD) approach with dense, mixed-use neighbourhoods planned along frequent, fast, and reliable high capacity mass transport lines. The smart city proposal reinforces the city’s intention to curb private vehicle use by managing parking through market-based pricing.

With definite funding from the national and state governments towards these tangible improvements planned in the city, Ranchi is en route to transforming itself into a sustainable and equitable city. ITDP is a proud partner to the city in its mission to embrace this bright future.

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Delhi plans for smart growth around transit

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Between 1991 and 2011, the population of Delhi and its adjoining suburbs more than doubled, from approximately 10 million to 22 million. Despite the presence of mass rapid transport networks in the city, the number of private motor vehicle trips nearly doubled between 2001 and 2008, not only increasing congestion, but also earning it the dubious distinction of being the “world’s most polluted city.”

Recognising the need for a major transformation in the way the city manages urban growth, planners embarked on an overhaul of the city’s planning regulations. City officials now recognise that the city needs to begin integrating land use and transport planning, and discouraging the use of   private vehicles. Toward this end, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) approved a new transit-oriented development policy in early 2015.

Promoting intense development around transit stations

At the core of the policy is a provision to encourage higher densities within 500 m, or a 10 minute walk, of rapid transit stations. These areas are called ‘‘Influence Zones” in the Delhi Master Plan, 2021.The policy aims to reduce trip lengths by enabling a greater portion of the population to live in these influence zones. Higher floor-area ratios (FAR)—up to 400 per cent of the plot area—are now allowed for redevelopment projects larger than 1 ha. The policy also mandates mixed use in developments in Influence Zones, with a minimum of 30 per cent of floor space reserved for residential uses, 10 per cent for commercial uses and 10 per cent for community purposes. This mixed-use approach is expected to eliminate private vehicle use for daily errands, while creating a higher concentration of jobs and residences within easy reach of rapid transit.

Creating safer public spaces through urban design

TOD is not just about higher density. Good urban design can help Delhi transition from being a “rape-city” to a “safe-city” by creating a better public-private interface that makes for more eyes on the street. By eliminating setbacks along main building facades and mandating transparent fences where setbacks are allowed, the policy ensures that there is an active interface between activities inside the buildings and on the street.

Building inclusive streets for transit access

Besides addressing the design of the private realm, the policy also aims to improve the public realm through people-centric street design guidelines. Pedestrians would have wide footpaths and at least 5 crossing opportunities for each kilometre of street length. Twenty-one per cent of Delhi’s land area is already used for roads. With these street design guidelines, Delhi’s TOD policy looks at ways to better manage existing road network to balance the needs of all users.

Microsoft PowerPoint - Vision of TOD_22-03-12

(Left) View of an existing street in Delhi; (Right) Proposed street design improvements include better walking and cycling facilities and the creation of paid parking areas.

Restricting parking

While incentivising development around transit, the policy also establishes  disincentives for the use of private motor vehicles. Due to the presence of unrestricted, cheap on- and off-street parking in Delhi has meant that car users have remained reluctant to switch to public transport. To address this, the policy restricts parking supply by allowing a maximum of 1.33 equivalent car spaces (ECS) for every 100 sq m of built space in TOD areas—far lower than parking permitted in other areas poorly served by public transport. Only a fraction of this parking is to be used for cars. Provision of cycle parking is mandatory in all developments. Additional parking can be built only in the form of paid, publicly accessible, shared parking.

Using pilot projects to demonstrate the feasibility of proposed reforms

Many city planners were initially sceptical of a TOD approach in Delhi’s context. They raised questions on the availability of physical infrastructure—including water, electricity, sewage, and solid waste management—to support higher densities. To address these concerns, DDA worked with planners, urban designers, and infrastructure experts to test TOD concepts in a pilot project at Kadkadooma. Their analysis proved that high population density can be achieved along with ecological, social, and economic viability. It showed that developments can easily be designed for mixed income groups, with various compatible uses and with decentralised infrastructure for water, solid waste, and electricity. DDA has adopted a public-private participation (PPP) approach to speed up project implementation and support needed infrastructure investments.

30 Ha Site at Kadkaduma Metro Station.

Finer street grid proposed (right) in the pilot project at Kadkadooma helps improve connectivity to the station from surrounding neighbourhoods as compared to the earlier configuration (left).

By adopting a new planning approach to meet the demands of the nation’s capital, Delhi’s transit-oriented development policy can go a long way in furthering sustainable development in the country.

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InFocus: Building transit-oriented cities

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ITDP brings you a monthly digest of sustainable transport and urban development news from around the world. From Mumbai’s new transit-oriented development plan to urban design policies adopted in Delhi, this month’s InFocus looks at contemporary planning approaches adopted by cities to tackle congestion through better public transport-land use integration while improving quality of life for their citizens.

As India urbanises, cities have a choice: to allow, even facilitate, low density urban sprawl with mono-functional gated complexes, resulting in long commutes, dependence on private vehicles and rising congestion; or to actively plan for future residential, commercial, and other development within the city so that most citizens live, work and play within walking distance of high-quality rapid transit—in vibrant, lively places designed for people of all ages and income groups.

The latter approach—often called transit-oriented development—involves facilitating higher intensity mixed-use development along mass rapid transit corridors, encouraging affordable housing, creating a fine grid of streets that prioritise walking and cycling, and adopting building design and parking regulations that support street life and transit use. Here is a look at efforts being made by select Indian cities towards achieving this.

Mumbai allows higher FSI in areas served by transit

Eliminating low density, outward expansion, the city’s proposed Development Plan instead calls for higher FSI up to 8 along rapid transit corridors and commercial districts, while restricting FSI to 2 or less in areas without transit access. Indian Express presents the details.

Ahmedabad uses Local Area Plans to manage densification

The city’s Development Plan 2021 allowed higher densities for developments along transit corridors, with Central Business District having an FSI of 5.4. To manage high densities in these areas, the city has now completed preparation of a Local Area Plan for the CBD that envisions better streets, an improved public realm and infrastructure upgrades. In an interview with Livemint, Bimal Patel, President, CEPT University, elaborates on the salient features of such an approach.

Delhi set to redevelop transit hubs into safe, mixed use areas for all

Recognising the need to transform station areas into vibrant districts, Delhi Development Authority is set to modify its Development Plan to allow higher densities, mandate mixed use, and eliminate setbacks and compound walls for developments near public transport hubs. Indian Express reports.

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Whose city is it anyway? A people and transit-oriented approach to city building

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by Ranga Rohini C

In keeping with the goal of increasing public transport usage from 41 to 70 per cent of all motorised trips, Chennai has been investing in various rapid transit projects. While much of this investment is being made in the urban core, most large-scale development is happening in peripheral areas where transit access is scarce. The result is greater dependence on private vehicles, more time spent stuck in traffic, and inefficient use of our transit resources. This begs the question: are new rapid transit lines enough to build and sustain patronage? What does it mean to have a transit-oriented city?

Our present approach to city building is decidedly car-oriented. Though only 6 per cent of trips are made by cars, we regulate building activities based on the ease of accessing a property by car. Denser development is allowed on wider roads. Trips are expected to happen on private vehicles, so development norms stipulate the minimum number of parking spaces that buildings must provide.

The existing paradigm is making the city less and less affordable. As Chennaiites become richer, per capita consumption of floor space has increased. With residential prices skyrocketing within city limits, many families are forced to shift to unserviced, peripheral areas to find lower cost housing. These areas are farther away from employment, education, and recreational opportunities.

Transit-oriented development offers a new approach to city building. This approach recognises that our city will remain in gridlock unless we ensure that new development happens in areas with good access to public transport. It also recognises that we must revitalise the core areas of our city, using redevelopment to bring improved public amenities and new life to transit-oriented neighbourhoods.

If we want to increase the supply of affordable, well-located housing, higher built densities must be allowed. Regulations must encourage the redevelopment of serviced land that is vacant or underutilised. A case in point is Ahmedabad, which permits an FSI of 4 to 5.4 along its 88 km bus rapid transit (BRT) network, as compared to an FSI of 2.7 in the rest of the city.

Ahmedabad’s Development Plan 2021 (left) allows an FSI of 4 in transit-oriented zones around BRT (shown in ochre) and Metro (shown in orange). Transit-oriented developments are characterised by built forms (right) that support street life.

To ensure that new buildings support street life, urban design guidelines must be adopted to ensure “eyes on the street.” Mixed-use buildings that open directly onto the street must be encouraged. Compound walls must be prohibited to improve general street conditions and deter public urination. A fine-grained street network with small block structure must be developed to enable direct access to rapid transit stations. Regulations can ensure that private developments contribute to a better public realm in return for enjoying the benefits of higher FSI.

A common concern is that higher density will lead to more traffic. Yet traffic results from vehicles, not density. Denser development that is supported by adequate walking, cycling, and public transport networks can actually reduce the use of private vehicles in the city. Transit-oriented areas require effective management and enforcement systems to regulate the use of street space. While the Corporation of Chennai is moving toward adoption of an advanced IT-based on-street parking system, the off street parking supply also must be limited to ensure that people shift to public transport.

Providing quality services and infrastructure throughout a sprawling city can be quite challenging. With a transit-oriented approach, provision of urban services can be prioritised and service delivery optimised. Higher revenue leveraged from this increased development potential can be used to finance strengthening and upgrading of infrastructure and service delivery in the local area.

As Chennai continues to grow, it must aim to be a compact city where residents live with within a half hour commute by public transport to any major destination in the city. Transit-oriented development is not a new concept. Ideas of living and walking to work have existed and continue to exist in Indian cities. Historic cores like Mylapore continue to be a destination for residents in the city, anchored by local landmarks, commerce and vibrant street life. We need to build on these traditions and use our new rapid transit systems to shift the focus of city building to people—and away from vehicles.

This article was adapted and published in Times of India.

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