Santiago: Winner of STA, Host of MOBILIZE 2017

3rd June 2017 by admin

Santiago, the Chilean capital with an urban population of five million, and a metro area population of over seven million, is a beautiful old-world city enjoying a modern day renaissance. Despite the city’s attempt to improve transport for its people through its BRT Transantiago in 2006, it had been lagging behind other cities in the region on cycling and walking.

However, between 2015-16, non-motorised (walking and cycling) and public transportation in Santiago underwent significant development, transforming the city into a haven for its citizens. Santiago was thus announced as the winner of the 2017 Sustainable Transport Award (STA). The city will be hosting ITDP’s annual sustrans summit MOBILIZE between June 28 – 30, 2017.

Our Indian government also aims to implement such people-friendly mobility initiatives through the Smart City Mission, and can draw on the lessons of Santiago at MOBILIZE. Amongst other attendees from India, Sameer Sharma, Additional Secretary & Smart City Mission Director, MoUD will also be at the summit. As a speaker, he will be sharing his thoughts on how a city can be made inclusive through principles of mobility and access.

Car ownership has soared in Chile over the past decade along with the economy, with the number of cars bough increasing each year from 2003 to 2014. Greater Santiago is now home to seven million people, and four million cars. However, the last few years have seen considerable changes. Owing to the significant improvements in transit, cycling & walking, and the overall public realm, as a result of the city’s Integrated Mobility Plan, more Santiaguinos have shifted to these modes to get around their city.

Santiago’s Calle Aillavilú, in the central market of the city, has been transformed from a derelict, car-congested and unregulated parking lot to a pedestrian-friendly oasis. The street was repaved, lighting improved, new trees were planted, and most importantly, cars were removed. Except for the scheduled delivery of goods, no motorized traffic is allowed. Calle Placer, one of the busiest pedestrian streets during a popular weekend market, is now completely closed to cars on the weekends, with a 2.2 million USD investment by the city for improved sidewalks, lighting, and sanitation.

On Sunday mornings, cars are banned from 40 kilometers of Santiago’s roads. Around 30,000 people take to those vehicle-free streets on bikes, skateboards, rollerblades, or simply on foot. The Car-Free days in many Indian cities have also been highly successful and can be scaled up, learning from Santiago.

The redesigned Plaza de Armas in the city centre, to prioritise pedestrians

Other public space improvements include an investment in 100 sqm. of new green spaces in historic residential neighborhoods, revitalizing a previously abandoned area, and the re-design of the Historical Center’s main streets, featuring more sidewalk space, improved lighting, beautification, and a “complete streets” redesign for public transport exclusive corridors in the most active pedestrian zone in the country.

Cycling mode share has doubled since 2006, with the number of cyclists on major routes growing by 25 percent a year for the past two years. The City has backed up this achievement with new sustainable transport policy changes and education programs. In April 2015, the National Ministry of Housing and Urbanism created a detailed standard of design for high quality cycle lanes, even piloting it in a major street near the presidential palace. The policy redistributes road spaces to create more space for cyclist. This standard was quickly adopted by Santiago, and the city has managed to increase cycling trips from a negligible 150 per day to over 5000 per day.

Cycle Lanes in Santiago

This number is expected to further rise with the growing popularity of BikeSantiago, the city’s bike share program, which accounts for 50 percent of the increase. Santiago also gave support to BMov Trici, a free bicycle taxi in the historic city center operated by a private company, supported by advertising, that encourages cycle use and provides a non-motorized alternative to taxis.

The city has also adopted a pilot program of cycling games in kindergarten to help introduce cycling early in life and a traffic education program at primary schools to create better cyclist behavior.

The cycling games program intends to familiarize children with cycling culture and safety

With all these efforts to improve the quality of life for the people, Santiago won STA 2017 and will be the site of Mobilize 2017, ITDP’s annual Sustainable Transport Summit, supported by the Volvo Research and Education Foundations. This event will give international transportation researchers and professionals an opportunity to experience this emerging city as a learning lab for best practices in sustainable transport. For more information, visit mobilizesummit.org

Coimbatore’s sustrans initiatives lauded by international experts

28th March 2017 by admin

“Sustainable change through transport is something that needs to be discussed at length. However, what is missing from these conversations is the participation of actual commuters. Those who use public transport, those who walk, those who cycle. Here in Coimbatore, though, actual users of public spaces and public transport are very involved in these discussions,” says Mr. Clayton Lane, CEO of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, sharing how thoroughly impressed he was at the level of community involvement in Coimbatore.

Inspired by livable cities across the world, Coimbatore has kicked off various sustainable transport (sustrans) initiatives, and these changes in the cityscape are being brought about with incredible public support. The city’s sustrans initiatives include — the Model Roads project to design safe streets for all, encouraging more walking and cycling, and the Lake Eco-restoration project to rejuvenate eight lakes in the city and create a 30km eco-mobility corridor around them.

To discuss Coimbatore’s transformation through sustrans initiatives, experts from the field were at Coimbatore on March 18, 2017, to add their inputs as well as learn about the process that has been initiated.

Picture showing a 10m pilot stretch on DB Road that is being constructed as part of the “Model Roads” initiative

Picture showing a cross-section through the underground ducts of a 10m pilot stretch on DB Road that is being constructed as part of the “Model Roads” initiative

“It all started with the Car-free Sundays initiative”, said Dr. K. Vijayakarthikeyan IAS, Commissioner of the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation, during the round-table discussion. He explained how the car-free Sundays event helped create awareness about the need for walking and cycling infrastructure, becoming a milestone in Coimbatore’s journey towards sustainable mobility. “If we could make streets safe for pedestrians and cyclists for 3-4 hours every weekend, why not at all times? This was how the idea of the Model Roads project was conceived!”

Coimbatore’s commitment to launch car-free Sundays and follow through with their plans on Model Roads led to its selection as a Smart City. The proposals for the Smart City Mission were created with inputs from the people. “We Coimbatoreans have big dreams as to how our city should be. And our dynamic Commissioner and Corporation support our dreams. They encourage all of us including NGOs to take part in the action towards sustainability”, said Mr. C.R.Swaminathan, President of the Residents’ Awareness Association of Coimbatore (RAAC).

Under the Smart City mission, the primary demand from the people including organisations such as Siruthuli and RAAC, was the rejuvenation of the 8 lakes in the heart of Coimbatore. The city is blessed with a series of lakes, that have been neglected and polluted. The citizens wanted the lakes restored and a 30km eco-mobility corridor linking them . The Lake Eco-restoration project has been tendered out and the consultant for the same will be selected by the end of March, 2017.

A visit to the sites of the Model Roads initiative, as well as the Lake Restoration initiative proved fruitful as experts feel that Coimbatore is on the right track in its sustrans journey.

A visit to the sites of the Model Roads project, as well as the Lake Restoration initiative proved fruitful as experts feel that Coimbatore is on the right track in its sustrans journey.

In a city that is so willing to reduce its carbon footprint, there is much potential for a transition away from fossil fuel-driven personal motor vehicles, especially to low-emission electric vehicles. Mr.Leonardo Lacerda, the Environmental Programme Director of the Oak Foundation advocated this shift during the meeting, given that Coimbatore is home to the popular e-vehicle production company, Ampere.

While discussing other ways and means to reduce the city’s carbon footprint, members of Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore put forth the following points with the aim of shifting people away from private vehicles to public transport:

Implementing a modern IT based parking management system
Strengthening and improving the existing public transport services
Integration of public transport with with a well-connected rapid transit system

The discussion was peppered with many feasible suggestions and one of the bigger ideas that captured everyone’s attention was the need for a Transit-Oriented Master Plan for the city. Representing the urban planning community of Coimbatore, Ar. Arun from Arun & Associates stressed the need for planning to focus on creating more transit near people, and bringing people near transit.

“There are many mid-sized cities in Tamil Nadu”, said Ms. Shreya Gadepalli, Director – South Asia, ITDP. “Chennai, being a large metropolitan area, is generally seen as a higher standard for them to reach. On the other hand, Coimbatore owing to its similar size is inspiring these cities to work for SusTrans changes. ‘Coimbatore is doing it, we would also like to try’, is the mantra that is driving sustainable transformation in cities like Madurai. Kudos Coimbatore, for showing the right way forward!”

Click here for the exclusive with Mr. Clayton Lane, published in the Times of India on 20th March, 2017.

People’s day out: Shoppers welcome T. Nagar Pedestrian Plaza

3rd March 2017 by admin

“He doesn’t want to leave yet! He hasn’t even had his breakfast, but in his enjoyment, he’s forgotten his hunger!” Mrs. Lalitha, a resident of T.Nagar, thus ended up spending the entire morning at Pondy Bazaar with her 7 year-old son Pranav. Pranav, who has nobody at home to play with, found not just games, but also company and a lot of space in T.Nagar to keep him entertained. His mother, who also participated in the games, reliving her childhood days, enjoyed a fun-filled, nostalgic shopping trip.

This alternate shopping experience was on the occasion of the second trial run of the proposed Pondy Bazaar Pedestrian Plaza. Owing to the success of the first trial run of the plaza, a second trial was organised by the Greater Corporation of Chennai on the 25th February, 2017 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm along Sir Thyagaraya Road. Though a hit amongst the people who visited, the shopkeepers remained concerned that the plaza would affect their sales.

Pondy Bazaar, located in the heart of the city, is known for being a famous shopping destination, with both small stores and big brands lining the stretch. This shopping promenade is best experienced on foot, giving one the opportunity to stop-and-shop to one’s content. In order to transform this hub into a haven, a pedestrian plaza has been proposed along Sir Thyagaraya Road as a Smart City initiative.

As a first step towards creating this plaza — for collecting citizen feedback and building support for the project — a part of the road was converted into a pedestrian zone for the first trial run on November 20th, 2016, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Visitors witnessed a new Pondy Bazaar, bustling with activity and games throughout the morning. The lack of congestion despite diverted traffic further added to the success of the experiment.

The first trial run went on smoothly, with no traffic congestion

Similar to the first trial run, the 700m stretch between Thanikachalam Road junction and Panagal Park was closed off to cars, autos, shared autos and vans, during the second trial run. Two wheelers and buses were allowed along the stretch both ways, although on a shorter width of four meters on either side of the median. The traffic rerouting was quite successful, with incredible support from the Chennai Traffic Police.

Due to the longer duration of this trial, the activities were split into various slots across the morning and afternoon sessions. The morning was dedicated to kids, with games such as carrom, chess & life-sized snake & ladder, and activities like yoga, craft with newspaper & a drawing competition on Smart City. Young drummers and dancers dazzled the crowd in the afternoon while the elders learned more about first aid at the training camp organised by the NGO Alert. The health camps organised by the Corporation were also a hit among the older people. Restaurants set up tables & chairs outside, to serve those who wanted to snack while enjoying the outdoor activities.

In terms of facilities, parking was provided at the site of the proposed multi-storey car park at the Thanikachalam Road junction. On-street parking was also arranged for on Bashyam Road in front of Panagal park and Thyagaraya Road between Anna Salai and Nair road. Water and seating were provided all along the street at regular intervals for people’s convenience. Shuttle service in the form of battery-operated cars was made available for the elders.

Pedestrian counts and pedestrian user surveys were conducted to study the quantum of pedestrian traffic in this section of the street as well as collect public feedback. Vehicle-volume video surveys were also conducted at the intersections to study the flow of traffic and pile-up, if any. The results of these surveys, along with those from the first trial run, will be used to decide upon the final design of the proposed plaza.

Visualising the proposed T. Nagar pedestrian plaza

The shopkeepers were concerned about the loss of parking that will result from the pedestrian plaza, which they believe might affect their profits. The appointed consultants for the project, Darashaw, along with members of ITDP, explained to them that the idea of mandatory parking for shopping is a myth. Cases from the world over were presented to them.

Pedestrianisation across the globe

Cities across the world are celebrating the pedestrian and the cyclist. Many have created completely pedestrianised areas to provide better mobility for pedestrians, enhance the shopping experience & volume, and reduce pollution level and the number of accidents. Despite initial resistances, most of these projects have proven to be great successes.

Copenhagen, for instance, set out to pedestrianise its main shopping street, Stroget, in 1962. In the 1960s, the increasing number of vehicles led to growing pressure on Stroget for both moving traffic and parking. As a result, shoppers became confined to a narrow, almost non-existent footpath, with no room to stop-and-shop.

In 1962, 15,800 sq.m of pedestrian area was created. Today, a total of 100,000 sq.m once dedicated to motorised transit has been converted to traffic-free space for pedestrians in Copenhagen. Stroget now has 6 times more area for pedestrians than in 1962 with a 10-12m width carrying 145 people/min. More importantly, the shops have seen an increase in sales by 30%.

Similarly in New York, to ease traffic congestion throughout the midtown grid and improve pedestrian safety, mayor Bloomberg decided to pedestrianise Broadway around Times Square for a trial on May 24, 2009. Initially, the plaza had a few tables, 376 rubber folding chairs, potted plants and orange barrier cones.The plaza is now being redesigned permanently at $55 million.

After pedestrianisation, Times Square has seen a 33% reduction in traffic related injuries. Sales have risen by 71% – the biggest growth in history – and the number of shops has doubled. The testing of the Time’s Square pedestrianisation over the years has taught the world a valuable lesson – trials over a long period help understand the needs of the stakeholders better.

Snøhetta’s proposed design for Times Square

Pondy Bazaar pedestrian plaza to be rolled out soon

The Greater Corporation of Chennai aims to see the pedestrian plaza take shape on the ground by the end of the year. If all goes according to plan, Chennai will have a brand new, revamped public space in its centre, right on the street!

Coimbatore Smart Streets Exhibition marks the beginning of the city’s street transformation

1st March 2017 by admin

“This is a well-conceived project. If you can translate this into reality, it will be heaven”. This is what Mr. P. Nagaraj, an 83-year old citizen of Coimbatore, had to say after viewing the life-sized visualisations of the Model Roads on display at the Coimbatore Smart Streets Exhibition. His words echoed the opinion of many who attended the exhibition, all of whom eagerly await Coimbatore’s street transformation.

The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation organised the exhibition to inform the public in detail about the designs of the 6 Model Roads. People voiced their thoughts about the designs and the feedback collected will help shape the final designs of Coimbatore’s Smart Streets. The Coimbatore Street Design and Management Policy was also launched during the exhibition, marking an important milestone for the city!

The policy that has been adopted by the city, provides guidelines for the transformation of Coimbatore’s streets. Ambitious goals have been set to promote safe and equitable access for all users. These include increasing mode share of walking and cycling to at least 50% of all trips and that of public transport to 50% of all motorised trips in 15 years. The policy also aims to stabilise the number of vehicle kilometres travelled by personal motor vehicles (PMVs) by 2031, ensuring it does not exceed beyond 20% of the current figure.

The Coimbatore Street Design & Management Policy was launched in the presence of the dignitaries of the day: Left to Right – Mr. Sandeep Nanduri IAS, Commissioner of Madurai City Municipal Corporation, Mr. T.K.Majumdar, Director, Internal Finance, Ministry of Urban Development, Mr. Prakash Govindasami IAS, Commissioner of Municipal Administration, Ms. Shreya Gadepalli, Director- South Asia, ITDP, Dr. K.VIjayakarthikeyan IAS, Commissioner of Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation, Ms. P.Gandhimathi, Deputy Commissioner, Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation

At the inaugural event, the Commissioner of Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation, Dr. K. Vijayakarthikeyan IAS, explained that Model roads, as the name suggests, are those streets that will be exemplary of the kind that Coimbatore will have in the future – a model to look up to. These streets will include high quality walking and cycling facilities, improved access to public transport, organised parking & vending zones and streamlined junctions.The Model Roads project is an initiative by the Corporation under the Smart Cities Mission, hence the coinage of the term ‘Smart Streets’.

The Commissioner of Municipal Administration, Mr. Prakash Govindasami IAS delivered the special address at the event. “Everybody might not have a car, but we all have legs. We need to have the freedom to walk safely on the streets. And your voice should help make that happen”, stressed Mr. Prakash, explaining how the government inviting public participation in their initiatives, is the approach of this day and age.

The public raised interesting opinions about the design of the streets, including requests to provide bus bays and entry/exit angles in parking bays. Advait Jani, Program Coordinator at the Institute for Transportation and Developmental Policy, replied, “Buses tend to move straight instead of making the turn into and out of a bus bay. Also, bus bays eat up much space – space that could otherwise be provided to pedestrians for walking. As to turning angles in parking bays, they benefit only the first and last slots in a bay. The splays work only in taxi bays as there is continuous movement and a queuing system is followed.”

Another concern among the people was the absence of exit lanes at intersections, which might hinder with free flow of traffic. “Exit lanes are generally provided in highways where vehicles are expected to move fast and continuously, not at intersections on urban roads. Moreover, according to current traffic regulations, free lefts are forbidden. They are dangerous as well to the pedestrians crossing the road, and increase crossing distance”, said Advait Jani.

The intersection testing that was conducted along with the exhibition, helped the architects and transportation experts explain the concept better. The junction of TV Swamy and DB Roads is proposed to become an iconic intersection with increased safety for all users. The proposed design creates a tighter intersection and thus reduced vehicle turning speed. This was tested out on-site for a period of four days, with space at all 4 corners of the intersection reclaimed for the pedestrians with exciting artwork.

Following the exhibition, excavation has started on DB Road to allow for construction to begin soon. The Corporation has set a deadline of 3 months for the completion of DB and TV Swamy roads in the first phase of the project. Once constructed, these streets will become the pedestrians’ haven!

People-friendly streets taking shape : Coimbatore’s Model Roads

25th November 2016 by admin

“When it’s not a car-free day, where is the space to walk?”, asked a resident of R.S.Puram in 2015, at a stakeholders’ discussion about the Car-Free Sunday event in Coimbatore, prior to its launch. The Happy Streets Car-Free Day initiative has since enhanced awareness among the citizens about the infrastructure needed for cycling and walking – in other words, non-motorised transport (NMT). This level of support and buy-in for NMT from the public encouraged the Corporation to initiate the Model Roads pilot project in Coimbatore in 2015.

For this first phase, 6 roads have been selected by the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation: DB Road, TV Swamy Road, Sanganoor Road, NSR Road, Masakalipalayam Road and Race Course Road. A total of 13.1 kms is to be revamped with broad pedestrian-friendly pathways, allocated zones for parking and vendors, safer crossings and better provisions for utilities.

Conference on Sustainable Cities Through Transport

In the wake of rapid motorisation a few years ago, the cities of Tamil Nadu realised a need to address mobility challenges. In 2013, the Commissionerate of Municipal Administration (CMA) thus hosted Sustainable Cities through Transport, a planning workshop organised in partnership with the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and with support from ICLEI–SA South Asia. The objective was to develop sustainable transport plans and create municipal transport budgets for five cities in Tamil Nadu including Coimbatore.

The Coimbatore Corporation engineers attending the workshop concluded that the city should aim to increase its share of public transport, cycling and walking to 60% by 2018. As a step towards achieving this, a network of Complete Streets, including the Model Roads, was proposed. The proposal comprised a target of 49 kms of footpath upgrade,19 kms of street pedestrianisation, 37 kms of greenways and 31 kms of cycle tracks. Furthermore, to ensure the prevention of vehicle encroachment for the success of these NMT projects, 5 zones were identified for better parking management.

The Coimbatore Corporation engineers concluded that the city should aim to increase its share of public transport, cycling and walking to 60% by 2018.

For implementation in the first phase, the Corporation identified 6 streets in its jurisdiction, based on right of way — 12 m or more — and pedestrian demand. CCMC empanelled architects for the first time, with the assistance of ITDP, early in 2016. The 5 firms – Padgro, Design Consortium, VeraCITY, Arth Agam and Yanapada – were assigned the work of redesigning the streets.The architects carried out various surveys and developed conceptual designs, which was later tested on-site through line drawings to check for feasibility.

In order to get work started on the ground, CCMC conducted the first coordination meeting early in August, 2016. This meeting brought together the Corporation engineers, architects, ITDP and partner association RAAC (Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore). The engineers along with ITDP reviewed the designs presented by the architects. Since then, coordination meetings are being held once every month to ensure the smooth progress of the project.

Break-out group discussing at a coordination meeting.

An important milestone in the execution of the Model Roads Pilot project was the resolution passed by the CCMC at the Council Meeting held later that month. The Corporation sanctioned Rs.5.47 crores to take up D.B and T.V Swamy roads in the first phase of construction. The tenders to start work on these roads are have been floated in November. Implementation of the Model Roads project will soon be rolled out.

Moving forward, the Corporation is looking to host a 3-day exhibition in early December, showcasing visualisations of the proposed designs of the Model Roads. The exhibition aims to inform public regarding the many transport-related initiatives that CCMC is taking for the development of the city. Feedback collected from the citizens during the event will be used to shape the final design of these people-oriented projects. With all these plans in place putting pedestrians and cyclists at the top of the hierarchy, Coimbatore is showing the way for other Indian cities!

Reclaiming streets: Pedestrian-only test run marks new beginning in Pune!

11th October 2016 by admin

“If we play in our backyard, the shuttlecock always falls into a neighbour’s compound!”, complained little Anaya and Avani, residents of Aundh, Pune. In a city that is getting more congested by the day leaving behind fewer playgrounds, Anaya and Avani are joined by other Pune locals in grumbling about a lack of open public space. But for a week now, and everyday in the nearby future, children and adults alike have a chance to play in the open to their heart’s content – right on the streets!

As a step towards returning Pune’s streets back to its residents, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has organised a weeklong trial of “HEALTHY Aundh – Street and Pedestrian Walkway” until 15th October, 2016. A stretch of 1.5 kms between Bremen Chowk and Parihar junctions in Aundh has been converted into a pedestrian-only zone for this test run.

The idea of pedestrians and cyclists reclaiming some space back from vehicles has been receiving positive feedback in Pune. This welcome has been witnessed during the numerous pre-event meetings with various stakeholders, shop owners and residents of Aundh, who believe that it is high time for a change of this scale. A few concerns were raised by a small group of local shop-owners, who were apprehensive about the impact of the pedestrianisation on sales in the region. Despite this minor discrepancy, it is a general consensus here that the freedom to walk and cycle is every citizen’s right!

In addition to backing from the public, immense support from Prasanna Desai Architects (PDA), IBI Group, Pavetech Consultants, CEE and McKinsey Group with technical counsel from ITDP, has helped PMC in getting this challenging project on ground. The traffic police have also played an important role in assisting the Corporation and the architects with the design for this test run.

As per this plan, half of the road between Bremen and Parihar junctions has been completely reallocated for pedestrians and cyclists, giving them enough room for safe movement. The aim is to create a better environment for both the individual and the community. Hence, the layout for the pedestrianized street includes a combination of elements that seek to decongest public space.

These elements include a cycle track, in line with the city’s vision to substantially increase its current cycling share of 9%. A separate, wide footpath allows pedestrians to walk without obstructing the cyclists. Street furniture with clear road signage has been placed in different areas within the zone to enhance the experience of the pedestrians and shoppers. While some on-street parking slots have been retained along the other half of the road, the overall design of the plaza reduces space occupied by parking and repurposes it for people’s use.

A shopping destination, these streets on Aundh attract a lot of local residents. To make it easy for them to visit, Kinetic Motors has provided electric vehicles to shuttle along four colour-coded routes every ten minutes during the trial week. This free service should encourage residents to abandon their private vehicles and opt for publicly-shared transport methods instead, until they get habituated to walking and cycling as mainstream modes of commute.

With these changes in place this week, Aundh has been witness to children playing happily on the streets, families strolling uninterrupted, shoppers enjoying at the stores, locals peacefully riding their bicycles for running errands, seniors sitting on benches under trees having animated conversation on politics – a scene unimaginable in the past!

The mock is but one among many new beginnings for Pune. The city also recently launched the open data portal as a part of the Digital India Initiative, which will soon make Pune’s transport and traffic data freely accessible to all. With these continuous efforts by the PMC combined with the positivity in the air, Pune is definitely on the right track towards becoming a sustainable developing city!

Cycle sharing: Will India emulate China’s success story?

1st September 2016 by admin

(With excerpts from a toolkit developed by the author for the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India)

When it comes to public cycle sharing systems, India doesn’t need to look too far. China, in just under a decade, has outpaced European cities that gave birth to the idea half a century ago. Today, all but four of the 20 largest systems in the world are in China—ranging from 8000 to 80000 shared cycles. Unfortunately, India has none.

What is cycle sharing?

Cycle sharing is a healthy, non-polluting, and flexible form of personal public transport—a great option for short trips and as a feeder to other public transport options. Cycles are securely stored (or docked) at a closely spaced network of stations. With a smart card or another form of identification, a user can check out a cycle from any station, use it for a short ride, and return it at any other station of the system. For a small membership fee (annual/monthly/daily), users can make unlimited free trips, as long as they return the cycle within a stipulated time (typically capped at 30-45 minutes).

Is cycle sharing a new concept?

Not really. It started as an experiment half a century back in Amsterdam with fifty cycles. Since then, the idea has evolved and expanded while retaining the basic essence. Advances in information technology gave a big boost to the idea and led to a massive growth in the last decade. Today, there are over 1.3 million shared cycles in over a 1000 cities around the globe. More systems are starting every year. Cycle sharing has demonstrated its ability to re-energize cycling—transforming the image of cycles from lowly tool to cool mode. In many cities, it has also led to the creation of large networks of safe cycling facilities.

User leaving after unlocking a cycle from an automated docking system in Paris, France.

Where does one start?

Above everything else, cycle sharing requires political will and policy support to succeed. Some of the largest and most successful cycle sharing systems in the world—such as those in Paris, London, and New York—are a result of active championing by the mayors of those cities. London’s hugely popular cycle-sharing scheme is a result of two of its former mayors, Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson, who were determined to increase cycling in London.

The London story also gives us insights on the best way to implement a cycle sharing programme— through public-private partnership. While the London scheme is overseen by the city’s transport department, Transport for London, it is sponsored by Santander Bank (originally sponsored by Barclays) and operated by SERCO, a private company, on a six-year contract with service level benchmarks. The system that started with 5000 cycles in 2010 has expanded to 11,500 cycles today, serving 5-7 trips per cycle everyday.

Successful implementation of a cycle sharing system requires meticulous planning and oversight on the part of the government. Private sector participation can bring several advantages, including access to capital and technical expertise. But, constant oversight by the public implementing agency is necessary to ensure that the system meets high service quality standards. The contracting structure should create the right incentives by rewarding good work and penalising poor performance. In order to evaluate the operator’s performance, the implementing agency needs access to real-time system data.

The most successful systems have over 5000 bicycles, like at this docking point in Shenzhen, China.

What are the features of a good system?

To begin with, a system should have at least a 1000 cycles with a coverage of five square kilometres or more. Anything smaller is unviable and almost always fails. For instance, Smartbike DC in Washington DC failed to exist with ten stations and 120 cycles. It shut down in a year. Capital Bikeshare replaced it successfully with 1100 cycles connecting a 100 stations. Today, the system has three times as many stations and 2500 cycles. The most successful systems have over 5000 cycles; the largest ones have even more. The system in Hangzhou, the world’s largest, has over 80000 cycles.

Cycle sharing stations should be spaced closely—in a grid of 300m or less—so that users can get a-near-doorstep service. A fully automated system removes the need for staffing at a station. The number of docks in a system (where cycles are locked) is 1.5 to 2 times the number of cycles in operation. A typical station has 12-15 docks. Stations at some important locations, like public transport terminals, can be larger, with 30-50 cycles placed inside an enclosure, accessed through one or more automated control gates.

Technology plays a key role in cycle sharing—from safeguarding cycles from theft, to giving real time information to users as well as operators. Chips embedded in a smart card or tag (issued at the time of registration) allow users to unlock cycles from automated stations and docking points. Users get information on station location as well as availability of cycles through web based portals and mobile applications. Operators use the data collected to redistribute cycles from saturated stations to empty ones to ensure availability at all locations. Data also helps in planning future expansion of the system.

The overall appearance of the cycle is a key element in the branding of a cycle sharing system. It should project a sleek, modern image. Cycle should have specially designed parts and sizes to discourage theft. Operators must conduct regular and frequent maintenance of cycles. A cycle with a flat tyre or a broken chain is of no use. Users should be able to notify an operator if a cycle needs repair with just a push of a button at a station. For instance, the maintenance team should clean the cycles and inflate tyres every alternate day. Once every fortnight, things like drive chain lubrication and functioning of brakes should be checked. Once a year, a full overhaul is recommended.

The overall appearance of the cycle is a key element in the branding of a cycle sharing system.

What cycle sharing is not

Cycle sharing is often confused with cycle rental systems. Cycle sharing is a technology-based self-service system that differs in significant ways from the traditional commuting or tourism-oriented rental services that are present in many parts of India. Shared cycles give the user flexibility to pick and drop a cycle at any station, encouraging short trips and providing last mile connectivity. Rentals are small scale businesses with pricing models that encourage longer trips. Users have to return the cycle where they picked it up from.

Cycle sharing systems are also not a replacement for large-scale cycle distribution schemes. These programs, generally aimed at rural users, have a strong focus on poverty alleviation. It is important to recognize that cycle sharing is not necessarily for the poorest of the poor, but an alternative for short trips done by paratransit, bus, or walking. Many low-income residents already own and use cycles because they cannot afford to use any other mode, even public transport. A critical aim of cycle sharing is to attract new users who would not otherwise use cycles. By broadening the cycle user base and raising the profile of cycling in a city, cycle sharing can build a constituency for improved cycle infrastructure, which benefits all cyclists, rich and poor alike.

What is the future of cycle sharing in India?

Over the past decade, there have been over a dozen experiments—all of them very small in size—in various parts of India. Some were non-profit enterprises; others were commercially driven. Many were, at best, cycle rentals; others were just advertising contracts in the garb of cycle sharing. It would be a fair to say that there is not a single shared cycle in operation in India at present.

In 2012, on behalf of the Ministry of Urban Development (Government of India), the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) prepared a planning toolkit for India cities on public cycle sharing systems. The Ministry has been actively encouraging cities to adopt this idea. A positive sign is the large number of cities that were selected in the first round of the India Smart Cities Challenge identified cycle sharing as a key initiative in their proposals.

Cycle sharing is an idea whose time has come in India. Many Indian cities are at an advanced stage of planning, or even implementation. According to calculations by ITDP, the top hundred Indian cities should have invested by the year 2031 in over over six hundred thousand shared cycles—along with many other sustainable transport facilities—to become truly smart. It remains to be seen if India will emulate the success of its neighbour, China!

The article was first published in Urbana World, May-Jun 2016.

Towards Great Streets: Pune launches Urban Street Design Guidelines

29th July 2016 by admin

Mr Deshpande, a 63-year-old resident of Pune — a metropolitan city in a western Maharashtra — wishes he could take his 4-year-old granddaughter Anaika for a leisurely stroll on the streets outside his home. However, the fear of wading through traffic due to the absence of footpaths on most streets in the city has robbed him of this simple pleasure. Even where footpaths do exist, he fears knocking his own knees while climbing on and off them, and also fears the possibility of his granddaughter running into a utility box sometimes placed in the middle of a footpath.

While strolling on the city’s streets is a desirable activity for Mr Deshpande, for many individuals in Pune and most other Indian cities, the ability to walk and cycle safely is essential to earn a living and access education. In most Indian streets, more than a third of all trips are made on foot and cycle every day. All public transport users also generally walk at the start and end of their journeys. Yet, walking and cycling have turned into undesirable adventure sports in our cities.

To restore the dignity of all road users other than just the drivers, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has developed a unique set of Urban Street Design Guidelines (USDG) which give clear priority to walking, cycling, and public transport. By setting standards for the elements of street design and providing a collection of street design templates catering to the needs of all road users, this manual illustrates how good design can transform Pune’s streets into safer and more livable public spaces. It clearly breaks away from the implicitly assumed paradigm that ‘streets are for vehicles’.

The launch of the manual comes in the wake of rapid urbanisation that has resulted in the streets of Pune getting clogged with more and more vehicular traffic every passing year. The drastic increase in motor vehicles, especially two wheelers has pushed pedestrians and cyclists to the very edge of the street, with footpaths most often disappearing from the street section. On the few streets where footpaths dos exist, speeding motorists driving on them during peak hours is a common sight. Once a ‘cycle city’, Pune has now deteriorated into a heavily ‘motorised city.’

Apart from pedestrians and cyclists, the needs of public transport users are also ignored. Finding space to locate bus stops and manoeuvring city buses through the heavy traffic have become increasingly challenging. Poor allocation of street space for walking, cycling, and public transport has made it extremely inconvenient to use these sustainable modes of transport — leading to a dip in their modal share. Over the last five years, cycling mode share has reduced by half while public transport use has fallen by a quarter.

Keen to rewrite street hierarchy by putting pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport users at the top, PMC with support from private consultant VK:a architecture [1] [2] [3] developed the manual. The preparation of this document was very closely guided and reviewed by the Institute of Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) as well as Pedestrians First (a local NGO). The process, which witnessed enthusiastic participation from different levels of PMC officers — right from the junior engineers to the Commissioner — was unprecedented in the Pune Corporation.

The manual aims to support the transformation of all streets in the city into ‘complete streets’ with wide and continuous footpaths, safe crossings, separate cycle tracks (on selected streets), organised on-street parking, and uniform carriageways. It establishes the proposed street typology for Pune, offers detailed guidance on designing different types of street elements — including safety elements and multi-utility zone elements — along with a set of detailed drawing templates for designing streets and intersections. The final section provides insights into the processes involved in the design and implementation of street design projects.

Caption: A design template from the USDG illustrating section and detailing for 15 m right of way

This simple and easy-to-use manual is a handy reference for planners and designers working on street design as well as for PMC engineers carrying out execution on-site. The manual simplifies street design into a three step process: Determine the available right-of-way, identify the character of the street from the surrounding land uses, and finally choose the correspondingly right template. With a total of 50 templates and right-of way (ROW) ranging from 6m to 60m including sections with bus rapid transit (BRT), the guide provides references for all possible street sections.

The launch of the manual comes at the most opportune time for Pune. The PMC, with support from ITDP is focused on implementing sustainable solutions in the city. With all new road construction and repairs guided by the USDG, Pune’s streets will soon be transformed into great people-friendly public spaces, which promote and encourage walking, cycling and public transport.

Download the document here.

Pune boosts its ‘Sustrans’ Initiatives: Hosts Smart City Anniversary Celebrations

18th July 2016 by admin

One of India’s fastest growing business and IT hubs, Pune has been constantly planning and executing sustainable initiatives even before India envisaged the Smart City Mission. For many Indian cities, the national initiative is its first step towards sustainability. However, for Pune, the mission acted as a catalyst. It significantly boosted confidence of the city administration, who not only fast tracked implementation of existing projects, but also expanded their scope and added many new projects to the city’s kitty. The city is making rapid progress in expanding its bus rapid transit (BRT) network, strengthening its public transportation system and implementing projects to make its streets pedestrian and cyclist friendly.

On account of its successes, late June 2016, Pune was selected as the destination for the first anniversary celebrations of India’s smart city mission. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who graced the occasion, launched 84 projects across 20 smart cities. Of these projects, 14 were from Pune. The new projects will give the city the required thrust to make IT based improvements in its public transport system.

Pune’s high quality mass transit system—Rainbow BRT, launched in September 2015—is witnessing constant expansion. The city is exploring ways to converge different funding sources and further strengthen the system. While a new 8 km corridor is planned under Smart City’s area based development in Aundh-Baner-Balewadi region (ABB), the city’s progressive 2016-17 budget has allocated funding for two more corridors, which will expand the Rainbow network by 15 km. In addition, the “pilot” BRT corridors will be redesigned with “Rainbow” style median stations to provide level boarding.

A Rainbow BRT bus enters a station equipped with safe access ramps that allows everybody, especially the elderly and the differently able, to use the system.

Similarly, the city bus service is also undergoing a massive transformation. The city is investing heavily on expanding its fleet size—by almost doubling the operational fleet. Pune’s existing bus fleet of about 2,055 buses will be augmented with an addition of 1550 buses by 2017—to achieve 25% of total trips by public transport. As part of the Smart City Mission, Pune will improve bus services through ITMS and real-time tracking of all its buses. A central control centre will monitor driving quality of buses and services at all levels. The city has also embarked on developing websites, mobile apps, and passenger information systems to give commuters critical information on expected time of arrival of buses and schedules. A common mobility card—‘Mobility Integration (MI)’—has been launched to enable cash-free payments on public transport systems.

The city is also looking towards improving conditions for its pedestrians and cyclists. Most arterial roads in the city will be redesigned as ‘Complete Streets’—including 45 km of streets in the ABB region under the smart city proposal and 100 km of streets across the city through PMC budget. To re-establish its cycling culture, Pune is developing a cycle plan for the city, with an objective of increasing the cycling modal share from today’s 9% to 25% by 2031. A bicycle sharing system is also proposed in the ABB region. To ensure that quality remains consistent during the planning, designing and implementation of its non-motorised transport initiatives, the city is setting up a street design cell, as well as adopting a pedestrian policy and urban street design guidelines.

Pune’s commitment to improving mobility is placing the city as a leader in India, on sustainable transport and development. By embracing the direction set by the national mission and expanding its scope across the city using both national and city funding, Pune is setting a benchmark for all other cities in the Indian urban panorama.

Cover picture source: www.punesmartcity.in

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

13th July 2016 by admin

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.

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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