[sustran] Booming Indian Port City Seeks Fewer Cars, Improved Mobility

[Vinay Baindur]

http://americancity.org/daily/entry/booming-indian-port-city-seeks-fewer-cars-improved-mobility

Booming Indian Port City Seeks Fewer Cars, Improved Mobility

Vishakapatnam | 04/26/2012 9:52am |
0<http://americancity.org/daily/entry/booming-indian-port-city-seeks-fewer-cars-improved-mobility#disqus_thread>
Divya Kottadiel | TheCityFix <http://thecityfix.com/>

The third largest city on India’s east coast is trying out car-free zones.
Credit: Kalyan Neelamraju on
Flickr<http://www.flickr.com/photos/95674706@N00/902483245/>

via TheCityFix <http://thecityfix.com/>

*This blog post is a part of the catalyzing new mobility program and
receives support from The Rockefeller Foundation <http://www.gvmc.gov.in/>.
*

Vishakapatnam, a major port city on the southeast coast of India, recently
introduced a successful “no motor vehicle” zone covering 20 kilometers of
road from 5:30am to 7:30am, encouraging local residents to benefit from
walking and cycling along the city’s picturesque coast. The Greater
Vishakapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC <http://www.gvmc.gov.in/>)
installed public bicycles, free for use along the corridor. Commissioner
Sri B Ramanjaneyulu of the GVMC introduced this innovative program in
November of last year to encourage community participation and create
awareness about environmental management and pollution control. Several
local residents use this time and space for meditation, as well.

The success of this initiative prompted the corporation to consider the
implementation of a public bicycling system in downtown Vishakapatnam under
the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission
(JnNURM<http://jnnurm.nic.in/>), a
massive city modernization scheme. The commissioner is keen to build cycle
tracks to improve infrastructure for cyclists and to introduce smartcards
to aid ease of access. The docking stations would be strategically located
at bus stops and railway stations, forming an integrated public transit
system for the central part of the city. The city’s proposed 42-kilometer
bus rapid transit corridor would also incorporate cycle tracks in its
design.

Additionally, the corporation leads by example and observes a “no motor
vehicle” day once per week when all employees, including the commissioner,
come to work on bicycles or public transport. To create more space for the
free cycling movement, GVMC has discouraged on-street parking and cleared
cellar spaces in shopping
malls<http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3257193.ece>for
vehicle parking, instead.

With a population of over 1.4 million Vishakapatnam (also known as
Vizag) is the third largest city, after Kolkata and Chennai, on the east
coast of India. It is home to several state-owned heavy industries, a major
steel plant and one of India’s largest seaports and oldest shipyard. It has
the only natural harbor on the east coast of India. Like Mumbai on the west
coast, Vizag started off as a small fishing village that later grew into an
important port and a mega-industrial hub.

While Mumbai has experimented with car-free days in various
sections<http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-21/mumbai/28618865_1_cyclothon-food-stalls-gully-cricket>of
the city, with relatively successful outcomes, it has yet to implement
a
sustained effort at non-motorization that would positively influence
walking and cycling. Mumbai has, in the past, had a public bicycling
scheme<http://www.thebetterindia.com/4172/cycle-chalao-mumbais-first-bike-sharing-system/>,
set up by two university student-entrepreneurs as part of a social
entrepreneurship initiative. This pilot project was successful but was
limited in its impact. Based on this model, however, the entrepreneurs are
now setting up a similar scheme in the
city<http://www.treehugger.com/bikes/bike-sharing-india-cycle-chalao.html>of
Pune.

A car-free coastal road in Vishakapatnam. Credit:
TheCityFix<http://thecityfix.com/blog/coastal-contentment-with-improved-mobility-in-vishakapatnam/>

*Creating a Transit Metropolis*

Increasing urbanization and consequent motorization has created numerous
problems for Indian cities. It has been projected that by 2050, Indian
cities will have 700 million new residents. Increased motorization leads to
environmental degradation, economic depletion and hazardous health
conditions. According to a World Health Organization
report<http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2010/9789241599979_eng.pdf>,
physical inactivity has been identified as the fourth leading risk factor
for global mortality, influenced, in part, by unplanned urbanization.
Studies have shown that physically active people have higher levels of
health-related fitness than do people who are inactive, and just 30 minutes
of moderate-to-intense activity five times per week can lower the risk of
developing a number of disabling medical conditions and various chronic
non-communicable diseases. Evidence also suggests that people who undertake
regular exercise, five or more times a week, are more likely to integrate
physical activity as part of their daily lifestyle, such as walking and
cycling.

A GIZ module on transport and climate
change<http://www.sutp.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=29&Itemid=54&lang=en>states
that CO2 emissions from transport have increased faster than those
from all other sectors in the last 30 years. Coastal cities are especially
at risk from the effects of climate change. Vishakapatnam’s small but
scalable eco-friendly initiatives will improve the quality of life for
local residents. The city of Mumbai has to grapple with its own unique set
of infrastructural and geographical constraints, and use sustainable
transport as a driver for urban development.

Using the principle <http://indiatogether.org/2012/jan/eco-compact.htm> of
a “Transit Metropolis”, strategic investments in high quality, integrated
public transit systems diminish the need for private vehicle use, wide
roads and parking lots, leading to compact development that encourages
non-motorized modes of transport like walking and cycling, doing away with
unnecessary motorized trips.