[sustran] No incentive to cycle, walk

Vinay Baindur yanivbin at gmail.com
Sun Jul 9 01:42:10 JST 2017


http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/no-incentive-to-cycle-walk/article19236635.ece





No incentive to cycle, walk
<http://www.thehindu.com/profile/author/K.V.-Aditya-Bharadwaj-846/>K.V.
Aditya Bharadwaj
<http://www.thehindu.com/profile/author/K.V.-Aditya-Bharadwaj-846/>
JULY 08, 2017 01:06 IST
Household survey of seven gated communities reveals mobility patterns

Residents of large integrated townships and gated communities are
increasingly dependent on private transport, not just to commute to work
but even for shorter trips within the township.

This was revealed in a household survey and study on mobility patterns in
seven gated communities – five in Bengaluru and one each in Ahmedabad and
Naya Raipur, conducted by World Resources Institute, India.

The report ‘Encouraging Design Practices For Sustainable Mobility in Indian
Townships: A Guide Book’ reveals that though residents are inclined to use
sustainable modes of transport – walking, cycling and public transit – they
don’t get this option in townships. The reasons are two-fold: poor
connectivity to public transit in the city and lack of sustainable mobility
design within the township itself.

The location of the townships – most are on the peripheries of the city
centre – puts them at a disadvantage in terms of access to public transit.
“These townships often lack external infrastructure, such as access to good
road networks, public transport, pedestrian and cycling infrastructure,”
says the report.

More often than not, peripheral areas develop slowly and public
infrastructure support is provided only after the townships are occupied,
as is the case around the international airport in Bengaluru. “This lag in
the pace of public infrastructure development has led to accessibility
issues and increased dependency on private transport within and outside the
townships,” say the authors, adding that township developers, too, have
rarely designed intra-township commute for sustainable mobility.

“Our study has revealed that often cars at the centre of designing intra
community infrastructure as well,” said Madhav Pai, Director, Sustainable
Cities, WRI India, one of the authors of the report.

Residents use cars even for short trips

The household survey in seven gated townships revealed interesting
information on mobility patterns.

Cars seem to be the preferred mode of transport of all trips (63%) for both
long and short trips. The survey reveals that 46% of the trips were of less
than 5km, for which a majority used cars.

Even for trips shorter than 1.5 km within the township, residents did not
opt for walking or cycling. One of the townships in Bengaluru saw
congestion at its gates in the morning as parents dropped children to the
school bus in cars. The distance to the gates from the farthest point of
the township was 535 metres. Lack of shuttle services to the nearest public
transit point has deterred over 35% of residents from using this option,
the study revealed.

The good news may be that a sizeable majority of the residents are open to
using sustainable mobility modes, like walking, cycling and public
transport, if offered facilities like continuous, weather-proof pedestrian
and cycling lanes and shuttle services from within the townships to the
nearest public mobility hub.

The report includes several recommendations of design interventions to
improve sustainable mobility within the townships.

“Gated communities provide an opportunity to experiment and work towards
behavioural change of residents towards sustainable mobility. This also
makes economical sense as it saves fuel and reduces carbon emissions,” he
said.

Household survey* of gated townships

Bengaluru 5

Ahmedabad 1

Naya Raipur 1

Intended population of townships: 30,000

Sample size: 445

* Conducted by World Resources Institute, Bengaluru

Vehicle ownership pattern

Households that own at least one vehicle: 93%

Largest proportion was cars (88%)

Commuting mode (household-related trips)

Cars: 63%

Two-wheelers: 15%

Walk: 4%

Public transport: 4%

46% of the trips were for less than 5 km

64% of the trips for 30 minutes one-way

Purpose of trip (% of people used cars)

Work commute (63%)

Business commute (80%)

Local shopping (63%)

Visiting friends (65%)

I would walk more if...

we had continuous and safe pedestrian network (61% )

I would cycle more if...

we had safe cycle lanes (23%)

I would commute more by public transport if...

we had a to-and-fro shuttle between the community and the nearest public
transit stop (35%)

Commonly cited concerns

Recommended design interventions

Travel Time and Distance

   Site Selection

   Compact and Mixed-use development

   Building Placement

Weather

   Weather-protected walkways

   Enclosed transit shelters and waiting areas

Convenience and Comfort

   Continuous pedestrian and cycling network

   Universal accessible design

Lack of amenities

   Continuous cycling and pedestrian lanes

   Supportive street furniture

   Cycle parking

   Shuttle and feeder services to nearby transit stops

Safety and security

   Location of building entrance

   Supportive street design

   Proper lighting and landscape


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