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%)
