Low vehicle ownership, but high on road congestion. That’s the norm in India compared with other BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries. According to a study ‘Urban mobility trends in India and other BRIC countries and their policy implications’, conducted by a team of experts from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru; Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore, IIM Lucknow, and the Central Road Research Institute, New Delhi, motorists in Indian cities are forced to travel at low speeds, primarily because of congestion.
To arrive at the vehicle ownership figures, the researchers calculated the number of cars per 1,000 population in all the countries.
In India, the cities considered included Bengaluru, New Delhi, Lucknow, Indore and Guwahati. It was carried out over a period of two decades, from the 1990s to 2010.
Poor traffic management
A major reason for commuters in Indian cities spending more time on travelling was put down to inefficient traffic management. Development of information technology and other service sectors in Indian cities was one of the reasons for increased urbanisation and drastic growth in vehicle ownership.
Population growth in Bengaluru and New Delhi was pegged to be among the fastest at 49 per cent and 27 per cent, respectively. Bengaluru, though, has seen a balanced workforce participation in both service and manufacturing sectors, said the study.
Parking problems
Though India and China have the longest road networks among the BRIC countries, congestion and parking continue to be challenges in India. China’s urban road network was believed to be “sufficient.”
As for urban mobility laws, cities in Brazil and Russia were working towards implementing congestion pricing schemes and paid parking. China, too, has instituted a new parking scheme, raising the parking fee in central areas.
But, India has not even considered the implementation of congestion charges due to “political hitches” and other complexities, the study said.
