The exponential increase in the Capital’s population is also reflected in the number of vehicles registered here. Around 75 lakh vehicles are registered in the city, almost equal to the number of vehicles in three most-populous metros of the country put together.
With Delhi expanding in all directions, several business districts have developed in different parts of the city. Moreover, several unauthorised colonies coming up across the city have mixed land use, thus restricting the movement of people to far and wide places as several residents work and live in the same area.
However, development of satellite towns like Gurgaon and Noida into commercial hubs has altered transport requirement as people travel to and fro from Delhi to these centres. While the planners have been laying thrust on promoting public transport as the only solution to the transport problems of the city and services like the Delhi Metro have made a positive impact, commuting in the city continues to remain a nightmare.
With the city lacking adequate public transport, people are forced to use private vehicles. As a result, the roads remain choked, many a times leading to road rage incidents.
While around 25 lakh people commute by the Delhi Metro everyday, another 45 lakh depend on buses for their travel needs. Experts feel promoting a mass rapid transit system and simultaneous discouragement of personal vehicles is the only solution to the transport and traffic woes of the city.
“With the city having expanded far and wide, a network of fast moving public transport like the metro, with last-mile connectivity, is the only way out. Other means of transport, like bus rapid transit [BRT], also need to be developed both for connecting the missing links as well as creating an alternate transport network, which could come handy in case of any kind of technical failure in facilities like the metro,” said P.K. Sarkar, the head of Transport and Planning Department at the School of Planning and Architecture.
“Promotion of public transport without discouraging people from using private vehicles will not solve the purpose. The government needs to introduce measures like steep hike in the cost of vehicle registration and parking charges to make private travel costlier,” Mr. Sarkar added.
