A strong public transport system and dedicated corridors can help cut travel time to the airport, say transport experts and urban planners.
A research carried out by School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) student Amal Jose has showed how the average speeds and reliability for reaching the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) is the lowest compared to 60 major airports in the country.
Mr. Jose’s guide in the project, senior professor (transport planning) Dr. Sewa Ram, said that the low average speed can be improved by augmenting a wholesome transport network that helps people reach the airport with minimum inconvenience.
“Passengers stand to benefit if public modes of transport are integrated i.e. if rail, road and air services are interconnected. This will not only save time, but also increase reliability,” said Dr. Ram.
Explaining this with regard to the study, Dr. Ram said that, at present, a person who wants to use the Airport Metro to reach Terminal 3 would first have to use either a cab or a private vehicle to reach the metro station.
“If I have to use a cab to reach the metro stations, why not use it to get to the airport?” asked Dr. Ram.
Instead, if a reliable high-quality feeder service is made available to reach the metro station, then the overall travel time can come down drastically.
He said, “It is observed from airports in the US, Europe and south-east Asian countries that they have identified a network for airports and maintained its speed. In fact, in certain cases, a single body looks after the network around the airport. Apart from road accessibility, accessibility by transit has also been planned, particularly for mega airports.”
Other experts, too, agreed with Dr. Ram. Former director of the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) A.K. Bhattacharjee — who is also a traffic and urban planning expert — said the uni-dimensional car-based access to the airport needs to change.
“Our road infrastructure has been exhausted. We have an eight-lane airport road, the Mehrauli-Badarpur road, the Dwarka Road that connects to the airport — all of which are very wide roads. The problem is the number of vehicles on them. This can only be solved by a well-connected public transport system,” said Mr. Bhattacharjee.
Prioritisation of public transport will not only lead to higher dependence, but also help reduce the volume of traffic.
According to Mr. Bhattacharjee, a multi-modal system will not only benefit passengers going towards the airport, but also be a move towards a wholesome transport network for the entire city. He stressed that for the airport, dedicated high-quality buses may also be started.
“Since passengers travel with luggage, the high-quality buses need to be comfortable and convenient,” he added.
For instance, transit services at London’s Heathrow Airport are a huge hit among passengers coming out of the airport.
The SPA research, meanwhile, has also suggested that a dedicated corridor connecting the city and the airport be built. Dr. Ram said that an uninterrupted and dedicated corridor, similar to the elevated corridor in Hyderabad, will be beneficial. “Exclusive networks reduce travel time and improve reliability. If I can plan my journey in advance and meet that time, the city’s rankings will improve,” he said.
