A study by the Centre for Science and Environment said that unplanned and low-income areas of Delhi have limited access to affordable and efficient public transport services, compared to planned and affluent neighbourhoods. The study based on a ground-level survey in 16 planned and unplanned colonies stated that if the issue is not addressed urgently, it can further increase air pollution in the city.
It also said that even the planned and affluent neighbourhoods are not up to the mark.
"Comparison of locational advantages and disadvantages of settlements shows that planned settlements are 2.8 times better placed than unplanned settlements. Planned areas have, on an average, 1.6 times more road space and 1.4 times more open qualitative spaces. On the criteria of ‘interface between settlement and the city’, planned settlements are about 1.3 times better connected than low-income unplanned settlements," the study read.
As per the estimates of the draft Delhi Master Plan 2041 (MPD 2041), the city’s population will be 27-30 million by 2041, and 50 per cent of this increase will happen due to migration and by then, Delhi would generate 46.2 million motorised trips daily, the study said.
“If such a massive load of daily motorised travel trips are not shifted to public transport to achieve the MPD 2041 target of modal split of 80:20 in favour of public and shared transport, Delhi will remain locked in pollution and carbon trap,” said CSE executive director Anumita Roychowdhury.
“This requires immediate improvement in neighbourhood scale accessibility to bus and metro services and minimisation of interchanges. The expectation of MPD 2041 that 50 per cent of Delhi’s population will be within the influence zone of mass transit by 2041 and mixed-use development will encourage shift towards public transport, can be fulfilled only if neighbourhood-level design and infrastructure improve for safe and efficient access,” she said.
The study recommended that the government should work towards a city-wide deployment of integrated and affordable public transport services that deeply penetrate and connect neighbourhoods efficiently
"Ensure buses and Metro services are easily accessible through walking and cycling and through feeders and intermediate public transport system that penetrate deep inside neighbourhoods. Integrate housing programmes with transport connectivity and accessibility requirements," it recommended.
