Imagine that one day, auto dealers in your city announce very high discounts and people buy 5,000 new cars. If it is asked who will pay for these cars, the obvious answer would be: the people who purchase them. But this is just half the truth. Actually you and every other citizen will also be paying for the vehicles purchased by others. There will be less clean air in the city and more noise pollution. There will be less of parking space. There will be less road available to travel. A new vehicle added to a city is owned by one person but indirectly paid for by the entire city.
In this context, it is so ironic to see reports equating the health of the auto industry with that of the national economy. It is believed that if the economy is booming, people would buy more vehicles, especially cars. Money is indeed important but it is not everything for a human being. Similarly for a society, swanky cars are not everything. Clean water and air, good roads without traffic congestion and less noise are also a few important indicators of a healthy society.
In all developed societies, conscious efforts are being made to promote public transport and discourage private vehicles. For the collective good of a society, cars are the most inefficient way of travel. For example in Hyderabad city, cars occupy 37.1% of the road space but cater to only 11.8% of the road users whereas public transport services like buses carry 34.5% people but use only 9.2% space.
The more worrisome factor is that cars are increasing faster than other modes of travel. For example in 2003, Bhubaneswar had a traffic mix with 14.8% of cars and 85.2% of two-wheelers. By 2012, the share of cars increased to 19.4%. By 2031 it is expected to touch 40%. More cars will occupy more space. Our standard response to the traffic problem is making new roads and also widening the existing roads. But every time we make a new road or widen an existing one precious land is being used for it. The car owner gets most it for free for his use. The city indirectly pays for his car.
While we are busy making bigger and wider roads many countries are moving in a different direction. Developed societies are not adding roads. Instead they are reducing cars and other private transport. First, owning a car is made very expensive. Governments and local bodies across the globe are applying prohibiting fees on registration of vehicles and road tax etc. to make cars unaffordable. In Singapore, for example, one needs a permit to own a car. A 10-year permit costs about `20 lakh. In India, you can buy two to four cars with that money.
Obviously in Singapore people prefer to hire cabs or use public transport rather than owning cars. Last year while banning the entry of cars into New York’s Central Park area, the city’s Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “This Park was not built for automobiles, it was built for people.”All major cities of the world like Rome, Madrid, Copenhagen, Oslo and Mexico City are using methods like high parking fees, pedestrianising the streets in peak hours and keeping some days as no car days for curbing traffic. This year London, has started charging `1,200 a day as congestion fees from owners of cars and taxis coming to its central area.
The pollution level in our cities is one of the worst in the world. The capital city of Delhi now remains covered under smog for days together every year. As per WHO, in India more than 6.2 lakh premature deaths take place every year due to air pollution. But in spite of this scary situation, we are collectively in a denial mode. Mind you, cars account for 20% of carbon dioxide emission in the world. Today or tomorrow we have to start reducing cars on our roads and turn to public transport systems.
Many argue that running a public transport system is a loss making venture and the government should not waste money on it. It is true that most of the public transport companies around the world earn less than their operation costs. But this is just the monetary cost. Once we add the social and environmental costs to it, public transport is most effective. Just think of the Delhi Metro. If capital cost of land used for the metro lines as well as construction costs are taken into account Delhi Metro can never make a profit. But what would have been the condition of traffic and pollution in Delhi if there was no Metro?
However, convincing people to use public transport is a big challenge.
First of all there is a need to change the societal perception that rich people use cars and buses are for the poor. In developed countries, using public transport does not lower the status of a person. Most importantly we need to put in place a well-organised and reliable public transport system. People use the Metro because of its punctuality and efficiency. Only after providing a dependable and efficient alternative with a robust last mile connectivity we can expect people to give up private vehicles. Discouraging private vehicles, especially cars, and encouraging public transport is the only way forward for any society. We have a long way to go in this direction. It should not only involve controlling the use of private vehicles but also improving our public transportation so that people can have an alternative well-organised and reliable mode of travel.
Arun Bothra
An IPS officer who is the Managing Director of Capital Region Urban Transport, Bhubaneswar. Views are personal
Tweets @arunbothra