Saga of Pune\'s traffic and transportation woes

Slide 1: पुणे वाचवा सििती Save Pune Forum abhijit13@gmail.com

Slide 2: Once Upon a Time Pune was

Slide 3: A scenic place on the banks of Moola and Mootha

Slide 4: A scenic place on the banks of Moola and Mootha

Slide 5: A scenic place on the banks of Moola and Mootha

Slide 6: Known as 'pensioner’s paradise’ due to its clean air, lush green hills, and pleasant weather Sarasbaug Ganeshkhind Road N D A Road F C Road M G Road

Slide 7: Today Has turned into a chaotic place!

Slide 8: The city has become a victim to traffic and transport related problems Traffic Jams Congestion Pollution

Slide 9: Few Pictures From Our Daily Lives

Slide 10: Morning or evening: see this congestion ! Mobility: Less than 20 km/hr

Slide 11: Daily wastage of time How much time does it take to reach from University to Kothrud in morning/evening? Half an hour! For a distance of 6-7 km! Same is the situation of all major roads like F C road, J M Road, M G Road, Mumbai Highway, Nagar Road Situation in the peth area is like that round

Slide 12: We treat our lungs with this smoke everyday Pune: 5th Largest polluted city in Asia Most polluted city in India

Slide 13: Can’t come out of the house without this!

Slide 14: Growing Health Crisis Prevalence of Asthma among school children in Chance of a heart attack Bangalore 35 4 30 3.5 3 25 2.5 20 2 15 1.5 10 1 5 0.5 0 0 Smoking Physical Diabetes Anger High Spending 1 Low traffic Heavy traffic Heavy traffic + low socioeconomic Inactivity Cholesterol hr in traffic Peters, New Engl J Med, Oct 2004 Paramesh H., Indian Jour. Paed 2002

Slide 15: With roads so congested, There is no place for pediatricians to walk!

Slide 16: You may find a way through, but how to avoid these accidents?

Slide 17: You never know when an accident will catch you ! 1000 accidents in 2004, 300 deaths ! Most victims are pedestrians, cyclists, 2-wheeler riders

Slide 18: We travel through a cloud of smoke everyday, Pretending as if everything is allright We spend hours in traffic jams and get frustrated This city is dying Abuse each other at signals and Break traffic rules as a routine Everyday 600 new vehicles get registered, Situation is deteriorating day by day

Slide 19: How did this happen ? Who is responsible ? And how are things going

Slide 20: Let’s try to understand Some history and Root cause of the problem !

Slide 21: In last 47 years, in Pune • Population increased 4 times • Road surface 90 increased 5 times 80 70 • Private vehicles grew 60 87 times 50 87 • Use of public 40 30 transport decreased 20 by 60% 10 4 5 0 Population Road Surface Pvt Vehicles

Slide 22: This is how the vehicles grew ! Two wheelers and Cars 1000 increased Thousand 900 800 manifolds 700 Two wheelers 600 Three wheelers 500 Cars 400 Buses 300 Trucks 200 100 0 1985 1990 1995 2001 2005 Buses saw allmost no Vehicle population of Pune today: 15 lakh growth Everyday 600 new vehicles get registered

Slide 23: Most of us feel that All this is bound to happen due to “development”

Slide 24: So the commonly perceived solution is Build roads ! Widen roads ! Build flyovers !

Slide 25: It seems easy and simple, but Is it really a solution ?

Slide 26: A vicious cycle More and wider Growing roads, Flyovers, number of Parking space vehicles Solving traffic jam by building roads and flyovers is like pouring oil into fire ! Increased facilities Incentive for new vehicles

Slide 27: Does widening of roads solve the problems? In fact, number of vehicles grow to fill up all available road space

Slide 28: Do flyovers solve problems ? This is the situation of some western cities !

Slide 29: The problem of Parking Even if we increase the roads, vehicles require parking space also If vehicles keep growing at this pace, the whole A view of Parkings in Huston city in city will US become a parking lot !

Slide 30: We are doing the same mistake in Pune !

Slide 31: This road is F.C. Road It was beautiful like this, a few years back Today we park vehicles in the place of those trees Can you identify this road?

Slide 32: We are doing the same mistake in Pune ! E-square flyover: is already full with vehicles

Slide 33: We are doing the same mistake in Pune ! Why was it built? University Flyover: Look at the congestion on the road !

Slide 34: We are doing the same mistake in Pune ! Can’t avoid the traffic jams at the mouth of the flyover ! Are we going to build 10 flyovers in a 4 km stretch, if there

Slide 35: Can we build flyovers in Ravivar Peth? Trees were cut to build roads, are we going to cut through the houses now?

Slide 36: Paud Bal-Bharati Road This scenic Law College Hill (Yes, in Pune) Is going to be replaced with a road now!

Slide 37: Charitable parking facilities, for the car owners ! A White elephant for the car-owners, built at the cost of public money

Slide 38: Pollution Accidents Health Crisis Congestion Traffic Jams Problem of Parking Question of environment and hill Roads  Vehicles More Roads  More Vehicles: Vicious Cycle 2,00,000 vehicles every year !

Slide 39: So roads or flyovers can’t be the solution Then what is the solution? Let’s see !!

Slide 40: The city is for its citizens, not for vehicles What we need: Fast, Comfortable, Available, Affordable vehicle And also: Open roads, Playing grounds, Gardens, Footpaths, Bicycle tracks – A beautiful city Is all this really possible ?

Slide 41: Yes ! How ? The solution is very simple, and interestingly we already have it ! Public Bus Transport !

Slide 42: A bus carries 60 people, thus reducing 60 vehicles on road • Road space utilization • Parking space requirement • Pollution • Use of fuel All of them reduced many times !

Slide 43: Road usage in Mumbai Road Space Utilisation Mode of transport Buses 4% Taxi,Rikshaw Pvt Vehicles 17% 12% Buses 51% Taxi, Rikshaw 32% Pvt Vehicles 84%

Slide 44: Buses and the problem of parking A private vehicle runs for 2 hours and is parked for 22 hours, in many places A bus runs for 20 hours and is parked for 4 hours, in only one place

Slide 45: Bus: A public utility vehicle What should those people do, who can’t afford a private vehicle ? More than half the people in Pune, don’t have any other option !

Slide 46: However

Slide 47: This is the situation of the PMT which was supposed to serve the public good

Slide 48: Overcrowded buses

Slide 49: Old, un-maintained vehicles

Slide 50: Hours of waiting time !

Slide 51: Reasons for this condition of PMT Need for buses: 40 buses for 1 lakh population Population of Pune: around 35 lakh So the need is for atleast 1500 buses Available only 850 Out of that around 150 are non-functional

Slide 52: Condition of PMT Irrational Bus routes ! Very high ticket rates ! Karve Statue to Nal Stop: distance < 4 km Bus fare: 5 Rs Cost of a two wheeler < 4 Rs Why should people not prefer a private vehicle ?

Slide 53: Condition of PMT Corruption ! Total neglect of maintenance ! A committee of Nagarsevaks instead of experts, to run the system ! Frequent transfers of the Manager ! 10 Managers in 10 years !

Slide 54: Result of all this Neglected PMT A dying public transport system ! People don’t have an alternative today That’s why, anyone who can afford a private vehicle goes for it ! Gross and deliberate neglect of PMT, is the reason for Pune’s today’s situation !

Slide 55: What did you say? That people don’t like to use buses? Don’t people from all classes use “BEST” in mumbai? Population of Mumbai: 4 times that of Pune Still number of vehicles in Mumbai < in Pune Population Pune Mumbai 0 50 100 150 Vehicles 13 Pune Mumbai 11.5 10 11 12 13 14

Slide 56: What did you say? That people don’t like to use buses? People working in industry use it regularly, isn’t it ? People will think about it, if there is an alternative available And they will definitely use it, if it is affordable ! This has been seen all over the world !

Slide 57: However the solution does not end here

Slide 58: If the congestion on roads has to be reduced Apart from improving PMT There should be some restrictions on bringing private vehicles on roads

Slide 59: Public cost of private vehicles Why should everyone pay the cost of pollution, causes by private vehicles ? Who pays the cost of accidents ? Why should pedestrians pay the cost of the roads occupied by cars ? Why should parking in public place be free,

Slide 60: Experiences all over the world London, Paris, Curitiba, Singapore, Berlin and many more cities improved their public transport In Berlin: all the marketplaces have been converted into Walking Plazas London and Singapore imposed congestion tax on private vehicles

Slide 61: Experiences all over the world: This is how some cities changed themselves !

Slide 62: Walking Plaza Car Free Area Dusseldorf in Germany

Slide 63: Car Free Area in Groningen (Netherlands)

Slide 64: A City of Bicycles

Slide 65: Bus Transport and Open Roads

Slide 66: Transmilenio in Bogota

Slide 67: This is how the PMT can be ! Why This ? Why Not this ?

Slide 68: Solution ! PMT improvement And Restrictions on Private transport

Slide 69: Demands

Slide 70: PMT improvement Number of buses to be doubled Reduction in ticket prices Appointment of experts on the committee Route rationalization

Slide 71: Restrictions on private vehicles Walking plazas to be created in various places High parking charges, and No Parking facility on main roads Prohibit private vehicles from entering narrow lanes Annual congestion tax on Cars Funds raised through savings on roads, and these measures should go for PMT’s improvement

Slide 72: The direction of “development” in Pune must change This is not possible without active intervention of the people So we must awaken the people And form a pressure group for this purpose We must come together for this to happen !

Slide 73: Appeal to All Let’s awaken people ! Let’s get organized ! Let’s form Pune Bus Users Association !

Slide 74: Thanks 