The National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) underscores a fundamental shift in focus from ‘moving vehicles’ to ‘moving people’ within urban transportation planning. This paradigmatic shift recognizes the importance of prioritizing the efficiency and effectiveness of transportation systems in facilitating the mobility needs of citizens over simply catering to the demands of vehicular traffic. Several strategies implemented by the government have aimed to achieve this objective, including the promotion of public transportation, investment in non-motorized modes of transport such as walking and cycling infrastructure, implementation of congestion pricing mechanisms, and the development of integrated transportation systems. However, the success of these strategies varies across different regions and contexts. While some cities have witnessed improvements in public transit ridership and reductions in traffic congestion, others continue to grapple with inadequate infrastructure, lack of last-mile connectivity, and entrenched car-centric urban planning. Thus, while the NUTP’s emphasis on ‘moving people’ is commendable, its success ultimately depends on the effective implementation and adaptation of strategies to address the diverse transportation challenges faced by urban areas.
Tag: Infrastructure: energy, ports, roads, airports, railways etc.
Decoding the Question:
- In intro, you need to write about NUTP 2006
- In Body,
- Discuss provisions in the first part of the answer.
- In the second part of the answer, you need to write various government strategies and issues related to them.
- Try to conclude, by writing suggestions with prospects of urban mobility.
Answer:
The vision statement of the National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) acknowledges that people occupy centre-stage, and that cities must evolve in a manner that supports the main social and economic activities taking place there. The objectives of the NUTP also broadly focus on making life easier for city residents.
State of Urban Mobility in India:
- Rapid Urbanisation: The urban population in India is expected to increase from 32% in 2011 to almost 40% in the next census, due in 2021. This means that the population of cities would swell to about 50 to 70 Crores, along with a commensurate increase in the density of the cities. Apart from this, cities are the centre of economic activity, which translates to a higher requirement for mobility. Thus, there is a need to implement faster connectivity solutions to be prepared for the foreseeable future.
- Dependency on personal transport: The poor state of bus services and under-construction metro projects in most cities means people have to rely on personal transport, even if their preference is public transport. This takes a toll on the available infrastructure, resulting in traffic congestion on busy intersections and major roads.
- Evolution of novel commutation methods: Strong start-up ecosystem in some advanced cities like Bengaluru has also lead to availability of innovative modes of transport like shared cabs, shared two wheelers, public bicycles, bike taxis etc., which are convenient, affordable and can be chosen based on the suitability and the needs of an individual.
- Work from Home: Covid-19 has shifted the preference of industry to work from home. Combined with high rental costs in the major cities and round the clock availability of the workforce under work from home paradigm, businesses have increasingly implemented work from home culture in their routines. This can be expected to curtail at least some traffic and lead to lesser congestion in the cities.
Provisions of NUTP:
- Incorporating urban transportation as an important parameter at the urban planning stage rather than being a consequential requirement.
- Encouraging integrated land use and transport planning in all cities so that travel distances are minimized and access to livelihoods, education, and other social needs, especially for the marginal segments of the urban population is improved
- Improving access of business to markets and the various factors of production
- Bringing about a more equitable allocation of road space with people, rather than vehicles viz. safety for walking and cycling.
Various government strategies to promote National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP):
Public transport system:
- Bus Rapid Transit System: This is gaining acceptance as a means to scale up mass transit in Indian cities. BRTS has dedicated lanes for but it has not been successful in cities like Delhi. The mass rapid transit system needs huge investment and technical support system, experts in big urban cities of India. Therefore, it is limited to some big metro cities only.
- Metros: Metro is one of the best and the most promising urban transport systems right now in India. For example, the Delhi metro is the most successful mass transport system. It reduced stress on roads and contributed to the conservation of the environment.
- Monorail: Monorail is another mass rapid transport system that has a presence in cities like Mumbai. But again, the problem is it does not have as wide a network as metro rail in Delhi. Also, the cost of metro rail construction is a topic of debate among policymakers.
However, as per the UN, population fund report by 2030 India’s 35% population will be staying in urban India. By looking at this population trend India needs a strong, faster, and most efficient transport system to carry increasing numbers of commuters. Hence revamped National Urban Transport Policy is in need of the hour as well as building capacities of urban local bodies.
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