MEMORANDUM TO COMMISSIONER ON AGRA'S TRAFFIC CHAOS

To:

The Divisional Commissioner, Agra

Mr Pradeep Bhatnagar, IAS

An Appeal to recognize the Rights of the Pedestrians and cyclists: Need for Mobility Management; Plan for humans and not machines

Dear Sir,

May we invite your kind attention to the increasing air pollution in the Taj city due to traffic congestion, poor quality of roads, encroachments, lack of coordination among various agencies and a generally low level of traffic sense among the locals.

We need a drastic change in our perceptions while formulating policies. This is the right time to transit from traffic to mobility management. Our focus has to be human beings and not machines or vehicles.

Please spare a few moments to look at these facts:

*Private vehicle usage in Agra will increase more than in the mega cities. While it is definitely an advantage that more people presently use buses and non motorised vehicles to commute or walk, thus helping to manage air pollution and urban mobility, unfortunately this 'walking and cycling city'  is now steadily shifting towards cars and two-wheelers as public transport remains inadequate and unequal to the demand pressure.

*Very high level of killer particles in the ambient air

Firozabad, Agra, Mathura have three times the highest critical level of PM10

NO2 is showing a rising trend;

SPM and RSPM levels rising unchecked

*The numbers of cars and two-wheelers have crossed the numbers of walk and cycle trips. The city is beginning to cross the tipping point.

*The city is paying a very high price due to traffic congestion on almost all roads. Traffic jams lead to fuel wastage, more pollution and serious economic losses. A normal commuting time has increased significantly during peak hours. On many arterial roads the traffic volume has exceeded the designed capacity and the service level of the roads.

*Poor fuel economy of buses: An analysis of figures available indicates that the UPSRTC has recorded highest decline in fuel economy in the country.

*Building more roads is not the answer. Look at Delhi. It has 66 flyovers, extensive road network but peak hour traffic movement has come down to below 15 km per hour. Cars and two-wheelers in Delhi occupy 90 percent road space but meet less than 20 percent of the travel demand.

*So far the walk and cycle share of Agra is high at 53 percent. Kanpur's is 64 and Varanasi's is 56 percent. To increase this there is need for policy support.

*Private vehicle usage share in Agra of total motorised transport is relatively higher compared to metros. Agra's private vehicle share is 48 percent,Varanasi 44 percent and Kanpur's is 37 percent.

*At the national level more than 70 percent of the investments have been made in car-centric infrastructure including flyovers and road widening, while investments in the padestrian and bicycle segments are not of the desired scale.

PARKING PROBLEM IN AGRA

*A very high share of road length comes under on-street parking pressure, close to 50 percent. This causes congestion and pollution. New car registration creates demand for land equal to 14 fields in Agra, 42 inLucknow, 310 in Delhi. Where's the land?

CONGESTED AND UN-WALKABLE ROADS

*In UP Varanasi and Kanpur with comparatively much less number of vehicles have congestion levels close to that of Delhi;

*Kanpur, Varanasi and Agra  have lower walkability index rating compared toChandigarh which has the highest value on this index

*Agra like Patna, Varanasi has higher non-motorised traffic on roads, more slow moving vehicles;

*Traffic volume in Agra has crossed the designed capacity of roads which are heavily encroached upon and the surface quality is also poor.

Way Forward

Soft options have all been exhausted. It’s time for drastic measures.  Reducing personal vehicle usage, upgrading public transport, walking and cycling and leap-frogging vehicle technology are the key options left for us. Therefore please plan for people and not vehicles. Design roads for public transport, cycling and walking, and not just for private motorised vehicles. This is the option for the city to cut killer pollution, crippling congestion, expensive oil-guzzling and global warming impacts of vehicles.

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BRING THE CYCLE BACK IN FOCUS:

Short distances should usually be covered on foot or using bicycles, even battery-operated vehicles are a better option.

Schools must be encouraged to deploy a fleet of buses to haul students from homes. This can be done by cutting on road taxes and various other levies on buses and other forms of public transport. At the moment in most Indian states buses pay more or same as private cars. This policy needs change in favour of buses.

The state government, which for the moment claims being cycle-friendly, has to be pressured to cut down taxes on cycles and spare parts of cycles plus accessories to encourage people to purchase them.

At the national level there is an urgent need for realization that diesel subsidies must be drastically cut so that people are discouraged from purchasing diesel fuelled private vehicles. Buses being used for public transport may however continue to benefit from subsidies on diesel.

It is widely observed that due to time pressure or fear of safety on roads people are being discouraged from walking, even short distances. The immediate need is to earmark separate pathways for pedestrians and cyclists. This should be the top priority of the administration. The pavements in most cases are encroached upon by shop keepers,khokas, or illegal expansions. It is therefore necessary to recognize the rights of the pedestrians and give them a fair deal.

Best regards

BRIJ KHANDELWAL

Secretary, Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society, Agra

Goverdhan Hotel, Delhi Gate, Agra

Phone: 7895852750; email: brij.k@ians.in; agrabrij@gmail.com