Shaping mobility: Activism is helping, we need more of it

IN PERSPECTIVE

Bengaluru has a history of constructive citizen engagement leading to superior policy outcomes and improved quality of life. Activists have generated breakthrough ideas and local groups have shown the way, for example, by adopting and restoring our lakes. Now, after the Covid-induced lockdown, the government must take forward ideas proposed by citizens to create a greener, inclusive and efficient public transportation system.

The Bengaluru Mobility Summit provided a platform for activists to brainstorm with policymakers. One suggestion was about greening stormwater drains and fitting them up as walking and cycling paths. Persistence has borne fruit. On Independence Day, the Chief Minister announced that 400 km of primary canals within the city will be greened and refitted. Similarly, we are seeing progress on Suburban Rail, another long-pending solution.

Changing mindsets is crucial. Upgrading from a bicycle to a two-wheeler to a car has traditionally been framed as an aspirational goal. Instead, we need to help people understand that different modes of transport are appropriate for different purposes. Use cars or scooters only when more sustainable options are not accessible or efficient. To make Bengaluru more pedestrian and cycle-friendly, we need continuous, obstruction-free footpaths and protected cycle lanes. A cycle lane is coming up on the Outer Ring Road parallel to the bus priority lane. If the government creates a convenient and safe infrastructure, citizens will adopt greener transportation options. Vehicles contribute 43% of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions in Bengaluru. Imagine the impact on our air quality if we embrace sustainable mobility options. It will help build a low carbon economy and mitigate climate change.

After the lockdown, we need to rethink public transport. Instead of focusing on profitability, we need to see it as a utility that makes our ‘Right to Mobility’, our access to livelihoods and a fuller life come alive. Neither buses nor Namma Metro can work at full capacity for a while anyway. But buses demonstrated their resilience and kept essential workers moving during the lockdown and BMTC admirably adopted protocols to ensure safety. We also need to enhance accessibility to public transport for persons with disabilities.

As people regain confidence in public transport, to make it a preferred choice, we need to make buses faster, predictable, safe and affordable. Dedicated priority bus lanes will be key. The pilot lane between Silk Board and Tin Factory on Outer Ring Road has been successful. We must now implement priority bus lanes on other key arterial roads. Arterials have already seen another civil society-generated idea successfully implemented. That is the hub-and-spoke model, where, because of the frequency of arterial buses, commuters find it an attractive option even if they have to change buses to reach interior locations. Bengaluru has made buses attractive even to people with higher incomes who pay more for the Volvo buses that provide a different level of service.

Multi-modal and last-mile connectivity is crucial to making public transportation more attractive. Integrating electric vehicles would make the system more sustainable. Private mobility service providers, including shuttle services and even app-based bike taxis, can transform last-mile connectivity. So can bicycle sharing with parking at bus stops and Namma Metro stations.

Public transport is a lifeline for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, including migrant workers. We should aim to make public transport practically free and raise revenues to cover the costs through rationalising property taxes, advertisements, etc.

As India’s start-up capital, Bengaluru has the talent to come up with innovative tech-based solutions to making mobility a breeze. Imagine a single app for commuters to plan end-to-end trips using all available transportation assets, with integrated ticketing and payment. Imagine a control centre at BMTC that enables real-time data analysis for traffic management and a Unified Metropolitan Transportation Authority to synergise mobility options. Imagine smart bus stands, integrated with apps, that tell passengers when the next bus will come and the estimated time to destination. The more cost-effective and convenient the public transportation system becomes, the more consumers will prefer it over private alternatives and the stress they involve.

How we build our city matters. Residences, their density and distance from where we work, study, entertain ourselves, play, heal, relax and shop, all need to be reimagined. The Paris Mayor’s concept of a 15-minute city, where all these services are available within a 15-minute walk, is worth emulating. Today, too many of our residents have to travel long distances to access these services because of how we have laid out our city, while persons with disabilities are often altogether excluded. Urban development also needs us to embrace our natural landscapes and revive water bodies and their linking canals. It is paradoxical that we regularly endure floods in a city perched on a high plateau that is drained by four major valleys.

In the longer run, we must transform how Bengaluru grows by reforming planning processes. We need collaboration across urban agencies to draw up plans that take care of a multitude of services like mobility, health, education, electricity, water, and waste management. Currently, there is no provision for public consultations during the planning stage or to integrate ward committees in implementation. New legislation is needed with a mandate for public and expert involvement during the preparation and implementation of the regional master plan. If the government stays receptive to the public’s ideas, Bengaluru will once again become a Garden City anchored by inclusive and sustainable public transport.

(The writer is a former Member of Parliament and is involved with multiple initiatives to transform Bengaluru)