Sowmya Kannan, Researcher

City development plans and transportation plans are often carried out in silos, resulting in fragmented solutions that fail to address the everyday mobility needs of people. While it is commonly assumed that individuals choose their mode of transport based on affordability, factors like proximity, ease of access, travel time play a much larger role in shaping these decisions. Encouraging behavioural shifts toward sustainable transport modes such as walking, cycling, and public transit requires more than awareness.

Road crashes remain one of the leading causes of death in India and are an escalating public health emergency. In 2022, the country recorded a staggering 461,312 road crashes, resulting in 1,68,491 fatalities, a 9.4% increase in fatalities from the previous year.

Teenagers or even younger children driving two-wheelers or cars on the road, often in school uniforms, or younger kids being picked up by their elder siblings in vehicles is nothing new in India. This is despite the law in India clearly stating that the legal driving age for most vehicles is 18 years. It is very unlikely that underage driving is spurred by a lack of knowledge of the law, as sometimes children far below 18 are found using motor vehicles.

India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. While the expansion and improvement of road transport improves socio-economic development, they have also brought significant environmental challenges in India, including a sharp rise in CO2 emissions and air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOX) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5).

In the ever-expanding urban landscapes of today's world, the pressing issues of congestion, pollution, and accessibility continue to disproportionately affect the most vulnerable segments of society—the poor. As cities grow and sprawl, traditional approaches to transportation planning have often favoured motorised vehicles, exacerbating inequalities and hindering mobility for those with limited resources. However, amidst these challenges lies a beacon of hope: sustainable modes of transport.

The Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) is currently formulating the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for the Chennai Metropolitan Area. This plan will serve as the transportation blueprint for the next 25 years (2023-2048).

Two-wheelers are the preferred mode of transportation for many Indians. They are certainly more affordable than a car. It is no wonder then that, globally, India has the highest number of registered two-wheelers and they account for nearly 75% of all vehicles registered in the country (Road Transport Year Book 2020, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways). 

The concept of integrated ticketing system in public transportation revolutionises the way users access various modes of transport through a unified platform, such as mobile apps or mobility cards. This system, embraced by cities worldwide like London and Hong Kong, relies on cashless transactions for its seamless operation.