Public transport should be given a boost and a solution to the traffic problem should be found, so we should take urban roads seriously as real estate.
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| Photo (https://unsplash.com/photos/bnIFdaS2grk) |
A study of major roads with traffic in six cities in the country recently been published. It has become clear that more time is wasted by Indian travelers in their daily commute than commuters from all over the world. Whether it is regular roads or toll plazas, the traffic congestion in various cities of the country has increased so much that on the way home, commuters spend hours in their cars, crowded public transport buses or taxis. We now have to rethink the economic value of public roads due to traffic jams and slowdown in almost all highways in Indian cities.
Although roads are a public thing, urban roads are a valuable asset. These roads connect different parts of the city and provide services to the citizens. When considering roads from a real estate perspective, you can apply the principles of economics to road use. The current road tax structure in the country fails to apply economic principles to road use. The current road tax structure in the country is based on vehicle classification and vehicle usage. It does not adequately reflect how public roads are used. To understand traffic congestion surcharge, it is first necessary to differentiate between vehicle tax, toll and traffic congestion surcharge.
In the country, road tax is paid every year or at the time of purchase of a vehicle. These vehicles are taxed according to their size and weight. These taxes vary by state law. Toll is a charge for using a good quality road, which makes travel easier and faster.
Roads are public property
According to the footprints of the vehicles, i.e. the number of roads covered by the user during the journey, it takes time to implement the road usage charges. The maximum use of the road is made when the vehicles are running at a fixed speed on the road.
However, if an extra vehicle runs on this road, it slows down all other vehicles on that route. Traffic congestion surcharge should be applied for use of congested roads. Such a user- who adds extra to the congestion of the road, should be required to pay such traffic congestion surcharge.
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| Photo (Twitter) |
These three photographs show three roads occupied by three persons, namely buses, two-wheelers and cars with 69 persons respectively. Looking at this picture, we can clearly see that the more people in private vehicles, the more space these vehicles occupy and thus increase the chances of traffic jams on the roads. The truth of this picture can be seen in the streets of the country. This is reflected in the latest statistics on Mumbai.
According to a December 2018 report by the Mumbai Environmental Social Network , over the past two decades, the number of private vehicles in Mumbai has increased from 59 per cent to 77 per cent, with cars and SUVs occupying 49 per cent and two-wheelers occupying 28 per cent. However, during the same period, the space occupied by buses has declined from 6.2 per cent to 2.2 per cent.
The size of cars on Indian roads ranges from three meters to seven meters, which can seat one to seven passengers. The normal size bus in the city is 14 meters, which can accommodate 60 to 100 passengers. The speed of BEST buses, which was 16 kmph in 2008, has slowed down to 9 kmph in 2018 due to the increase in traffic congestion due to private vehicles.
Vehicles carrying less people are charged for occupying the road
It often happens that our public roads are open to all traffic. Therefore, there is always traffic of private vehicles on both sides of the highways. This reduces the space available on the road for public transport. This congestion of private vehicles causes inconvenience to many commuters traveling in public vehicles.
Imposing a traffic jam surcharge on private vehicles could be a way to use the equivalent of road space. In India, road taxes and toll taxes are levied on users, however, no such charges are currently levied directly based on road usage.
The traffic congestion surcharge has been implemented in cities around the world such as London, Singapore and Stockholm and is being implemented successfully. Traffic jams are levied on private vehicles to enter densely populated areas of these cities as well as to enter congested areas in the inner parts of the city where there is heavy traffic.
After the imposition of traffic congestion surcharge in London in 2003, the speed of vehicles on the roads has increased, air and noise pollution has been reduced, traffic congestion has been reduced in the area for which roads are charged and the number of bus passengers has increased as per 2011 figures.
The objectives behind charging traffic congestion are as follows:
- To make more roads available for public transport, reduce the number of private vehicles (inefficiently using space) on the roads.
- Converting car users to users of public vehicles.
- Trying to uplift the living standards of the citizens by providing fast and reliable public transport services.
- Improving the air quality index and reducing noise pollution levels in the city by reducing the overuse of private vehicles.
Introduction to state-of-the-art traffic management system
A variety of systems are currently being implemented around the world to levy traffic congestion surcharges. In the central parts of cities like London and Stockholm, there is a system for charging traffic jams, while in Singapore there is a system for using 'electronic road pricing'. The method used to implement the traffic congestion surcharge depends on the size of the city. For example, some cities are round, while others are parallel or intersecting.
Given the daily heavy traffic and congestion in metros like Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, the ERP system would be ideal for enforcing traffic congestion surcharges. Such a system would take into account the scope of traffic on the highway during rush hour. The initial investment in the creation of such a system can be very high and can include auxiliary design, sensors, number plate scanning cameras and RFID-based trackers in vehicles.
Recently, up-to-date traffic monitoring systems have been installed in some cities of the country to catch the perpetrators of traffic offenses such as speeding or improper use of junctions, as well as for general traffic management. Technology like ERP is used in ITMS (Intelligent or Smart Traffic Management System) system. ITMS is a new system for smart and centralized traffic management in Mumbai. The cost of the system is estimated at Rs 891 crore.
If the 'ERP' system is included in the 'ITMS' system, then there will be no need to implement another 'ERP' system for Mumbai in the future and it will save a lot of time and effort for Mumbaikars.
The ITMS system can be used for:
- In many ways, time-saving traffic congestion surcharges.
- Analyzing crowd patterns on city streets.
- To direct traffic by drawing a map of the busiest time.
- Informing the Central Control System in case of any traffic jam or traffic jam.
- As 'Fastag' is becoming mandatory for all road users across the country, it can be used as a cashless system to avoid delays, without human interaction, automatically, to avoid congestion.
In the future, if the 'Fastag' and 'ITMS' systems are connected to the vehicle users through the mobile app, the users will be able to decide which route to choose for the journey. Users can choose a route that is shorter, more congested, and therefore more charged, that is less crowded, which is a little longer than the original route, but will still take you to the destination at the same time as the traffic is flowing.
Conclusion
Many Indian cities are currently investing heavily in public transport infrastructure. Therefore, for more and more citizens to turn to public transport, the traffic congestion surcharge should be considered as a strategic tool.
Other strategic and structural measures such as restricting the number of taxi and auto rickshaw licenses, implementing the 'BRTS' system, promoting traffic management by removing barriers between roads and intersecting roads through better design and providing quality public transport will prevent road congestion. Therefore, these cities, which are the lungs of the economy, will continue to move around.
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