Policy Update
Sayantani Ghosh
Uncontrolled urban growth throughout India generates exceptional challenges affecting multiple cities’ mobility systems and transportation networks. The Government of India revised its National Urban Transport Policy in 2014 to create sustainable urban transport solutions after following the essential structure from its 2006 version. The research analyzes the framework of NUTP 2014 and its implementation methods and achievements alongside current obstacles and possible directions for urban mobility in India.
Background
The Indian urban populace grew to 377 million in 2011, accounting for 31.16% of the national total, and experts predict this segment will surpass 600 million in 2030 (Census of India 2011). Fast-paced urban development led to increased transportation problems, including traffic jams, air pollution, and shortage of public transit routes, together with safety issues on roads. The Ministry of Urban Development [MoUD] (2013) reported that average peak-hour journey speeds dropped to 15-20 km/h in major Indian cities as traffic deaths rose each year by 5.8% from 2001-2011.
The 2006 NUTP initiated plans for sustainable urban transport; however, its foundation needed modernization through the integration of new trends and the results of practical implementation. The 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-2017) declared that urban transport required more solid policy strategies to create connected multimodal transport systems, protect environmental sustainability, and enhance energy efficiency (Planning Commission, 2013).
Objectives of the Policy
The NUTP 2014 extended the original objectives of the 2006 policy by adapting them to accommodate developing urban transportation requirements.
The plan aims to ensure everyone receives sustainable transportation services at sustainable prices.
Organizations must create effective mechanisms to design, deliver, and control networks in urban areas.
The program works to establish sufficient institutional powers combined with individual competency for developing and running sustainable urban transport systems. The implementation of a complete platform of high-quality multiple transport modes should be established. Raising the standards of land-use integration with transportation planning methods is another key objective. Encouraging environmentally sustainable transport modes is equally prioritized. Enabling intelligent transportation systems for traffic management. Every road user requires protected road safety and security, as per MoUD (2014).
Policy Components and Implementation Strategies
People-Centric Mobility Planning
The National Urban Transport Policy 2014 established a new planning approach that shifted its focus from vehicles to people’s needs. The policy focused on city design that centers around human needs instead of vehicles through its following priorities. The policy requires building infrastructure that lets people walk and cycle. The policies require road infrastructure to serve vulnerable groups, including senior citizens, children, and people with disabilities. Equitable allocation of road space with emphasis on moving people rather than vehicles Planned development around transit stations serves to lower travel needs, according to the Institute of Urban Transport (2014).
Integrated Transport Systems
Through its policy recommendations, the document established multiple integration methods involving:
Various transport modes exist in physical connection to each other. Fare integration through standard mobility cards, information integration through unified passenger information systems, and institutional integration through Unified Metropolitan Transport Authorities (UMTAs) form a part of the ITS.
According to MoUD (2015), implementing NUTP guidelines resulted in 15 cities establishing formal integration systems between bus operations, metro services, and final connector options.
Financing Mechanisms
The sustainable financing strategies focused on by NUTP 2014 consisted of the following:
The central government maintains UTFs and other UTFs operated by state authorities and municipal bodies. Transport infrastructure projects receive funding through land value capture financing methods.
The combination of congestion control strategies and parking fee implementation is a system to control rider volume while producing a revenue stream. The government supports infrastructure development partnerships between public entities and private companies. According to the (MoUD, 2014) guidelines, the financial strategy includes fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees. In 2014, a national-level Urban Transport Fund (with an initial corpus of Rs. 500 crores) was created to support and fund transport projects in cities (Ministry of Finance, 2014).
Institutional Development
Strong institutional capacity was regarded as a major barrier and, therefore, a policy specified that UMTAs in all the cities have a population of one million plus. Making municipal corporations create dedicated transport departments. Creating urban transport research centers in academic institutes, and training programs and specialized courses build professional capacity at national and regional levels (Institute of Urban Transport, 2015)
Technology Integration
NUTP 2014 emphasized leveraging technology through the integration of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) for traffic management, electronic fare collection systems, passenger information systems, public transport fleet management system, and provision for open data policies to promote innovation (MoUD, 2014)
Key Achievements
By 2018, many key achievements were registered under the framework of NUTP:
- In regards to authority and effectiveness, 20 cities have set up UMTAs (MoHUA, 2018)
- Comprehensive Mobility Plans were prepared by 30 cities based on NUTP guidelines.
- The eight cities in which bus rapid transit (BRT) projects were implemented were Ahmedabad, Indore, Pune, etc.
- The approval and positive funding support of Metro rail projects in 10 cities
- The 35 cities that were part of the Smart Cities Mission saw some improvement in non-motorized transport infrastructure.
- Procurement of above 1000 electric buses under FAME-India scheme (Ministry of Heavy Industries, 2018)
- Final national common mobility card standards were finalized and piloted in certain cities.
Challenges in Implementation
Institutional Fragmentation
Transport within the urban context remained dispersed among several agencies. According to the World Bank (2016), such an assessment, even in the cities with UMTA ‘s coordination, was challenging because of the overlap and resistance of existing agencies.
Funding Constraints
A funding gap of significant proportions, amounting to ₹4 lakh crore over the next decade, was seen by the High Powered Committee on Urban Infrastructure (2018), while the existing funding mechanisms could be mobilized for only 30–40% of the required amount.
Land-use and Transport Integration
From a policy standpoint, land use and transport planning integration was weak. At the same time, governments ignored transport and development planning integration in 2017, and cities incorporated transit where large-scale bandages were made in the approach to transit-oriented development principles in the city master plans (NIUA, 2017).
Technical Capacity
The qualified professionals for urban transport planning were still in shortage in the cities. As per an IUT (Institution of Urban Transportation) survey (2016), only 20 % of urban local bodies had transport planning professionals dedicated to their staff.
Future Directions
Several strategies have been developed to address implementation challenges.
Strengthening Governance Frameworks
Government frameworks can be strengthened through empowering UMTAs with statutory backing and financial autonomy, mandating transport and development authority integration through integrated planning, and standardizing organizational structure of city transport departments (NITI Aayog, 2018)
Innovative Financing Solutions
Introducing innovative financing solutions can also be leveraged These include large-scale capture of land value, expanding munis for transport projects (or why mayors should be located in New Delhi and Murmansk, no explanation needed), the blending of public funds and private investments into blended finance instruments, and broken down to developing standard templates for transport PPPs (World Bank, 2017)
Focus on Emerging Mobility Trends
Inclusion of shared mobility services in public transport systems, regulating the new mobility services., accelerating electric mobility adoption through incentives and infrastructure, and promoting Mobility-as-a-Service platforms (MoHUA, 2019) are emerging mobility trends that can be emphasized on.
Climate Resilience
Integrating climate adaptation measures into transport infrastructure design, prioritizing low-carbon mobility solutions, adopting measurable targets to lower emissions from the transport sector, and incorporating disaster resilience in transport networks (Ministry of Environment, 2018) can bolster the optimization of the policy objectives.
Conclusion
This will be a landmark development in India’s approach to urban mobility and equip a comprehensive urban mobility perspective that focuses on sustainability, accessibility, and integration. However, the policy has driven essential changes in urban transport planning in Indian cities that have yet to be realized. To ensure that the effects of NUTP in the future are felt positively, its institutional frameworks have to be strengthened, its funding gaps should be addressed, technical capacity should be built, and its continuance should be adapted to emerging mobility trends. In view of India’s urban transformation, the principles enshrined in NUTP 2014 can contribute to building transport systems that enable sustainable and inclusive urban development.
References
About the Contributor:
Sayantani Ghosh is a Research Intern at IMPRI and a postgraduate student of Public Policy and Governance at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad with a keen interest in the areas of climate change and sustainable development.
Acknowledgement:
The author extends her sincere gratitude to each and everyone who guided them through this process, especially Dr. Arjun Kumar and Aasthaba Jadeja.
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