A rapidly growing city at the geographical Centre of India, Nagpur, popularly known as the ‘Orange city’, is also the epicentre of development of the Vidarbha region of the state of Maharashtra. With a 227 sq. km area and a population of approximately 30 L (more than 50 L if the metro region is taken into account), it is the third-largest city in the state.
With the operationalisation of Phase 1 of the metro, two public transit systems are available to cater to the travel demand of commuters: the City Bus Service, run by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, and the Metro Rail Rapid Transit System, run by the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited. Phase 1 of Metro caters to @ 30% of the city.
The vehicle population of the city is a whopping 23 lakh, of which approximately 80% (18.9 lakh) are two-wheelers, and approximately 11% (2.50 lakh) are four-wheelers. In 2023 alone, 203 vehicles were added daily.
The Transport Sector alone contributes 40% to the total carbon emissions. With an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 150+, which falls in the poor category, Nagpur has failed to meet the safe levels, causing the residents to inhale toxic air.
As per the draft CMP report prepared by Maha Metro through M/s. RITES Ltd., the existing traffic characteristics are 2-wheelers 42.6% followed by IPT (Auto-Rickshaw, etc) with 19.80%, PT @15.6% and Cars @ 5.7%.+
Nagpur, being a two-wheeler City, the two-wheeler is the most polluting vehicle in the City. Studies show that a kilometre travelled by a two-wheeler results in 113 Gm of carbon emission through the tailpipe.
As per the norm, the number of public transport buses per Lakh population should be 40-60, and the NMC has only 400, against 1500 required total against i.e. only buses per lakh population. The daily ridership together with Metro in city bus services is 2.7L, which is below the estimates.
Lively, Safe, Sustainable, and Healthy Nagpur
All of us Nagpurians want our city to be a lively, safe, sustainable and healthy one. All these key objectives can be strengthened by increasing the concern for pedestrians, cyclists and city life in general. A whole-hearted invitation to the commuters to walk and bike as much as possible in connection with their daily activities and provision of good public space is the essence for the attainment of these objectives. For this, a provision of robust NMT infrastructure in the city is a must. Wide walk, dedicated bicycle lanes must be an integral part of Transport Planning & development.
The study of some cities like Copenhagen, Melbourne, London, and New York shows how they have tremendously benefited by giving priority to the pedestrian & cycle traffic over automobile traffic and the creation of better city space.
Fortunately, Nagpur has wide roads, but footpaths are not continuous, there are no bicycle lanes, and hence people don’t feel safe while walking and cycling. Systematic planning with a focus on humans is a prerequisite.
A recent study by ITDP throws light on the condition of roads in Nagpur. Only a few roads meet the criteria of the “Complete Street”. The Ajni Square to Rahate Colony road got the highest marks for the parameters of a complete street.
Integrated Road Development Project (IRDP) was undertaken in Nagpur in the early 2000s with MSRDC as the nodal agency and NMC & NIT to be the executing agencies. IRDP was the best project, and that was the best time to create proper NMT infrastructure – wide walkways & dedicated/segregated bicycle lanes – taking care of both the increasing road traffic and walkability & cyclability of a city. It must be noted that a walkable city is the most sustainable city. But that time, the sole aim was to hide roads to accommodate increased traffic, and building extra roads is a direct invitation to buy & drive more automobiles.
The other cities in the world, especially mentioned above, have been making efforts to prioritise pedestrian and cycle-friendly infrastructure since the late 20th Century itself – not surprisingly, progress and improvements are seen in the economically advanced parts of the world.
Embracing the Superblocks Concept
If we look at global best practices, Barcelona is one such example.
The ‘Superblock’ is an urban design with 400 m x 400 m blocks, which aims to improve accessibility within that contained area. The clusters of inner minor streets called green streets in the superblocks are closed to through traffic. Vehicles are allowed primarily for accessing residences, public transport, disabled people, energy vehicles and bicycles. Further, motorised vehicles are in only one direction. The roads thus become public spaces that one open and safe for use by pedestrians for varying purposes.
The Superblock initiative goes hand-in-hand with redefining mobility. The 2024 Urban Mobility Plan of Barcelona focuses on transforming the mobility patterns to reduce private vehicle journeys from 26.04% to 18.48% and a very ambitious target to have 81.54% of all journeys on foot, bicycles, and PT.
This superblocks model is replicable for sure in some parts of East, West, North, and South Nagpur, with a necessary change in block size as per actual side conditions.
Creation of vehicle-free zones
It is an area where motorised vehicles are restricted or prohibited, typically to improve air quality, reduce noise and enhance pedestrian safety. Creation of vehicle-free zones can be the first step towards cities designed for people, not traffic.
No vehicle days- cleaner Air + Healthier cities
Many cities in the world are implementing vehicle-free zones to promote pedestrian-friendly space, reduce pollution and enhance quality of life. Copenhagen has pioneered pedestrian-only zones, now covering over 200 miles of bike lanes.
Barcelona (Spain), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Singapore, Paris (France), Helsinki (Finland), and Zermatt (Switzerland) are some of the notable examples of implementing and planning to implement vehicle-free zones.
Nagpur can also declare some areas, like popular commercial zones including Mahal, Itwari, Buldi Main Road, Futala Lake Road, Ganesh Tekdi Mandir Road, West High Court Road, etc, as vehicle-free zones where only pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport vehicles shall be allowed.
Low Emission Zones (LEZ)
It is a designated area where access is restricted or discouraged for polluting vehicles, aiming to improve air quality. Regulations like emission standards and potential charges/ fines for non-compliant vehicles are involved in this, so that the use of more polluting vehicles is discouraged and the adoption of cleaner alternatives like electric vehicles and public transport is encouraged. Globally, many cities like London and Madrid have implemented low-emission zones and benefited immensely.
Madrid implemented a strict low-emission zone in 2018, covering 472 – of its city centre.
Zero–emission vehicles can drive freely while older petrol (have -2000) and diesel (pre-2006) vehicles face bus or restricted access. Hybrids and delivery trucks are granted limited exemptions, with fines up to E 200 for violations.
It is learnt that Nagpur Municipal Corporation has taken the initiative for this, and this is a welcome step. Some roads have been identified for implementation at LEZS.
Robust Parking Policy
Parking policy is a crucial document for managing traffic congestion can also be linked to environmental Concerns such as air quality, and may be used to encourage the use of Public Transport. All the aspects like “no parking zones”, “prohibited areas”, “all rules”, “enforcement & penalties”, etc., are clearly spelt in the parking policy.
Many cities in the world have converted existing parking lots into vibrant urban spaces to be used by the public.
Parking price is to be dynamically charged to discourage people with their cars, and move towards public transport.
It is indeed a sorry state of affairs that Nagpur City still doesn’t have its parking policy in place when the vehicle population has been increasing tremendously. In 2016, the Municipal Commissioner framed a constructive policy document, but it has not yet been implemented.
Imposition of Congestion Tax
A Congestion Tax is a fee levied on vehicles that enter specific regions of a city during peak traffic hours. It is an effective way to reduce traffic congestion and, of course, air pollution, too, encouraging people to opt for public transport.
This tax has already been in effect in major cities around the world, such as London, Stockholm, Singapore, New York and several other regions and cities in the European Union.
Now, it is proposed to be introduced in Bengaluru (first time in India) to curb the city’s increasing traffic congestion. Traffic congestion is a major issue in India’s Metropolitan cities. As per the TomTom traffic survey index, travelling 10 km in Bangalore can take up to 30 minutes. However, covering the same distance in Dubai takes less than 13 minutes.
Nagpur, on the verge of becoming a metro city, has been experiencing traffic jams and congestion in peak hours, which increases fuel consumption and vehicular emissions, contributing significantly to climate change, reduction in productivity and growing business costs. To address all these issues, implementing a congestion tax can be quite beneficial for the city’s economy. Fewer vehicles on the road will facilitate faster commutes for citizens, drastically reducing pollution and enabling people to lead healthier lives.
London introduced a congestion tax of 5 Euros in the 2000s, after which traffic congestion in the central London area decreased by more than 20%. Again, as the number of vehicles entering central London increased, the congestion tax was increased to 8 Euros and thereafter to 15 Euros. This resulted in people mainly using public transportation while commuting to Central London. Only taxis, chauffeurs, delivery agents, traders, plumbers and other service providers use private vehicles in this area and pay the congestion tax.
An effective Public Transport System
If all the above-mentioned results are to be obtained, it’s necessary to have a very efficient, accessible, affordable, sustainable and commuter-friendly public transport system in place in the city with end-to-end connectivity and equipped with an Intelligent Transport Management System embedded with the latest technology.
Fortunately, Nagpur has a green mass rapid transit system like a metro that runs on electricity and has air-conditioned coaches presently with 38kms network and 37 stations, catering to 30% of the city.
The city bus service being run by NMC is already in place, with 50% buses in the fleet being EVs and a plan to convert all the buses to EVs within a year. City bus service is a basic transport service, and for the benefit of the city and its citizens, both the organisations- Maha Metro and NMC- will have to work hand-in-hand. Both Transit systems should complement and not run competitively to each other, with City buses acting as feeders to the metro trunk. This requires city bus route rationalisation and identification of new feeder routes with a proper implementation strategy.
It is a well-established fact worldwide that public transportation is a loss-making proposition. Hence, optimisation of public transport resources and network is necessary. Cost in terms of environmental degradation must be taken into account while calculating the financial parameters.
Presently, the number of city buses with NMC is far less than the norms of 40-60 buses per lakh population. Thanks to the ambitious missions like JNNURM, Smart Cities Mission, PM E-bus seva yojana, FAME-I, FAME-II, NMC could get buses and e-buses to phase out old diesel- operated buses. Local bodies are always short of funds and are dependent on the government for grants for the majority of their projects.
At present, there are critical gaps in the first and last mile connectivity that need to be bridged. A transit system, such as a metro, can be successful only if there is an equally green, efficient, reliable, accessible, affordable and commuter-friendly last-mile connectivity in place. City buses play a crucial role as feeders to the metro, along with other modes for feeders such as sharing autorickshaws, 2 wheelers, shared bicycles, etc. Maha Metro is also working on deploying these other modes of transport, depending on the needs of each metro station. MoUs with private players further aid in resolving the issue of first and last-mile connectivity and bridge the gap to improve accessibility to the metro for citizens of Nagpur.
The MIHAN area is catered to with a need-based feeder system of buses from Khapri metro station, with the coordination between NMC and Maha Metro. Dedicated e-buses are provided from Khapri metro station to various Companies such as TCS, Infosys, HCL Tech, Indamer, etc and for important institutions like AIIMS. NMC also provides buses from other terminal metro stations, such as Prajapati Nagar metro station, for the nearby institutions like Symbiosis International University and nearby villages within a range of 10 km from where the bus service has reached a fixed time in history, after 75 years of independence, and ease of commute. It is also proposed to provide feeder Bus Seva from Kasturchand Park metro station for all the government offices in Civil Lines within the range of 3-6 km, and also for Ramdeobaba University, which is at a distance of @ 4 km from KP Metro Station.
Mahametro has been trying to create awareness among people through organising “Metro Samvads“ in Various establishments, involving Educational, Institutional, Industrial, Healthcare etc. – delineating information about Climate crisis, Carbon emission through transport sector, effect of air pollution on mental & physical health, AQI of Nagpur, Statistic of road accidents, effect of traffic Congestion, urban heat island effect etc. and on the background the importance of Public Transport and it is delightful to mention that people are gradually changing their behaviour and moving towards the use of Public Transport.
Nagpur, as of now, is a liveable and lovable city. But Nagpur’s AQI has been in the bad category (@ 150) for the last 3–4 years, and it has been experiencing the Catastrophic effects of Climate Change / Global Warming.
We have been seeing the condition of our capital, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune and other cities in the country. This is the right time to save Nagpur from becoming like Bengaluru, Pune by the implementation of all the things mentioned above, because the transport sector plays a pivotal role as far as the sustainability of a city is concerned. Albeit there shall be public resistance, infrastructure and accessibility problems, enforcement and compliance issues shall be there, policy reframing shall be required, there shall be reactions from political circles too, and bad environmental sustainability must be the given topmost priority by all.
By involving public from all walks of life and creating the sense of ownership and participation, creating sufficient and save facilities for pedestrians, cyclist, optimum parking facilities, bus Shelters, optimisation of public transport and resources creating efficient system of monitoring and control (cameras, sensors, AI based ITS) and by having a strong and coordinated communication among the relevant authorities – Political, police, transport organisations planning authorities, community leaders etc., – all the problems could be sorted out and we can see Nagpur as an ideal City not only in India but in the world.
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is a key tool to develop planned sustainable urban growth centres, having walkable and livable communities with high-density mixed land-use. Citizens have access to open green and public spaces, and at the same time, transit facilities are efficiently utilised. The Nagpur Metro project is of utmost importance as it plays a major role in shifting the development trajectory of the urban centres to more sustainable ways. 500m on both sides of the metro trunk has been declared as a TOD area as per the gazette notification of the Government of Maharashtra.
Unfortunately, in India, TOD is still on paper because nothing concrete has been done on that front. Major gaps in the execution of the TOD project lie in the complex nature of fundamental development issues, such as transportation, planning, and urban planning overlaps, siloed working of different governing agencies, lack of specialists such as urban planners, transport planners, urban management specialists, financial experts and sociologists in key positions in different governing bodies.
In Nagpur, 28.5% of the urban population lives within 1 km of a major rail transit station, ranking 6th in the list of 37 cities of South and Central Asian cities (Reference- Rail transit & population density, Schoolofcities.github.io). Nagpur metro successfully connects the city to all the major Central Business districts (CBDs) such as Dharampeth, Sitabuldi, Mahal, Itwari and all the institutional, industrial and special economic zones such as Hingna, MIDC, MIHAN, etc. The second phase of the metro also intends to reach up to the satellite towns and Industrial areas such as Butibori, further improving upon the regional connectivity and developmental patterns in and around Nagpur.
It is now time to take advantage of this robust TOD policy introduced by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in the year 2017, by integrating the TOD zone plan with the master plan/ development plan of Nagpur.
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