This presentation talks about the various traffic and transportation problems in urban areas.

1. DhwaniDhwani ShahShah
Assistant ProfessorAssistant Professor
BhaikakaBhaikaka Centre for Human SettlementsCentre for Human Settlements
APIED, V.V. NagarAPIED, V.V. Nagar
dhwani.shah@apied.edu.indhwani.shah@apied.edu.in

2. 
 What is a Transportation Problem?
 Why is it important to solve the Transportation
Problem?
Contents
Problem?
 Major Problems with Traffic and Transportation
 Tentative Solutions

3. 
Transportation is concerned with finding the minimum
cost of movement/transport of people/commodity
from a given source to destination.
What is a Transportation
Problem?
Anything that reduces the efficiency or increases this
cost/time is a problem.

4. 
Growth ∞ Mobility
Urban productivity is highly dependent on the
Why is it important to solve the
Transportation Problem?
Urban productivity is highly dependent on the
efficiency of its transport system to move labor,
consumers and freight between multiple origins and
destinations.

5. 
Major Problems withMajor Problems with
Traffic and Transportation

6. 
 Traffic congestion is a condition on transport
networks that occurs as use increases, and is
characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times,
and increased vehicular queueing.
Congestion
and increased vehicular queueing.
 The main reasons why traffic congestion occurs are
 More cars/ Private vehicle
 Poor management
 Poor practices on behalf of the users

7. 
 Level of Service
 Congestion is mainly caused by a desire for people Congestion is mainly caused by a desire for people
to drive their cars coupled with a failure by local
government to act. If they invested in more
affordable public transport options and a better
infrastructure the incidence of congestion would
decrease in major cities.

8.  The total number of registered motor vehicles increased from
about 0.3 million as on 31st March, 1951 to 159.5 million as on
31st March, 2012
 Out of 159.5 million registered vehicles in 2012
 72.4 % : Two-wheelers
Vehicle Boom
 72.4 % : Two-wheelers
 13.5 % : Cars, jeeps and taxis
(85.9 percent of the total registered vehicles are used for private transport)
 1 % : Buses
 4.8 % : goods vehicles
 8.3 % : Tractors, trailers, three wheelers (passenger
vehicles)/LMV and other miscellaneous vehicles
Source: Ministry of Road Transport and Highway
 Population of India 1951: 361 million, 2011: 1210 million

9. Source: Road Transport Year Book (2011-12), Transport Research Wing Ministry Of Road Transport & Highways
Government Of India New Delhi

10. 
 Lack of public transport, or poor public transport,
will cause problems.
Quality of Public Transport
 If there isn’t enough buses, trams, or local trains
people are forced to take their cars to work.
 Providing Sidewalks, Cycle tracks, better frequency
of PT, Coverage etc helps people shift from private
vehicles

11. 
Income ∞ Number of Trips
 More the Growth, greater the income, greater the
Rising Mobility
 More the Growth, greater the income, greater the
Mobility
 Less income- Trips limited to work/ education
 As income increases- Trips for work/ education/
Recreational/Social increases
 Increase in Number of trips, Trip Length and
Passenger Kms

12. 
 Hierarchy not maintained as per
 Expressways
 Arterial Streets
 Sub-arterial Streets
Road Hierarchy
 Sub-arterial Streets
 Collector Streets
 Local Streets
 Access Streets
 Conflicting intersections increases
 Accidents increase
 Speed of Vehicle reduces if conflicting points increases

13. Wide variety of Transport modes - Difference in
speed creates problem
Variety of Transport modes
Freight Passenger
 Heavy Commercial
Vehicles
 Light Commercial
Vehicles
 3 Wheelers
 Animal Cart
 Hand Cart
 Buses
 Trams
 Cars
 2 Wheelers
 3 Wheelers
 IPT
 Cycle
 Pedestrians

14. 
 Vehicles spend the majority of the time parked,
motorization has expanded the demand for parking
space, which has created space consumption
problems
Parking
problems
 To reduce Parking demand
 Taxi
 Public Transport
 Cycle Sharing

15. 
 In a Sprawl situation road transportation system has
 lengthy road network
 Increase in the driving distance/ longer trip length
Uncontrolled Growth/ Sprawl
 Increase in the driving distance/ longer trip length
 Transit becomes cost-ineffective because overall
density is low
 Higher dependence on Private vehicles
 Traffic congestion are high
 Walking is nearly impossible in some suburban
locations as distances are too large

16. 
 Problem Solving Approach
Planning is done when the problem arises.
Construction & execution time not considered.
Planners job to envisage/ predict and act earlier.
Less Visibility of Future
Planners job to envisage/ predict and act earlier.
 Looking at a Larger Perspective
Fund allocation
Eg: Constructing parking lot v/s providing Public
Transport
Expanding the road width v/s providing Public
Transport

17. 
 High Growth Rate of Vehicles
 Low Share of Public Transport
 Impact of Transport projects and Vehicular growth-
Environmental Concern
Impact of Transport projects and Vehicular growth-
 Higher Consumption of resources like Petrol, diesel
due to congestion
 Air Pollution
 Noise Pollution

18.  Inadequate Road Capacity
Roads were not planned to take the increased vehicular growth.
CBD generally have narrow roads
 Poor driver education
Driving licence
Age limit – 18yrs for motorized vehicles
 Non-road worthy Vehicles
According to the norm vehicles older than 10 and 15 years in
diesel and petrol respectively would not be allowed on the road
 Drunken driving
 Toll of Accidents
 Violation of traffic rules
 Speed limit
 Inadequate route marking

19. 
 The promotion public transit
 The promotion of bicycle paths and bicycle sharing
 Synchronized traffic lights
 Regulated parking
Tentative Solutions
 Regulated parking
 Limited vehicle traffic in selected areas and time
Examples:
 Freight Vehicle restrictions inside the city during the peak
hours
 Walk only roads in major commercial areas
 Vehicle use is prohibition according to license plate
numbers and the date (even-uneven).