Loosen the chokehold on our city roads

India’s roads badly need to be decongested. While hurrahing urbanisation and upward mobility is all very fine, clogged roads is a problem that if not tackled now, will snowball into a far bigger urban issue affecting quality of life and ease of going places to the point of no return. But we need a rational, effective plan that can be retrofitted according to the city, not pell-mell action. Take the Municipal Corporation of Delhi‘s proposal to hike parking charges. This is about increasing revenues, not tackling congestion. The rates are linked to the neighbourhood’s land value and infrastructure, the principle being the rich should pay more. Fair enough. But even as a proportion may use ride-hailing services in these areas, with the demand for parking inelastic, they will simply pay more.

Tackling congestion requires moving on several fronts simultaneously – improving the quality and quantum of public transport, upping parking charges, and improved infrastructure for non-motorised vehicles. Delhi‘s vehicle population has risen by about 30% a year, while public parking sites remain relatively stagnant at 420. Progressive parking charges can help – higher rates for locations with high traffic inflow and parking demand, differential parking rates reflecting peak and off-peak hours, and efficient and smart parking solutions to optimise existing spaces.

Consumers also need amenable alternatives to private transport. Progressive countries have their car-owning population, the well-heeled included, who also opt for public transport, using their cars for special outings, weekends, road trips, etc. There is no silver bullet to decongesting. But encouraging car-users to avoid reaching out for their car keys for any purpose is where the answer lies.