Flyovers couldn’t resolve congestion across the world: Sujit Patwardhan

Founder member and trustee of Parisar, Sujit Patwardhan, is working hard to bring the environment issues to the forefront through citizens’ campaigns and collaborative activism with other like-minded organisations. The aim is to ensure that industrial and urban development does not lead to damage and destruction of the environment. He speaks to Soumabha Nandi about the traffic woes that have engulfed the city of late.

What has made city roads a nightmare for pedestrians? Where are the authorities failing?
Roads become safe or dangerous depending on the way they are designed. If the road is primarily meant for smooth and uninterrupted flow of vehicles, then the tendency is to make it wider over the years. However, the wider the road, it becomes more unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists. This is because wide roads encourage speeding. If road safety is the prime concern of the city, then authorities will ensure that the roads within the city are not widened and speed limits are strictly enforced.
Instead of trying to accommodate more and more vehicles, the city needs to invest in public transport system and run it efficiently. The majority of deaths reported are of pedestrians and this number is growing each year. According to the latest figure, around 460 fatal road accidents took place annually.
 

What are the reasons for the large number of accidents on the expressway?
The traffic problem on the expressway is different from that of the city. One assumes that since the expressway connects two cities, it would ensure smooth traffic flow and reduce travel time. This means driving at a high speed, which requires skills on the part of the drivers and also efficient cars to ensure safe driving. But, we lack in both these inputs. I strongly feel that strict rules should be enforced for granting driving licences and stricter action should be taken against rash drivers.
With a large number of flyovers and overbridges being constructed in the city, do you think that the traffic woes of the city can be resolved?
Flyovers, freeways and elevated roads have not been able to resolve road congestion in any city across the world. The more number of roads you construct, the more vehicles you attract. In many cities, elevated roads and flyovers are now being dismantled as they have failed to reduce traffic congestion. If you look at the initiatives in developed countries, you will notice that the focus has now shifted on narrowing the roads, widening the sidewalks, improving public transportation and giving highest priority to walking and cycling in order to improve the quality of living in cities.

Due to the poor state of public transport system, people are forced to use private vehicles which cause traffic congestion. What is your opinion?
Politicians talk about improving public transport in election manifestos and the bureaucrats sing a similar tune but when it comes to action, they are only interested in constructing more roads, widen the existing ones and build half a dozen flyovers. Such projects violate the basic principles of the National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) and Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM)under which the central government funding is made available primarily for the improvement of public transportation.