Calcutta Sustainable Transport

8/3/2019 Calcutta Sustainable Transport

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Sustainable Transp ort Solutions for Calcutta

A rep ort p repared by Professor John Whitelegg of the School of the BuiltEnvironment at Liverpool John Moores University, U.K.

School of the Built Environ ment,Liverpool John Moores University,Clarence St,Liverpool,L3 5UG

U.K.

Phone: 00 44 151 231 3298Fax: 00 44 151 708 7260

e-mail: [email protected]

Add ress for correspondence in Calcutta:c/ o Dr. D, Bhattacharya, 34/ 2 Mahim Halder St, Kalighat, Calcutta, 700026Phone: (33) 48 5321

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I want to thank Dr. Debashish Bhattacharya and Mr. Sondip Chattopad hyay fortheir assistance, sup port and encouragement in this project. Without their helpthe work could not have been done.

CONTENTS

1 THE BACKGROUN D

2 THE ASSESSMENT

3 THE ASSETS

4 THE SOLUTIONS

5 THE NEXT STEPS

6 CONCLUSION

7 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATION S

Appen dix 1: List of organisations and ind ividuals consulted in the course of thisstudy
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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SECTION 1: THE BACKGROUN D

1 This report is a comp letely indep end ent assessmen t of the transpor t andenvironm ent situation in Calcutta in Au gust 1996.

2 The report has been produ ced at the request of Non GovernmentalOrgan isations (NGOs) in Calcutta and is made to them. A list of the NGOsinvolved in th is commission is attached as App end ix 1. Their full co-operationand par ticipation in this process is gratefully acknowledged .

3 The report has not been prepared in a policy vacuum . Both the report and theprocess that has prod uced the report take their conceptual orientation andcontext from sustainable developm ent p rinciples and the operational definitionsof sustainable transpor t. These principles have been clearly articulated at the Riode Janeiro conference on Environment and Developm ent in 1992 and givenmore substance at the Habitat II conference in Istanbu l in March 1996. TheIndian governmen t was rep resented at both these occasions and mad e itscomm itment to sustainable d evelopm ent.

4 It is important that we are very clear about what this policy context andorientation actually means. This can be summ arised in a nu mber of brief points:

the growth in the demand for mobility and the demand for motorisedtransp ort is the largest single source of greenhou se gases and the source that isgrow ing the fastest;

transport is the largest single source of health d amaging air pollutan ts inurban areas;

transport is the most important source of health d amaging noise pollution inurban areas;

there is a measurable, d irect, and statistically significant relationship betw eenthe volume of traffic in urban areas and the health of urban residents;

those who live in polluted cities have a shor ter life span, an increasedincidence of cancers and respiratory d isease, more frequent absences from

work and school because of illness and more frequent sp ells of hosp italisation;

the volum e of motorised traffic will rise in d irect p roportion to the am oun t ofroad space and p arking space that is provided ;

the construction of new roads, new bridges and n ew tu nnels and ad ditionalcar parking capacity will increase the demand for private motorised transp ortand dam age pu blic transport and non-polluting modes of transport;

it is not possible to provide enough space, energy and financial resources tocope w ith the remorseless increase in d eman d for motorised transport;


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a new equ ilibrium has to be struck through d eman d m anagem ent (i.e.redu cing the d emand for transport), by improvements in accessibility throughcareful land use p lanning, and by improving the conditions for walking,cycling and pu blic transp ort.

Most journeys mad e in urban areas are short (


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redu cing road traffic accidents;

redu cing total energy consum ption;

increasing the am ount of green space in urban areas;

increasing the num ber of trees.

All targets and objectives can be quan tified in terms of the progress that isexpected over a p re-defined time period. For example it is possible and desirableto p lan to red uce particulate pollution (black smoke) in Calcutta by 10% (or more)each year for the next 6-7 years un til a minimu m level is achieved.


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SECTION 2: THE ASSESSMENT

6 There have been many assessmen ts of the cond itions of traffic, transpor t andpollution in Calcutta. The results are alarming and ind icate that Calcutta iscertainly among the top three cities of the w orld in term s of the seriousness of its

traffic pollution. It may well be the most polluted city in the world.

7 An assessment of traffic, transpor t and associated environmental problemshas to consider air pollution, noise pollu tion, congestion and road trafficaccidents, as well as the health p roblems associated w ith each ind ividualenvironmental factor. Evidence on health dam age in Calcutta is not veryextensive except in the w ork of Dr. Dipanker Ch akrabor ti of the School ofEnvironmental Studies at Jadavpur University, Calcutta.

8 Dr. Chakrabortis work is based on extensive environmental monitoring inCalcutta . Some of his results and conclusions are very relevan t to this study:

traffic levels have doubled in the city in the period 1985-1994;

particulate matter pollution in Calcutta is very severe. The WHOrecommended level (which should not be exceeded) is 90 g/ cubic metre.Calcutta levels in winter are in the range 1,300-3,000 g/ cubic metre.Particulate matter and its health damaging effects have been extensivelystud ied in the USA by Dockery and his colleagues at H arvard and it is possibleto extrapolate from th e USA data to p redict the number of deaths that can beexpected in Calcutta from these exceptionally high levels of particulate

pollution;

benzene levels are also exceptionally high in Calcutta. Benzene is acarcinogen ic compoun d. Measurements of benz(a)pyren e in several cities(mg/ cubic metre) pu ts Calcutta in the top ranked position at 30-120, followedby Paris at 4.6-15.0, Bru ssels at 3.9-12.0 and Lond on at 2.0-14.0.(Source: D Chakraborti: 'Calcutta City in Pollution Perspective' in Banabithi, Environmen t

Special Issue, June 1996).

9 Noise pollution in Calcutta is severe. The combinat ion of traffic volum e,poor mechan ical cond ition of most veh icles and un iversal use of the horn as a

key part of dr iving behaviour produ ces noise levels frequently in excess of 90dB(A). On m ost streets where there are four lanes of traffic and at allintersections it is physically imp ossible to hold a conversation and be un derstoodunless the distance between th e speakers is less than 0.5 m. These noise levelsare considerably in excess of WHO recomm end ed levels which indicate that indaytime a level of 55 dB(A) shou ld not be exceeded and at nigh t-time, 45 dB(A).In man y parts of Europ e even more stringent levels are applied in the vicinity ofschools, hosp itals, residential homes for the elderly, etc. These noise limits aredesigned to p rotect hu man health. Noise is not just a m atter of aesthetics and itshealth damaging effects go far deeper than d amage to hearing. Excessive noiselevels are a direct cause of high blood pressure, stress and cardiological problems.They are associated with psychological d ifficulties, mental illness, loss of energy,d ifficulties in coping, learn ing d ifficulties in children and delays in recovering


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from illness. Noise is a serious health hazard in Calcutta.

10 Traffic congestion is a serious p roblem in Calcutta but its extent shou ld not beexaggerated. Congestion levels (and time d elays) are not as extensive as they arein Los Angeles, Bangkok or som e South Am erican cities. Many journeys in

Calcutta of 5-10 km can be achieved by car or taxi in 30-40 minu tes whichcompares very favourably with most cities around the world. Congested trafficalso has an effect on red ucing the severity of road traffic accidents. London h asthe low est level of fatal and serious road traffic injuries in Britain p reciselybecause it has congested traffic cond itions. It is d ifficult to kill people when th etraffic is moving slowly. Nevertheless congested traffic is polluting, noisy andun pleasant, and rep resents an economic loss. Redu cing congestion w hilstredu cing the d emand for transport and redu cing the sp eed of vehicles is thetarget for sustainable transport planning.

11 Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are a serious problem in Calcutta. Data quotedin the CEMSAP report on transport and environment in Calcutta(Environmental Transport Strategy) show s that in 1995 there w ere in the Calcuttapolice administrative area :

8,895 recorded accidents

3,186 injuries

480 deaths

These figures are almost certainly a considerable und erestimate. There isextensive evidence from all parts of the world to show that accidents are u nd er-reported by a factor wh ich can be as high as 2 to 3. This means that the actualnu mber of accidents in Calcutta could be around 20,000. The num ber of injuryaccidents is also und er-recorded. The actual number of injur ies is likely to be 80-120% higher than recorded by the police. Even the num ber of deaths is un der-reported (though to a much lesser degree) from a combination ofmisclassification of cause of d eath to statistical definitions of when d eath has tooccur in ord er to qualify as a RTA death. For examp le, in Britain a death has tooccur w ithin 30 days of the accident to qualify as a RTA death.

12 In Calcutta pedestrians are the largest group in the fatality data rep resenting64% of the total. This fact alone ind icates very clearly that the seat belt debate isirrelevant to the fate of the vast majority of Calcuttas citizens. Pedestrian safetyand the safety of cyclists is the most important concern for Calcutta . They willnot r eceive any benefits from seat belts.

13 The environmental cond itions in Calcutta for the pedestrian, the cyclist, thepu blic transport user and those who live and work by the side of busy roads areamongst the w orst in the w orld and are totally unacceptable.(Source of RTA da ta: Calcutta Environmental Management Strategy and Action Plan (CEMSAP)

Draft EMS (App end ix F) Environmental Transport Strategy (ETS), February 1996, GHK

International).


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SECTION 3: THE ASSETS

14 Calcutta is well provided with a basic transp ort infrastructure that can, giventhe right stimuli, respond to the challenge of sustainable transport p lanning andmeet the needs of its residents for clean air, safe streets, reliable public transport

and highly attractive walking and cycling journ eys.

15 The assets are as follows:

a reasonably comp act city, densely popu lated with many journ eys that have tobe made being well within the capabilities of walking, cycling and pu blictransport.

a rich netw ork of tram s with a rou te length of app roximately 70 km, highlyeffective penetration of the central areas, almost 30 km of fully segregated ,reserved track and good quality links to the northern an d sou thern p arts ofthe city. The system is already one of the best in the w orld in terms of itsnetwork an d has enormous potential to play a key role in a su stainabletransport solution for Calcutta. Importantly, the tram system provides a linkto the two m ain railway stations in Calcutta (How rah an d Sealdah ) whichbetween them hand le 2 million passengers per day. Regrettably, the link toHow rah has been cut but the infrastructure is still there and could easily bereinstated.

a metro line that caters very well indeed for north-south movements andconnects densely pop ulated areas in the north an d th e south w ith the CBD

and imp ortant areas for employment. The metro does not provide aconnection to th e two main railway stations in Calcutta.

a river (Hooghly) that offers enormous p otential for north-south passengermovement and for imp roved river crossing facilities to connect Calcutta withHow rah. Existing cross-river links already provide a much need ed servicethat is efficient bu t one that could be improved by full integration into anorth-south service. The river also has the potential to enhan ce the beauty ofCalcutta w ith attention to the developm ent of riverside activities and theirfull integrat ion into a RiverBus service.

a system of canals and waterw ays that has potential to provide passenger andfreight tran sport for the whole of Calcutta . In a city where the most oftenquoted complaints are about congestion and lack of road space the use of theriver and waterways in combination has enormou s potential to imp rovequality of life and transport choices for the citizens of Calcutta.

a Circular railway w hich, if completed, wou ld provide the basis for a w orldclass urban commuter line similar to the German S bahn. The German SBahn to be foun d th roughout the Ruhr and in many big cities provides adistinctive identity, 20 minute interval frequency (or better) and high qu alitytransport that interacts very efficiently with other mod es including the tram(and in Calcutta, the river).


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SECTION 4: THE SOLUTIONS

16 There can be no solutions to Calcuttas transport and environm entalproblems u nless two things are done first:

(i) establish the machinery for high level co-ord ination of all transport mod es,their finan cing, their performance to agreed objectives, and their detailedintegration;

(ii) establish clear targets and objectives (as in paragraph 5) within a given timeframe and within a p ublic system of data availability and mon itoring.

17 Solutions do not come from thin air. In this report a very distinctiveapproach has been adop ted. The solutions come from four different sources:

(i) The citizens of Calcutta and the organ isations they have created;

(ii) My own d irect observations and experience of all mod es of transport over 5weeks of intense activity over most of the geographical area of Calcutta;

(iii) International experience of best practice. What has worked best all over theworld (especially in countries like India) and why;

(iv) The work of other scientists and expert grou ps in Calcutta e.g. CEMSAP,Jadavpur University, IITian.

18 The most imp ortant source has been the citizens themselves and theirorganisations. A public hearing w as held in the Ramakrishna Mission, Gol Park,Calcutta on 8th August 1996 where 12 presentations were made by Calcut ta-based

NGOs. Careful note was taken of the content of verbal and w ritten presentationsand the ideas have been incorporated into the solutions presented in this section.

19 The solutions that have emerged from th is collaborative process fall into fivemain groups:

Maximum u tilisation of existing infrastructure and assets, and fullimplementation of all road traffic regu lations, vehicle exhau st regulations and

road worthiness regulations;

Specific plans and policies to improve the situation for cyclists andpedestrians;

Full integration of Bus, Tram and Metro w ith single ticketing system s,attention to detail of interchange facilities and introd uction of MetroBus;

Land u se planning strategies to steer, where possible, new developmen ts ofoffices, schools, hospitals, etc. to points of maximu m pu blic transp ortaccessibility (e.g. interchange points);


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Traffic exclusion from congested streets, pedestrianisation schemes, arealicensing schemes.

20 Maximu m u tilisation of existing infrastru cture, assets and regu lations

(i) Currently poor use is made of the tram and metro system. Both can carry farmore passengers than they now do w ith relatively small amou nts of add itionalinvestm ent. The tram system carr ied 2,755 lakhs passengers (one lakh = 100,000)in 1981-82 compared with 699 lakhs in 1995-96. It should a im to r estore its 1981-82 performance in the next two years and then continue to increase patronagethereafter. Specifically:

(ii) The TRAM system shou ld be comp letely refurbished , i.e. all track repairedand replaced where necessary, all overhead wiring repaired and / or replaced, andall vehicles refurbished . The tram system should retain all segregated w orkingsand expan d the am ount of track wh ich is segregated. This will imp rovereliability and journey times in the congested street netw ork.

The Tram system shou ld be extend ed by restoring those sections that have beenclosed in previous years. The closed sections actua lly represent some of the mostprofitable and essential routes in Calcutta and their loss has been partlyresponsible for the drop in passengers. The restored sections should include:

Chowringhee section between Esplanade and Hazra road junction. Howrah Bridge Hare St/ Strand Rd

High Court section Chitpore-Esplanade Jn

A new service with high frequency should be established to link H owrah Stationwith Sealdah Station, connecting w ith the Metro at a su itable station in the BBDBag area (e.g. Central Station).

(iii) The METRO system is a good example of a mod ern transp ortation systembut is very poorly connected into the tram system and into the two main railwaystations. The proposed new tram route using a re-established Howrah Bridgelink w ill correct this deficiency and bring much imp roved passenger nu mbers

and revenue to the Metro.

The Metro curren tly per forms at only a very mod est level. 2 lakh passengers perday is not enough to justify the large capital investment represented in the metrosystem. Co-ordination and imp roved linkages with the tram system, with therailway stations and at Dum Du m w ill add 2-3 lakh to the Metros daily total.With special trains starting at Du m Du m in the evening p eak period the Metrowill be utilised as par t of a longer journey and will relive the huge p ressure onSealdah.

The Metro shou ld add clean, comfortable METROBUSES to its service pattern.These would d eliver passengers from points to the east and west of the metro


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itself, d irect to the metro station, on reserved bus lanes with a single ticket thatwou ld cover the bus and the metro together. Special discounts shou ld be givenfor weekly or mon thly tickets for the combined system.

Discussions about new metro lines should not be allowed to stop essential

progress in these less costly areas. Metro extensions w ill cost up to 500 crore (onecrore = 10 million) rupees each, will take many years to complete, will have tocompete very hard with other schemes throughout Ind ia and m eanwhileCalcutta needs relief now.

(iv) The CIRCULAR RAILWAY is very mu ch und er-utilised and h as enormouspotential to move significant n um bers of passengers in comfort aroun d Calcutta.The Circular Railway could function in the same w ay as a German S-Bahnsystem provid ing trains throu ghout the day every 20 minu tes, running in bothclockwise and anti-clockwise directions an d hav ing excellent interchan gepossibilities with trams and metro. Dum Dum and Tollygunge would becomemajor pu blic transp ort interchanges. The Circular Railway shou ld be completedas a m atter of priority, dou ble tracked and electrified and then subject to singleticketing systems in the same w ay that the tram and metro systems wou ld beoperating.

(v) The SUBURBAN RAILWAYS are working to maximu m capacity and areunder great strain. Over two million passengers per day arrive at How rah andSealdah. There is an u rgent need to u pgrad e facilities on the suburban trainsespecially new rakes, higher capacity trains and the better interchange facilitiesnoted in the sections on the m etro and the circular railway to relieve the

pressure on subu rban trains. Better facilities and less crowd ed cond itions willmake it possible to be far more d isciplined in terms of detecting non-fare payingpassengers and implementing regu lations for the comfort of all passengersthrough the presence of roving inspectors. There is also a need for modestinvestment in new track e.g. an ad ditional chord on existing su burban rail onSealdah South line to provide a direct link from the sou th to the CBD. This willrelieve pressure on the system as a w hole.

(vi) WATER TRANSPORT is greatly und er-utilised in Calcutta. The RiverHooghly and the canal system offer enormous p otential to provide alternativepassenger services on a north-south axis (Hooghly) and to provide east-west and

circular possibilities using the canal system. Water tran sport is congestion-free,low polluting, relatively cheap and has many other ad vantages in thedevelopment of attractive riverside and canal-side locations for residences andoffices.

Many cities in the world have experimented with RIVERBUSES. These wou ldbe most effective on the River Hooghly and could be linked by ded icated busesconnecting ferry points with tram and metro interchanges. Integration is the keyto success in all these cases.


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Calcutta is ideally suited to a circular waterw ay system as recomm ended byForum for Calcutta :

Hastings to Gar ia Railway station following the existing Tollys Nullah, w iththe p rovision of a lockgate at Hastings Point (15.6 km);

River H ooghly from H astings to Chitpu r lockgate (8.5 km);

Chitpu r lockgate to Beliagha ta Pu mping Station (8.2 km);

New link from Dhapa pu mp ing station to Bagha Jatin and finally to meetTollys N ullah (10.3 km).

Water Transport has many other advantages that go beyond imp roving transportlinks and red ucing pollut ion. Bodies of water in cities are universally attractiveand add to the pleasure and beau ty of a city. They become attractive locations fornew developm ents with a better microclimate and they become valuableecosystems encouraging biodiversity, green areas and water-based recreation.They also distribute water very cheaply from one part of the city to another.

(vii) BUS TRANSPORT in Calcutta is perhap s the most significant mod e oftransp ort in terms of peop le carried. The Calcutta bus system is, how ever, ofun relieved p oor quality exposing its passengers to cond itions of discomfort anddanger that wou ld not be tolerated elsewhere. Buses are also a significant sourceof pollution and it is un usu al to see a bus that is not belching out hu ge cloud s ofblack smoke. None of this is necessary. Buses can operate to very high stand ards

and in Curitiba in Brazil buses provide the backbone of the transport system an dare w orld famous for their cleanliness and efficiency. If Brazil can d o it then socan India. Bus op erations in Mumbai also provide a good model for efficiencyand cleanliness.

The BUS SYSTEM is in u rgent need of attention. All buses m ust conform tovehicle exhaust emission stand ards and mu st be removed from the road if theyemit black smoke or fail an emission test. Bus owners (state and pr ivate) shou ldbe given 12 mon ths to pu t their buses into a state of good repair.

The BUSES them selves shou ld meet high stand ard s in term s of passenger safety

and comfort. They shou ld be higher capacity and in per fect mechanical conditioninside and out. The ideal situation is far fewer bu ses on the streets but with alarger total capacity. Any buses not meeting mechanical cond ition stand ard sshould be removed from the roads.

Buses in Calcutta are largely in the private sector. I recommend that the StateGovernment of West Bengal institute negotiations with the bus comp anies toprovide financial assistance for the necessary upgrad e in facilities. Some elemen tof state sup port would be more than justified for the air pollution benefits thatwould follow an d for the benefits of integration (e.g. single ticketing) that w ouldbe a condition of accepting state supp ort for up grad ing.


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The Bus System should also be improved by the provision of dedicated bu s laneson key routes to smooth their progress and by the elimination of bus servicesthat run in d irect comp etition with tram and m etro. The urgent need to redu cepollution on main rou tes to BBD Bag is enough justification for the removal ofbuses that simply d up licate existing m etro routes and the restored Chowringhee

tram section.

The Bus System should be reformed so that basic d iscipline of buses isguaranteed . Buses should stop only at marked bus stops and at the kerbside or inmarked bays. Stopp ing in the midd le of the road is dangerous on road safetyground s and should be forbidden. Buses that stop in the middle of the roadshould be removed from d uty.

(viii) TAXIS are an important part of any urban transport system. They providea valuable function and enable people either not to ow n a car or to use their carless in cities. If cars are banned from certain p arts of congested city areas taxis can

be given access as long as they meet all registration and em ission regu lations.

Taxis in Calcutta are in poor condition. They contribu te significant amoun ts ofair pollution and are frequently in poor mechanical condition. All TAXISshou ld m eet the highest emission control and mechanical condition regulationsand be removed from the road if they do not comply.

Taxis mu st be regulated and these regulations must be enforced. The situation atHow rah and Sealdah stations with many d ozens of taxis offering non-metered

journ eys at p rices of over 100 rup ees and only a few legal taxis servicing a qu eue

of 50 to100 people is not acceptable. Many taxis also refuse to carry passengers oncertain kind s of journeys. All taxis breaking the regu lations shou ld be removedfrom the road s and the illegal taxis at the main railway stations shou ld beremoved.

(ix) PEDAL RICKSHAWS and HUMAN POWERED VEHICLES are cheap topu rchase, operate and use, and p rovide valuable emp loyment for man y of thepoorest in Calcutta. They are non-polluting and they are part of a sustainabletransport strategy that pays attention to pollution and social conditions. Thesemod es of transport shou ld be provided , where possible, with their ownsegregated lanes which w ould be shared by bicycles and kept free of rubbish,

building m aterials and all forms of encroachment.

A program me of research and development should be established to imp rovethese mod es of transport so that they w ill make the task of rickshaw pu llers andped al rickshaw drivers easier and less damaging to their health. This willinclud e gearing and changes in design to reduce friction and make best use ofhuman p ower.

(x) AUTORICKSHAWS have grow n in nu mber in Calcutta as a response tocongestion and to poor cond itions in p ublic transport and the p oor levels of co-ordination between bus, tram and m etro. Improved bu s services wou ld providea mu ch better substitu te for autor ickshaw s in the majority of circum stances. As


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these things improve and as land use planning steers developm ents tointerchange locations au torickshaws w ill decline in use and eventu allyd isapp ear. In the meantime autorickshaw s must still conform to the higheststandard s of exhaust emission and air pollution redu ction objectives.Autorickshaws should be given 12 months to bring themselves up to these

standards and if they do not d o so by the expiry of that period then they should beremoved from the roads.

21 Specific plans and policies to improve the situation for cyclists andpedestrians.

(i) WALKING trips form p art of every trip even for the journey to a parked car.For m any m illions of people in Calcutta walking is the only mode of transportavailable to them. The walking environm ent in Calcutta is very poor indeed.The air pollution and noise pollution are enou gh in themselves to deter all bu tthe most ded icated or poor walker. Crossing roads is very difficult and verydan gerous, pavements are cluttered with a large number of obstacles includingrotting garbage, build ing materials, sharp metal objects sticking out of theground , large paving stones at a variety of angles and even larger holes. Inflooded cond itions w hich are comm on in the monsoon period the obstacles andthe large holes are covered by w ater and walking is extremely dan gerous.Uncovered d rains and uncovered access points to sewers (2-3 metres deep) add tothe variety of hazards.

(ii) All these negative factors are very easily rectified to imp rove the cond itionsfor walking. Top priority is the rem oval of all obstacles, covering of all open

drains and sewers, removal of all garbage on a regu lar basis, repair of all un evensurfaces and rem oval of all sharp metal objects. Attention has to be paid at everyintersection and crossing to p rovide safe crossing facilities for pedestrians. Thesame attention is required for long stretches of open road wh ere continuou sstreams of traffic make crossing very dangerous indeed .

(iii) Walking and Cycling require shade from road side trees. All trees should beprotected and a new tree planting program me should be established . Trees alsomitigate the w orst effects of air pollution an d create a pleasant m icroclimate.

(iv) In the case of CYCLING it is imperative that safe, traffic-free conditions be

provided. A network of cycle routes, physically segregated from vehicular trafficshould be established on all main road s in Calcutta and on all routes fromresidential areas to schools, hosp itals, shopping centres, un iversities, officecomp lexes and railway/ metro/ tram stations.

22 Full integration of bus, tram and m etro with single ticketing system, attentionto d esign of interchange facilities and MetroBus concept

(i) The success of a transport system is depend ent on the integration of itscomp onent parts and on the ease with which passengers can m ake a transferfrom one mode to another. Failure to integrate dam ages all modes of transportand add s to the pressure for higher levels of car ownership and use.


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(ii) Calcutta has a very fragmented and uncoordinated public transp ort system.It is essential that all modes are co-ordinated and that the machinery for doingthis is established.

(iii) I recommend that the State Government and the City of Calcutta set up atransport co-ordinating body with key p ersonnel from railways, metro, tram andbus operators. The purpose of such a body is to maximise comfort and service forthe passenger, eliminate wasteful and expensive du plication of services andincrease the number of passengers using all mod es of pu blic transport. It wou ldestablish a single ticketing regime and set high stand ards for all aspects of publictransport operation. The co-ordinating body w ould take a keen interest in pointsof interchange in the total system to ensure that passengers could move veryeasily from one mod e to another, und er cover, in safety, in clean cond itions,with m aximu m information and with helpful staff available to answer questionsand p rovide security. Distances between any two mod es of transport should beminimised. Special attention w ould be given to linking modes, e.g. METROBUSand RIVERBUS, and to the circum stances that ensure p riority in all traffic fortrams and buses.

23 Land use planning strategies

(i) Land u se planning has to take place for several reasons. The mix of activitieson a city-wide scale, the p recise location of activities that generate traffic and thedistances that separate them w ill all determine w hether or not the city can bemade to work efficiently in its travel and tran sport arrangem ents. A comp act city

(such as Calcutta) has m any advantages over widely dispersed cities (like Perth inWestern Australia or Los Angeles). At the very least, land u se planning has tocapitalise on these advantages by resisting d ispersion and by m aintaining greenareas, water areas and maximu m u se of existing facilities. Calcutta is veryfortunate indeed in the proximity of the wetlands to the east. The Salt Lake areais an area of international ecological significance and shou ld be maintained assuch, protected from all urbanisation and indu strial developm ent.

(ii) At a more detailed, level land u se planning is essential for the reduction ofthe demand for transp ort. If large traffic generators (e.g. offices, universities,schools and hospitals) can be located at key interchange points on the

tram/ metro/ railway system then life is mu ch easier for the comm uter, pollutionis reduced an d the economics of pu blic transport is imp roved.

(iii) I recomm end that new d evelopm ents that will attract man y people besteered to points of maximum pu blic transpor t accessibility. Where newdevelopments are contemp lated and tram/ metro lines are absent, the tram lineshould be p ut in p lace first and AHEAD of the development.

24 Traffic Exclusion

(i) Calcutta has many densely pop ulated , congested areas wh ere road space is

limited . These areas are very important to the life of Calcutta and are often


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centres of emp loyment, retailing and small scale man ufacturing. They add to therich d iversity of life in Calcutta and care should be taken not to throw aw ay theseadvantages in the search for solutions to congestion and pollution. Internationalexperience points toward s the ad vantages of traffic-free zones as the mostsuccessful strategy to be pu rsued in these areas.

(ii) Traffic-free zones (sometimes referred to as car-free city concepts) areincreasingly comm on in Europ e and N orth America. Indeed Darjeeling (TheMall) provides a m ore local example of the ad vantages of such a concept. Traffic-free zones, pedestrian zones and lorry ban zones are seen as particularlyimportan t in cities with a rich architectural, historical and cultural heritage. Thiscertainly applies to Calcutta wh ich is a city of world importance in these respects.Munich in Germany has Europes largest ped estrian area which is also penetratedby trams. Lubeck and Aachen in Germany and York and Chester in Britain bancars in their historic cores. Florence and Bologna in Italy do likewise. Such ban sactually stimulate the economy an d increase retailing income and prop ertyvalues.

(iii) Traffic-free areas give priority to ped estrians, have low pollution levels andstimulate economic regeneration. They happ ily co-exist with trams and sp ecialarrangements can be mad e for d isabled access, emergency service access, bicycle

access and taxis.

(iv) I recommend that Calcutta identify a num ber of areas that would benefitfrom th is treatmen t and establish tra ffic-free areas w ithin the next 12-18 months.All streets in the north of the City area w ith tram routes shou ld be converted to

traffic-free zones.

(v) I further recommend that Calcutta introduce an Area Licensing Scheme(ALS) along the lines of that currently in p lace in Singapore. An ALS applies tothe wh ole area of the CBD and a w ider area surrounding the CBD. Motoristswho w ish to enter this area with only one person in their car must p ay a feewhich in Singap ore is set at $120 per m onth . Motorists who enter the area withfour p eople in their car need not pay a fee. This measure has been verysuccessful ind eed in Singap ore and has contributed to the economic success ofthat city state.

(vi) Receipts from the ALS can be used to fund general imp rovements topavements, cycle and ped estrian facilities in congested areas. This will reduce thesize of any finan cial outlay from the State Governm ent of West Bengal.


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SECTION 5: THE NEXT STEPS

(i) This repor t is formally presented to Calcutta NGOs and to the Minster ofTransport of the State of West Bengal. The report is intended to stimu late debateand prod uce action. The action that is required w ill come from the N GOs of

Calcutta and other prestigious organ isations such as the Calcutta Chamber ofCommerce. This action will provide evidence of local sup por t and localenthu siasm for these recomm endations w hich is so important if they are to betaken seriously by Government.

(ii) It is then the duty of government, particularly the State Governmen t ofWest Bengal to take action on implementing th e recomm endations sp eedily.

(iii) At the interna tional level it is also possible for action to take place. Indiahas p layed an imp ortant and active role in the international debate aboutsustainable developm ent and env ironmental protection. It has signed severalinternational conven tions on environm ental concerns and th e imp lementationof these conventions actually involves action at na tional and local level toreduce pollution, par ticularly from vehicles. Failure to take action to limit thenu mber of vehicles, especially in cities, and to control pollution will lead to anational failure to meet international obligations, and more difficulties in thefuture in meeting the foreign exchange costs and debt bu rden associated w ithhigh levels of oil imp orts.


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SECTION 6: CONCLUSION

Calcutta mu st now m ake the choice. The solutions I have identified are all basedon extensive discussions with citizen groups in Calcutta, with professionals andwith prestigious organisations like the Chamber of Comm erce. They have met

with their general app roval and they have met with real enthusiasm and desirethat something be done on a short timescale. All the solutions can beimp lemen ted in a minimum of three years and a maximu m of five years. Allthe solutions w ill cost less than a new m etro line, or a new 30 km h ighway, or ahigh speed tram/ monorail system. They are appropriate to Calcutta andappropr iate to a city with one of the richest inheritances and n atural beauty ofany w orld class city. The choice now facing Calcutta is very serious.

The choice can be expressed as that between MODEL A and MODEL B:

MODEL A

Calcutta continues along its present path . It remains one of the worlds mostpolluted cities with life getting increasingly d ifficult for its citizens. Lifeexpectancy for its citizens w ill be lower than in non-polluted cities. People willdie younger than they wou ld d o elsewhere, children w ill have more respiratorydisease and allergies, middle aged men will suffer more heart d isease. Cardrivers will be exposed to levels of cancer causing chemicals in their cars h igherthan most cities in Asia. Companies looking for locations to invest in newactivities will choose to go elsewhere. Why should they locate in such a pollutedcity? Breathing in winter p ollution conditions will become more d ifficult and

road traffic accidents will increase.

MODEL B

Calcutta begins to solve the problem and redu ces its air pollution year on year forthe next ten years. It develops the best example of clean, safe non-pollutingurban transport in Asia and becomes a mod el for this approach through outAfrica, Asia and South America. With much reduced noise and air pollution thecitizens of Calcutta begin to enjoy better health. Hear t d isease and respiratorydisease decline. People get more exercise throu gh walking and cycling in non-polluted cond itions and th is contributes once again to reduced d isease. The

economy of Calcutta grows faster than an y other city in India because of itsrepu tation for cleanliness and good health and its architectural and cultura lassets which have been preserved and developed and can be enjoyed in traffic-free areas and in attractive riverside locations. Road traffic accidents d ecline tothe lowest of any city in India because of improved ped estrian crossings, cyclelanes and w ell maintained , d isciplined buses. Its tram system is the envy of theworld for its extensive netw ork, its reliability, its comfort and its penetra tion ofqu iet, calm, non-polluted central areas.

The CHOICE mu st now be mad e and m ust be mad e by the people of Calcutta.Which path w ill Calcutta choose?


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SECTION 7: SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

(i) In line with best practice arou nd the world retain, refurbish and extend thetram system. Restore those lines lost in the last few years particularly the d irectlink to Howrah Railway Station.

(ii) Link the metro and the tram systems together with a direct tram linkbetween H owrah and Sealdah stations. A first class interchange facility should beprovided to the metro at an ap prop riate metro station near the CBD.

(iii) Increase metro patronage from 2 lakh per day to 1 million per day andincrease tram patronage by a factor of 5 to8. This to be don e by better ticketing,improved interchange, Howrah-Sealdah connections and MetroBus concept.MetroBus is a ded icated bus service running d irectly into metro stations withcommon ticketing with the Metro system. Improve metro and su burban ra ilwayinterchange possibilities at Du m Dum .

(iv) Complete the Circular railway, construct double track, electrify and establish20 minute frequency service in both d irections. Clear the tracks of rubbish, set upnew stations where ap propr iate and plan for best possible linkages into thesuburban railway system.

(v) Improve suburban railway trains with more rakes, higher capacity, and n ewrunn ing possibilities from the sou th (avoiding Sealdah) direct to CBD area.

(vi) Establish traffic-free zones in congested areas and on streets with tram

routes in congested areas. Create high quality ped estrian zones which are low inpollu tion and attractive locations for residential and retail activity.

(vii) Ban lorries on key routes and in congested areas at certain times of the day.

(viii) Rigorously enforce all bans with spot checks and heavy fines.

(ix) Enforce strict vehicle exhau st emission regu lations with spot checks andheavy fines. Polluting veh icles (includ ing buses and taxis) to be removed fromthe roads.

(x) Establish high quality water transpor t on the River Hooghly and the canalsystem. The RiverBus concept on the Hooghly to be linked by ded icated bu sservice d irect to metro stops.

(xi) Clear all pavements of obstacles, garbage, metal objects, building materialsand repair them regularly wh ilst clearing ru bbish on a daily basis.

(xii) Plant trees on all routes where peop le walk or cycle. Trees reduce airpollution and provide shade.

(xiii) Encourage cycling with ded icated cycle lanes, ph ysically segregated from

traffic.


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(xiv) Repair all road su rfaces and keep in a well-maintained cond ition.

(xv) Introduce Area Licensing Schemes as in Singapore to charge dr ivers whowish to enter the CBD with only one person in the vehicle. Cars with 4 or more

passengers are exemp t from the charge.

(xvi) Remove buses from direct competition with metro and tram on congestedroutes. Buses should serve areas not well served by metro or tram and feed intothose rail based systems w ith the advan tage of single/ comm on ticketing.

(xvii) Sup por t cycle rickshaw s, rickshaw p ullers and h and carts un til such a timeas normal market forces redu ce their use. They provide much neededemp loyment, they are low cost and non-polluting and they provide a servicewhich, cur rently, is in d emand .

(xviii) Establish overall co-ord ination of all pu blic passenger transport inCalcutta . High levels of co-ordination between Indian Railways, Metro, CTC andbus operators is essential to the success of transpor t policies and environmentalpolicies. It is also essential for the introd uction of common ticketing system s andto redu ce wasteful dup lication in a situation where resources are scarce.

(xix) Establish better planning of land uses to focus developments where highquality public transp ort can be provided . This will includ e the banks of theHooghly, tram/ metro interchanges, and circular railway/ suburban rail/ metrointerchanges.

(xx) Controls on the urbanisation of valuable ecological areas to the east ofCalcutta . Development of the wetland s threatens a site of internationalecological significance and a site that is invaluable to the economy andenvironment of Calcutta. Urbanisation of this area will make transportproblems w orse and exacerbate environmental problems.


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Append ix 1

List of organisations and individuals contributing information and views to thisstudy.

NB All the addresses are in Calcutta. Only the city code is given.

Calcutta 36, 64B Hind ustan Park, 700029

Centre for Built Environ ment , 2/ 5 Sarat Bose Rd, 700020

S K Talukd ar, Zoological Survey of Ind ia, Indian Museum Campus, 27Jawaharlal Nehru Rd, 700016

Institute of App lied Hu manities, Garfa Main Rd, 700078

Arun Kum ar De, Environmental Researcher (no add ress given)

Deshkarmi Charu chandra Samsad , Charuchand ra Bhavan , 4 Pankajini,Chatterjee Rd, Tollygunge, 700033

Tollygun ge Development Council, 14 Anjuman Bose Row, 700033

Professor Monideep Chatterjee, Jadavpur University, Co-ord inator Mega-CityDevelopm ent Programme in Ind ia, 700032

Professor Dilip Halder, Professor of Transp ort Economics, Jadavpur University,

700032

S V Raman, Programme Officer, Max Mueller Bhavan Goethe Institute, 8Pramathesi Barva Sarani, 700019

Dr Dipankar Chakraborti, Director, School of Environmental Stud ies, Jadavp urUniversity, 700032

Professor Sujay Basu, Director School of Energy Studies, Jadavpur University,700032

S K Mitra, Works Manager, Calcutta Tramways Comp any Ltd , 183 AcharyaJagad ish Chand ra Bose Rd, 700014

C R Dutta , Presiden t, Amer ican Society of Civil Engineers- Ind ia Section, CalcuttaConstruction Division, PWD, 11A Mizra Galib St (3rd Floor) 700087

Shan tonu Goswami, Managing Director, West Bengal Surface Transport CorpLtd, 37 Deshap ran Sasmal Rd, 700040

Dr Pijush kanti Saha , Director, Institute of Wetland Management an d EcologicalDesign, B-4, LA Block, Section III, Salt Lake City, 700091


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Agnes Rozario, Projects Officer, British Council, 5 Shakespeare Sarani, 700071

R Mohandoss, Divisional Railway Manager, Eastern Railway, Sealdah

CS Bhattacharya, Senior Engineer in Charge, Calcutta Tramw ays Comp any Ltd,

298 APC Rd, Calcutta

A K Band opad hynya, Principal Traffic and Transporta tion Engineer, Transpor tDep t, Government of West Bengal, 18 Rabind ra Saran i, 700001

S K Gupta , General Manager, Metro Railway, 33/ 1 Chowringee Rd, 700071

Shri Sukum er Pathak, 10 Monsatala Row, Kidd erpur , Calcutta 23

Dr B N Majumder, IITian General Services Ltd , IIT Kharagp ur Extension Centre,Block HC, Section III, Salt Lake City, 700091

Calcutta Chamber of Commerce, 18A Park St, Calcutta

Mr Dilip Chakraborti, CTC, CMD, HQ, 12 R N Mukherjee Rd, 700001

Documents

Calcutta Sustainable Transport