Child-friendly & Commuter Centric Dehradun Smart City Sustainable Mobility Plan
Dehradun, is not only the school capital of the country but, also a gateway to the Himalayan towns in Uttarakhand. Due to this, nearly 33 percent of all transport in the city is related to tourism while work or education related travel is only 34 percent and 10 percent respectively. Buses are the main mode of public transport with mini buses and Vikram tempos plying as feeder routes to the existing network. This network has nearly 250 buses, which operate at a frequency of 15 minutes, added to this are 800 Vikrams, diesel rickshaws, that ply through the city.
However, there are many issues associated with operation of buses in the city:
- Unorganised bus routing and pattern.
- Lack of basic facilities like bus queue shelter and designated stops along the routes.
- Due to this disorganised bus services, people rely more on Vikrams.
- Lack of quality of public transport system in the city, overloading during peak hours, inconsistent fares, short boarding and alighting time, poor frequency during non-peak hours are some other issues associated with bus services in the city.
- Non-inclusion of child-friendly design and socio- economic aspect in city-wide interventions in ease of access and mobility consideration.
- Lack of a passenger information system to make public transit seamless.
- Lack of pedestrian infrastructure disrupts first and last mile connectivity.
The project therefore aims at creating a modal shift to public transportation systems with, feeder services and Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) across the city to reduce air pollution, road accidents, congestion and wastage of time and money for residents, students and tourists. The project objectives are:
- To revamp the existing public transport and para transit system through strategic utilization of existing network routes, plying of buses and IPTs.
- To improve traffic congestion and increase the access for everyday commuters, school going children and incoming tourists.
- To develop public transport boarding and alighting infrastructure to ensure safety and ease of access for users and particularly for school children.
- To encourage a modal shift to public transport and paratransit by easing journey planning via information on real time vehicle arrival, boarding, alighting nodes, fares, frequency, journey time etc.
- The e-app will include different profile features to aid tourists, children, and other commuters alike.
- To improve the regulatory system of public and para transport by formulating a unified authority that can regulate and monitor the operation of private buses and IPTs with a fixed fare, route, and frequency.
- To develop a seamless multi modal daily commute where walkability is encouraged as the first and last mile connectivity to public transport for safe commuting for students, children, and elderly.
Resources
- Students
- Tourists
- Mobility
- Students
The project aims to move commuters from private vehicles to buses, this will reduce the number of vehicles on the roads and will bring down levels of pollution considerably.