Highlights from the issue

Highlights from the issue

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How India moves: Gridlocked

How India moves: Our analysis from 40 cities provides a brutally simple answer — it does not
Mumbai, IndiaiStock

Our analysis of 40 cities reveals a brutally simple fact — Urban India is gridlocked and congested, and the problem is not limited to big cities

Delhi: Forever stuck

Ajmal Khan Road in Karol Bagh and the Red Fort-Fatehpuri axis of Shahjahanabad were Delhi’s flagship pedestrian corridors. Now, these areas are drifting back to the original status quo.
Ajmal Khan Road in Karol Bagh and the Red Fort-Fatehpuri axis of Shahjahanabad were Delhi’s flagship pedestrian corridors. Now, these areas are drifting back to the original status quo.Kalyani Tembhe / CSE

Bold transport reforms for the national capital promised cleaner air, but poor execution and fragmented oversight have left Delhi grasping

Kolkata: Smoke hazard

How India moves: Surge in lung ailments in Kolkata as vehicle emissions choke city
Jayanta Basu

Despite poor air quality, West Bengal's capital is considering revival of polluting, ageing commercial vehicles

Mumbai: Car focused

Choked marine drive in Mumbai.
Choked marine drive in Mumbai.By special arrangement

In India's financial capital, construction of flyovers, coastal roads and sea links—initiatives that cater primarily to cars—have coincided with a rise in private vehicles  

Bengaluru: Perpetual jam

How India moves: Poor planning in Bengaluru road & metro projects add to traffic woes
Many people in the city prefer not to use the metro because the stations are inaccessible. Some prefer to walk. Author provided

Road congestion is the result of a city that did not grow, but exploded in terms of population and vehicle ownership

Chennai: Weak network

Chennai bus riders face long wait times, lengthy commute, overcrowding as city’s bus fleet only half of demands
Peak-hour crowd at Saidapet bus shelter. Chennai falls short of the buses needed to support its residents Author provided

Decline in public transport, rise in private vehicles, and poor first- and last-mile connectivity leave Tamil Nadu's capital congested

Hyderabad: Costly crawl

Hyderabad metro train zooms past through the Panjagutta circle, one of the most-busy traffic junctions in Hyderabad city. Metro services are yet to catch up with the needs of the city even as the city continues to add more two and three wheelers onto the roads.
Hyderabad metro train zooms past through the Panjagutta circle, one of the most-busy traffic junctions in Hyderabad city. Metro services are yet to catch up with the needs of the city even as the city continues to add more two and three wheelers onto the roads.G Ram Mohan

Preference for private over public transport in Telangana's capital has contributed to slow-moving traffic, road congestion

Video: How do Indians commute?

Dig into Down To Earth's exploration of the extent and scale of India’s mobility crisis

Down To Earth
www.downtoearth.org.in