In this episode, Sunita Narain addresses the critical issue of urban mobility in India. She highlights how traffic congestion is not just a personal inconvenience but a major challenge with significant costs to the economy and public health, particularly air pollution.
Drawing from a series called How India Moves comprising extensive ground reports by her colleagues at Down to Earth and the Centre for Science and Environment, she reveals surprising trends found in 50 Indian cities.
Narain argues that the exponential growth of private vehicles, especially cars, is consuming road space while moving a disproportionately small number of people.
She stresses the importance of prioritising and improving mass transit systems like buses, which are declining in number despite being the most efficient way to move large populations.
The episode focuses on the fact that the future of urban mobility lies in moving people, not cars, by investing in integrated public transport, regulating para-transit and creating safe, walkable and cycle-friendly cities.