When it comes to public transport in Dehradun, it must be stated unequivocally that adequate, timely, and safe public transport has failed to take off in the city. Irrespective of several efforts made by leaders and bureaucrats, ground results are missing. Given the acute shortage of reliable public transport, there is an unsustainable surge in the number of private vehicles in the city. To make matters worse, the limited network of roads and flyovers is unable to cater efficiently to the mobility demands in Dehradun.
Driven by its vision to assemble a range of stakeholders from the government and civil society on a common platform, SDC organized a roundtable dialogue on the issue of public transport in Dehradun, on August 7th 2023, at Pacific Hotel, Dehradun. The top 10 takeaways from the dialogue are as follows:
1. It is estimated that the population of Dehradun has crossed 12 lakh, and the city has expanded several times over. Due to inadequate public transport, per capita private vehicle ownership is extremely high. As per the Master Plan of the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA), Dehradun's population is projected to reach 23.5-24 lakh by 2041. This is a cause of concern and calls for long term planning. Thus, the public transport plan must incorporate the anticipated population changes in Dehradun.
2. People in Dehradun have been hearing about various mobility options during the past few years – metro, neo metro, light rail transit, pod taxis etc – but the lack of concrete initiatives has diluted public trust in all these announcements. It is critical that the political and bureaucratic leadership in the Uttarakhand government takes ownership of the issue of public transport and comes up with actionable, time bound solutions.
3. The city has an extensive transport network, which includes nearly 170 city buses, 30 electric buses of Dehradun Smart City Limited, 500 Tata Magic vehicles, 800 Vikram vehicles, 2,500 autos, and 4,500 e-rickshaws. With a population of around 12 lakh, there are nearly 10 lakh vehicles in Dehradun. The city ideally requires 350 buses of 30 seats each. It must also be borne in mind that the Metro Neo solution, if implemented, will not cover the entire city area; thus, there is a need to develop various modes of public transport across the city of Dehradun.
4. It is important to highlight that many of Dehradun's main roads have reached their saturation point in terms of capacity, necessitating the exploration of new options. In this scenario, the Metro Neo offers a significant solution.
There are two routes, one from North-South (ISBT to Gandhi Park), and another one from East-West (FRI to Raipur) that have been proposed in the Dehradun project. The Metro Neo project is under consideration by the Central government. In-house studies by Uttarakhand Metro Rail indicate that the Metro Neo system could be a significant solution for Dehradun.
5. The slow progress of numerous government projects and prevalence of encroachments adversely affects the right to way. Roads such as the so-called "Smart Roads" have been under construction for the past four years. Despite the removal of encroachments on a large scale and the demolition of people's homes and shops in 2018, the “additional road width” is yet to be integrated into the overall width of the roads. The widespread prevalence of electricity poles, ducts and utilities leads to congestion and chaos on the roads.
6. The focus of the government seems to be on roadways, thus neglecting the holistic development of a robust public transport system. In the past 20 years, apart from city buses, nothing significant has been added to the transport network in Dehradun.
7. Public transport is not readily available for the general public in Dehradun. Auto-rickshaws and e-rickshaws charge arbitrary and exorbitant fares. There is an acute need for a regulated meter system. The public transport system of Dehradun should support and keep the poorest of the poor in mind.
8. When discussing public transport, there is a need to lay stress on promoting walkability and cycling in Dehradun. Sadly, no attention has been paid to these mobility options. Pedestrians should be provided with safe and comfortable rights of way.
9. Improved public transport is a demand of the times, but interdepartmental coordination is lacking, and officers are not held accountable. The Metro Neo project, if and when it starts, should not go the way of the Smart City project in Dehradun. Public participation is essential for improving the city's traffic and transportation system.
10. Political will is a key factor in implementing major rail projects like Metro Neo. This makes the participation of public representatives crucial in terms of advocacy of transport solutions. Despite having several legislative constituencies in Dehradun, public transport has never been an electoral issue. The improvement of public transport in Dehradun will only happen when it becomes a political priority.
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