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226Natural and human-made disastersBox 9.7 Challenges and opportunities for a sustainable transport system in Delhi, India…road users maynot give up use ofprivate cars easilyIn some respects, Delhi has led the way in sustainable transport. Inothers, progress has been less comprehensive. Some 77 per cent ofDelhi’s population (about 10 million people) live in inadequatehousing, many in inner-city slums or peripheral informalsettlements. This majority group of the city’s population reliesmainly on public transport, walking or bicycles for travel. A total of50 per cent of the city’s residents can only afford non-motorizedtransport. There are estimated to be 1.5 million bicycles and300,000 cycle-rickshaws in the city. Public transport in Delhi isprovided mainly by buses, which make up only 1 per cent of thecity’s vehicles, but serve about half of all transport demand. Since1992, the private sector has played an increasing role in bus transport.Privatization has increased the size of the bus fleet; but busescontinue to be overcrowded and poorly maintained.A key challenge within Delhi’s transport system isovercoming the negative stereotypes about non-motorized formsof transport that are too easily seen as being anti-modern or as acause of traffic congestion. On the contrary, non-motorized formsof transport are less dangerous and more sustainable forms oftransport. Encouraging non-motorized transport and providingsafety from the hazard generated by motor vehicles while preventingcongestion is problematic.Where investments in traffic improvements have occurred,they repeatedly promote mechanized transport and furthermarginalize more environmentally sustainable and pro-poor modes,such as walking, cycling and good quality public transport. The citygovernment has enhanced its worldwide reputation and markedlyimproved air quality through the transition of public transport tocompressed natural gas; but similar innovation and leadership areharder to see in city transport planning that can serve the poormajority.Road systems in Delhi and other Indian cities can beredesigned to meet the needs of the poor majority and increaseroad safety. Road geometry and traffic management can be alteredto better reflect the diversity of road users, with an emphasis onthe needs of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users. Delhiis fortunate in having many wide roads with additional service lanesthat could be converted into segregated space for pedestrians,bicycles and motorized vehicles. Segregated traffic systems arelikely to reduce congestion and ease traffic flow if such a policy isimplemented.Source: ORG, 1994; Tiwari, 2002Rationalizing roadspace allocation byaccommodatingcommonly usedforms of transportation… may help toreduce trafficaccidentsPromoting public transportation use in place ofprivate vehicles may prove difficult, in practice. In richercountries, a range of techniques are available, often bestapplied in tandem, to provide disincentives for private caruse (such as environmental fuel levies or congestion charges)and incentives for a switch to public transport (such asimproved service, park-and-ride schemes, easily availableinformation on timetables, and low fares). Deregulation andthe consequent involvement of the private sector in publictransport provision have enabled innovation in public transportservice provision within European countries. 49However, even where public transportation infrastructureand services are available in richer countries, road users maynot give up the use of private cars easily. For example, astudy in London (UK) illustrated how perceptions that alternativesto the car are not viable and long distances betweenwork and home discourage widespread use of theseservices. 50 Intra-urban economic inequalities within developedcountry cities may also cause differentiated uptake andimplementation of policies seeking to promote non-motorizedtransport. For instance, a study in Auckland (NewZealand) shows how the Walking School Bus scheme,whereby children are escorted by volunteers between homeand school to protect them from traffic accidents, was morewidely adopted in affluent neighbourhoods. 51 In poorercountries, public transport systems are often in a state ofcollapse and may not offer greater safety than private transportoptions. Furthermore, private vehicle users indeveloping countries from middle- and high-income groupsmay not be willing to sacrifice the comforts and convenienceof personal transport. 52■ Safer transport infrastructureRoad infrastructure design –- in terms of road networks, mixof types of traffic and types of safety measures – determinesthe likelihood of traffic accidents occurring in urban areas.Road design and facilities influence driver behaviour throughamenities such as curves, gradients, road markings and theprovision of facilities for vulnerable road users. Initiativesthat can readily be used without major re-planning of urbanneighbourhoods include the installation of traffic lights,pedestrian-only streets, lighting, bus lanes, pedestrianwalkways, video monitoring of traffic and speed bumps. 53 Itis important to maintain the goodwill of road users whenimplementing such road safety measures. For example, theimportance of drivers’ acceptance of automatic speedlimiters in order to implement the policy has been illustratedin a study undertaken in Leeds (UK). 54Vulnerable road users are disadvantaged in modernroad systems, most of which are designed to cater for motorvehicles. 55 If road design does not take into account theneeds of pedestrians, bicyclists and public transport vehicles,they will still use infrastructure that is not designed for them– hence, increasing accident risks for all road users. 56Rationalizing road space allocation by accommodatingcommonly used forms of transportation, such as two- andthree-wheeled vehicles and non-motorized transport, mayhelp to reduce traffic accidents. For instance, the constructionof a segregated lane for bicycles in Delhi would increasethe road space available for motorized traffic by 50 per centon three-lane roads while meeting the needs of bicyclists.The provision of a high-capacity bus lane would increasecapacity by 56 to 73 per cent; while the inclusion of separate