CSR: Carpool, Public Transport For Healthy Commute
Mumbai’s vehicle population is booming explosively over the last decade. According to the motor vehicles statistics, it had taken about 2 decades for the vehicle population in the city to reach its first million from the years 1980 to 2000. However, later it only took about a decade from 2001 to 2011 to reach its second million. From then till 2017, with easy availability of loans and EMIs, there are about 3.2 million motor vehicles registered in Mumbai.
According to the data, among these 3.2 million motor vehicles, there are about 9.6 Lakhs private cars and 17.7 Lakhs two-wheelers in the city. It is estimated that the number of two wheelers on the road will soon double the number of cars.
Corresponding to that, the road length in Mumbai that is around 2000 kilometers has not increased over the years. Thus, the vehicle density has rose up to almost 1500 vehicles per kilometer in the city.
The increasing number of vehicles is very harmful for several reasons. It is causing significant damage to the environment with its CO2 emissions. The overall air quality of the city is ranked at 151 AQI which is unhealthy according to Environmental Protection Agency Air Now. The average speed of vehicles on the road has come down to almost 20 kmph from 45 kmph.
The high vehicle density on the road can also cause more traffic frenzies and mishaps on the road. This is the cause of high noise pollution levels, light pollution levels, as well as accidents in the city.
The problems increase corresponding to the number of vehicles on the road. However, everyone still dreams to buy a car of their own, disregarding all the drawbacks. We, as responsible citizens have to realize the damage we cause to the ecosystem by bringing more private vehicles on the road. And take appropriate measures to do our bit to build a healthier ecosystem in the city.
Here are several things Mumbaikars can do to reduce the number of cars on Mumbai roads.
- Avoid riding in private vehicles alone. Learn to pool with more people.
- Use public transport as much as possible and encourage others to do the same.
- Hire carpool service instead of private taxi service.
- Buy electric vehicles for city commute.
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Regards,
The CSR Journal Team
