Vehicular Penetration Essay

Introduction Transport Sector in India is a very extensive system comprising different modes of transport like roads, railways, aviation, inland waterways and shipping, which facilitates easy and efficient conveyance of goods and people across the country. The backbone of economic development of India depends on its transportation. Road Transport is the primary mode of transport which plays an important role in conveyance of goods and passengers and linking the centres of production, consumption and distribution. It plays a significant role in influencing the pattern of distribution of economic activity and improving productivity. It is also a key factor for promoting socio-economic development in terms of social, regional and

national

Cross Country Comparison of Vehicular Penetration Following table portrays the vehicular penetration across select developed and developing countries in the world. The Table reflects vehicle fleet ratios in terms of three parameters: (i) passenger cars per 1000 persons; (ii) total vehicle population (excluding two wheelers) per 1000 persons; and (iii) two wheelers per 1000 persons in conjunction with the per capita Gross National Income (GNI) in terms of US dollars. It is apparent from the Table that there is positive association between car/ total vehicle per 1000 person and the per capita income. Developed countries like Germany and USA have car penetration rates (car/1000 persons) which are higher by factors of about 31 and 26 to that of China and by factors of 57 and 46 to that of India.. With rising per capita income in India this ratio is likely to see rapid surge in the coming years. In case of India the penetration level

2.Motorization is growing faster than the population (more than 10% per year for sale of cars and 2/3 wheelers over the past 5 years).

3. Traffic congestion and parking difficulties- accessing jobs , education, recreation and similar activities is becoming increasingly time consuming . Billions of man hours are lost with people “stuck in traffic”.

4. The failure of the public transport agenda also reflects the failure of our democratic process because the present mechanism of planning and decision-making does not allow inclusion of the demands of the majority of the city residents who are pedestrians, bicyclists and public transport users.

Findings and solutions: India started out with a transportation handicap. The tight economic controls that bound our first 45 years held back the development of transportation industries and tangled plans for road systems and bridges. In 1991, India’s transformation from a near-closed economy to a fast-changing liberalizer unleashed thrilling economic