The challenges of mobility amid an unprecedented spike in urbanisation can be addressed through a multi-pronged approach, including the prioritisation of non-motorised transport, multimodal transportation systems, electric vehicles and the best possible utilisation of parking spaces, experts said at the Infrastructure and Real Estate Summit 2025.
At a panel discussion on Sustainable Transportation Systems, held as part of the summit, and moderated by Pratyush Chandra, Manager, EY Parthenon Automotive Consulting Practice, S. Venkata Kumar, President, Operations and Engineering, Balaji Railroad Systems, emphasised the need to prioritise non-motorised transport and called for better infrastructure for pedestrians, improved rail networks and enhanced last-mile connectivity.
“I think, fundamentally, what has happened is that roads have become a means for moving cars rather than people. The priority of mobility should be non-motorised transport. That should be the first priority. The second priority should be a backbone on rail infrastructure networks,” said Mr. Kumar said.
Sudhakar Reddy Chirra, Founder and Chief Electric Officer of Fresh Bus, cited London as a successful example of a multimodal transportation systems, and sought that this be looked into. He noted that Hyderabad has witnessed a surge in the number of vehicles on the roads, which are proving to be inadequate. He suggested that stakeholders who include civic authorities, traffic police, state road transport undertakings and ride-hailing apps must arrive at a ‘common understanding’ to develop an integrated multimodal transportation system that can help decongest roads.
“The spurt in residential units and the increasing number of cars added year-on-year do not match the parking footprint in urban areas,” said N. V. Ramana, Director, Marine Car Parx. He stressed the need for innovative solutions to expand parking capacity in smaller spaces. “If we say, ‘Let’s neglect cars or have no cars,’ it is not feasible. It impacts GDP and employment. High-rise residential units and densely populated areas must incorporate more vertical car parking solutions,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr. Chirra also sought to dispel what he described as a ‘myth’ that manufacturing electric vehicles (EVs) causes excessive pollution. He stated that while tailpipe emissions from EVs are zero, their overall emissions once measured end-to-end are 71% lower than those of diesel and petrol vehicles.
“For example, if a passenger travels one kilometre [in an EV], the carbon emissions amount to about 34 gm, compared to 150 gm when travelling in a diesel or petrol car. So, I clearly see the need to transition to EVs,” he said.
Earlier during the summit, N Satyanarayana, Chairman TG RERA, emphasised the importance of building trust with home buyers. He said that distrust rose out of ‘asymmetry of information’. Former Chairman of CII Telangana C. Shekhar Reddy expressed concerns over ‘double’ taxation and said that this burden would eventually be passed on to the buyer. M. Goutham Reddy, Vice Chairman, CII Telangana and Siva Prasad Reddy R., Chairman, CII also spoke.
Published – March 25, 2025 06:00 pm IST