Evaluating the Climate Change Mitigation Potential of Sustainable Urban Transport Measures in India

Abstract

Urban transportation is viewed as the second leading source of carbon dioxide emissions. The growing number of vehicles and road infrastructure-based supply in Indian cities is viewed as the essential driver of climate change and relevant consequences affecting the sustainability of cities. In this study, sustainable transport measures were analyzed to understand the emission mitigation potential of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region’s transport sector in Karnataka, India. Relevant policies were identified under the planning, regulatory, economic, and technological instruments and grouped under four policy bundles. The mitigation potential of the policy bundles was quantitatively evaluated in terms of vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT), exhaust emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions. The study also estimated the carbon emission intensity and consumer surplus for different mode users across all policy bundles. The findings from this showed that Policy bundle 4, a comprehensive mix of various policies, demonstrated a critical decrease in VKT and emissions compared with the other policy bundles and, thus, provided good scientific decision support for transport policymakers.Practical ApplicationsThe study helps Bengaluru’s transport planning authorities in designing comprehensive mobility plans in a much more sophisticated way. The inclusion of public participation in the planning process helps improve sustainability. The consumer surplus provides a better understanding of social benefits derived from the policies, and emissions intensity estimates help understand whether the emissions have decoupled from the economic growth. The study also presents that public transportation plays a major role in solving congestion problems. Thus, it helps the planning authorities to prioritize their investments to make cities more liveable.