Auto Expo 2016: Transportation Still The Nucleus Of Our Existence

When people used to travel on foot, no one would have predicted that automobiles will give a complete new shape to our lives one day. On the one hand, the Delhi Auto Expo is under way in Greater Noida, cars are being blamed for the Capital's pollution, traffic congestion and of course, road accidents. With parking spaces in Delhi occupying 10 per cent of the city's urban land, very few of us are aware that transportation literally keeps us alive.

Let us look at some facts on transportation:

If automobiles did not exist, many of us would not even have been born
Economist Tyler Cowen thinks fast food delivered through faster transportation is the single-biggest achievement in the human history. Without it, most of us would not even have been walking on earth today. Contrary to what panegyrists of the past believe, fresh food was a rarity in the past. Modern means of refining and preserving food did not exist because entrepreneurs and scientists did not have strong incentives to develop them. Food produced in farms were not sold in faraway, large markets. Production and consumption of food was mostly local, and food poisoning was common. Faster and cheap transportation changed everything.

Modern transportation allows people to live closer, but not too close
When people traversed cities on foot or on horse carts, people lived in central cities where they could easily access amenities without travelling much. However, when transportation networks improved, the boundaries of cities widened. This explains why population of cities rose while the core of cities emptied out. But, this has not happened enough in Indian cities because transportation is still expensive. Not surprisingly, in Indian cities, a large segment of population lives in informal settlements in the city center. But, in countries where transportation networks were well developed, with a long history of car-based living people moved to suburbs. It is easy and cheap to drive in many developed countries. People want to live close, but not too close.

Driverless shared cabs may be one of the biggest revolutions we may see in our lifetimes
Google's driverless cars have already driven through roads. But, today, it is difficult for many to believe that it may change the way we live, work and travel. As societies become prosperous, more people own cars. But, when driver-less shared cabs are commonplace, more people will shun cars. They may put taxis out of business. It may become unethical for human beings to drive. Of course, present day roads are not equipped to handle driver-less cars but technology has progressed to the extent that this would happen sooner than we expect.

Indian cities are dense, but are sparsely populated near mass transit stations
Large Indian cities are exceptionally dense. This makes cities like Delhi and Mumbai the obvious candidates for mass transit-oriented living. Even though mass transit usage is high in cities like Mumbai, people do not find the experience pleasant. One of the reasons is that even though Indian cities are dense, population density near mass transit corridors is low. In Mumbai, in a 10-km radius around the main railway transit corridor, population density is one-third of that of in Paris, though population density in Paris is fivefold. Transit stations are not easily accessible either because they are not within a 500-800-metre distance from where people live.

Parking spaces consume more space than any form of real estate consumption
There is not much reliable data on how much space parking spaces consume in Indian cities. But, in Delhi, parking spaces consume 10 per cent of the urban land, while slums consume three per cent of the city's total land. In global cities were data on parking space consumption is available, parking spaces consume more space than residential or commercial space, or any other form of real estate. The imputed annual rent of a parking lot in Delhi's central business district Connaught Place or its premium bazaar Khan Market is much more than the price of a car. But, parking charges in these markets are exceptionally low.

In many Indian cities, private cars do not make transportation faster
In some developed world cities, cars are three times faster than mass transit. But, in many Indian cities, cars do not offer much more than privacy and lack of crowding. Car ownership in Indian cities is very low by global standards, because of four reasons. Firstly, India does not have enough surfaced roads per people. Secondly, Indian cities are densely populated. Thirdly, Indian road networks are not widely developed. Lastly, investment in mass transit and bus rapid transit is low enough to dissuade many people from travelling in a bus or mass transit. This makes roads more crowded.

Century on, transportation has become much cheaper and faster
In 1890, the cost of transportation was 18.5 cents per ton-mile, keeping purchasing power constant, but by 2001, it fell to 2.3 cents. The decline was consistent, and this is a major reason why our lives are so comfortable today. Today's labour markets are developed. We spend less time commuting and working because when transportation is cheaper and efficient, productivity is higher. There is much greater access to amenities today. All this would not have been possible if cars had remained a rich man's toy as it was over 100 years ago.