By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 10: Shillong’s urban experience is losing its essence by the numerous challenges in mobility. The dependance on private transportation is high as evident from new vehicles hitting the city roads constantly. A lot has been planned to improve mobility in Shillong under the Shillong Urban Mobility Policy 2024 (Draft).
Under the “Vision and Goals of Shillong 2030: Sustainable, Inclusive, Reliable, and Affordable Mobility for All”, the government intends to develop a 20-minute neighbourhood for ensuring accessibility within a short radius for all residents and businesses.
Similarly, there is a plan of 20 km per hour public transit. Under this, the government wants to increase public transit speed to 20 km per hour for providing efficient and inclusive mobility for the commuters.
There is also a concept about 20 Low Emission Zones. These will be created across Shillong to promote a cleaner environment.
Then, the government wants to achieve a 30% mode share in public transport, enhancing accessibility and reducing congestion in Shillong besides allocating 30% of road space to non-motorized transport, prioritising pedestrians and cyclists and making the city inclusive and safe.
The government wants to shift 30% of private vehicle trips to shared mobility options such as carpooling, promoting a collaborative and sustainable approach to urban transportation.
These are imperative as the daily commuters in the city have shifted to private taxis which comprised 7% in 2010 compared to 41% in 2018. Walking has become less popular.
On an average, people spend 70 minutes in traffic snarls daily to cross major traffic junctions. Further, the average speed of vehicles in the city is less than 15 km per hour against a benchmark of 25 km per hour. The speed at some major junctions is less than 5 km per hour.
It is estimated that traffic congestion results in an annual opportunity cost of about Rs 500 crore for workers and businesspersons.
The present mobility issues are also due to the changing landscape of Shillong with its rapid population and economic growth over the last two decades.
The city is now unable to cope with the growing mobility demands due to the challenges such as hilly terrain, narrow road width, and difficulty in land expansion.