This refers to the report "Quadricycles get govt green signal" (May 23). The solution to a practical, affordable and sustainable public transportation alternative in our crowded roads does not lie either with the existing auto-rickshaws or the introduction of quadricycles. The increase in the number of small vehicles (both public and private) every year has made traffic movements in our cities painfully slow. Despite this, our transport system is becoming increasingly skewed towards personalised vehicles, whereas investment in the bus transport system has not increased in line with the requirement of the growing number of users, resulting in prolonged waiting time and overcrowding. Here, it would be pertinent to mention that to reduce gridlocks, many cities in China, such as Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing, have a vehicle control policy in place (such as auction of vehicle licence plates) that makes owning a car expensive. However, to have such a policy, our cities need to have, like the Chinese, a much-improved mass rapid transport system, which is efficient, reliable, comfortable and supported by a good network, so that people are weaned off personalised vehicles. For the government, the choice narrows down to allowing the growth of the automobile sector that helps in overall economic growth, or curb vehicle usage that is the cause of traffic congestion. The onus is on the government to decide on a course of action that will provide a better alternative for commuters and ease not only the flow of traffic, but also reduce harmful emissions.
V Sridhar Kolkata
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