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H-TRIMS, the traffic management initiative of Hyderabad, has been chosen for the Best Commendable Initiative award by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Surat Municipal Corporation has won the ‘Best City Bus Services Award’, while Mysuru’s public bicycle sharing has got the best non-motorised transport honours.
The awards for best urban transport practices were announced today at the three-day Urban Mobility Conference-cum-exhibition here.
Hyderabad has about 39 lakh registered vehicles on its roads, with 600 more added every day, and a vehicle density of 723/km, the second highest in the country. However traffic management was being done with a 20-year-old signal network, which did not function if power supply was cut.
H-TRIMS was introduced in 2012 to provide a round-the-clock remotely controlled signalling service for 221 junctions. H-TRIMS also enables automatic adjustment of signal timings based on traffic flows, pedestrian controlled signals and SMS-based alerts to the citizens.
This initiative brought down the waiting time at traffic junctions by over 33 per cent. H-TRIMS was commended in the ‘Best Intelligent Transport System’ category. Pune won the Best Performer Award in this category.
Surat bus service
Surat city with a population of about 45 lakh was heavily dependent on three-wheelers and private vehicles till 2014, when the Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) and city buses were made operational.
At present, 275 city buses operate on 28 routes in the city, with fares ranging from a minimum of Rs 4 to a maximum of Rs 22. With 95 per cent on-time arrivals and departures, 87 per cent of those using private vehicles and autorickshaws have now shifted to city buses, the award citation claimed.
This has resulted in minimising environmental and social adversity issues. A single ticketing system, integration of city buses with feeder systems and Intelligent Transit Management are in place in the city, which had done exemplary work post the plague two decades ago, by turning it into one of the cleanest cities in the country.
Mysuru’s Public Bicycle Project
The tourist city of Mysure launched a public bicycle sharing in June this year, with 425 bicycles and 45 docking stations. More than 6,400 members were registered in the scheme till last month, with fares as low as Rs 5 for up to two hours of use.
The project has resulted in improved last mile connectivity, besides converting short-distance vehicular trips to cycle trips, which are eco-friendly.
The other award winners include Kochi (Kerala) for the ‘Best Urban Transport Initiative’ award for completing its metro rail project in a quick time, besides integrating the metro with other modes of transport and Chittor for a commendable initiative by the city police to improve road safety. Thiruvananthapuram won the best performer award in this category.
Madhya Pradesh was recognised for implementing a cluster-based bus transit system and Bhopal for introducing public bicycle sharing, and Noida and Greater Noida for a City Bus Service. The Andamans was recognised for introducing special bus services for women.
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