The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) is currently undertaking a comprehensive mobility plan (CMP) to tackle the increasing vehicular traffic caused by major infrastructure projects in Navi Mumbai and neighboring regions. This plan, covering Navi Mumbai, Navi Mumbai New Town, NAINA, and Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC), aims to address mobility requirements for the next thirty years.
Encompassing an extensive area spanning approximately 860 square kilometers, the comprehensive mobility plan (CMP) is poised to address the burgeoning infrastructure projects across Navi Mumbai and its neighboring regions. As the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) prepares to open and the potential commencement of commercial operations at the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) looms for next year, a significant increase in vehicular traffic is anticipated. This surge necessitates enhancements to the existing infrastructure, including public transport, provisions for non-motorized vehicles (NMVs), and amenities for pedestrians.
The appointed consultant will undertake a comprehensive review of the current transportation system within the city. This will include an assessment of the road network inventory, the efficiency of the public transport system, freight transport mechanisms, the prevailing traffic conditions on roads, traffic safety measures, and an inventory of available parking spaces.
According to the official, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) boasts a robust road network supported by its own dedicated transport wing. However, the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) is notably deficient in quality road infrastructure and lacks a dedicated transport wing altogether.
Furthermore, the official highlighted that the commencement of airport operations will lead to an uptick in heavy vehicle movement. Therefore, the implementation of a dedicated freight transport system becomes imperative to address this anticipated surge effectively.
According to CIDCO, the planning horizon for the study will extend up to the year 2054, with the base year set as 2024. The planning agency has already issued a request for proposal (RFP) to select a consultant for the preparation of the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP).
“The objective is to develop a long-term strategy for the desirable city mobility pattern that recognizes all modes of transport and avoids a piecemeal and reactive approach to the present and future problems of transportation,” said a senior official from CIDCO.
In addition, the focus will be on the improvement and promoting public transport, non-motorized vehicles (NMVs) like cycling and facilities for pedestrians as important transportation modes. Similarly, an urban transport strategy will be developed in line with the current National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) and ensure that the transport sector attracts investment.
“The demand for passenger transport should be estimated using a four-step model. The four-step model is based on an understanding of existing travel behavior obtained from the household survey, and provisioning existing transport infrastructure and service quality. The transport model to be developed must be a peak-hour model and not a daily model,” added the official.