In 2021, Transitec
was selected by the French Development Agency (AFD) to develop the
Ahmedabad Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP), as part of the MobiliseYourCity initiative. This project is
conducted in partnership with Suez Consulting and CEPT, India's centre of excellence in urban
transport, recognized for its participation in the deployment of one of India's
first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network in Ahmedabad in 2009.
Between November 2021 and May 2022, our teams worked on the SUMP diagnosis. It will be consolidated at the end of July by the results of the household-travel survey currently underway. These input data will then allow us to move on to the modelling phase of the various scenarios envisaged. The choice of scenario and the definition of the action plan will lead to the finalization of the SUMP in December.
Insights on the diagnosis
- Ahmedabad is the 7th largest Indian city with 7.3 million inhabitants in 2021. Its population is expected to increase by 59% by 2041 (+ 215,000 inhabitants per year).
- Two-wheelers constitute the majority of vehicles (72% in 2021). The number of trips made by two-wheelers and cars is expected to grow by 40% by 2041.
- Despite the prevalence of walking as a means of transport, most of the road space is dedicated to motorized transport. Bicycle use is fading in favour of two-wheelers (9% and 26% of modal shares respectively in 2011).
- The institutional public transport offer is substantial: 66% of the population is currently covered by the BRT, a municipal bus network (AMTS) covers the city, and the first metro line should be inaugurated in August 2022. However, the lack of physical, ticketing, and fare integration affects the accessibility of the service.
- The current traffic structure is the main cause of the externalities that are :
--> lack of road safety, of which non-motorized transport users and two-wheelers are the main victims, especially in mixed activity areas where more trucks are found. Ranked 22nd in terms of number of accidents, Ahmedabad is performing better than other million-plus Indian cities, such as Chennai and Delhi, ranked 1st and 2nd respectively.
--> Emission of particulate matter (PM), whose concentration level in Ahmedabad is 10 times higher than the thresholds recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).