Need for Sustainable Transport and Mixed Land Use: Findings from the 2008 and 2018 Travel Surveys

Abstract

Pune is the next largest city to Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra, India. Hinjewadi is a suburb located in Pune, mainly known as the major Information Technology (IT) park of Pune. At present (2018), about 390,000 people work at this IT Park and majority of them commute from Pune city. Using the data from 2008 and 2018 travel surveys, the study investigates the differences in travel characteristics of individuals residing/working at Hinjewadi IT Park. The findings show that there is a significant increase in average trip length, travel time and travel cost in 2018 as compared to 2008. This increase is due to the fact that the trips destined to Hinjewadi at present (2018), have origins spread across all over Pune Metropolitan Region as compared to 2008 wherein trips were confined to nearby areas of Hinjewadi. The other factors contributing to the congested travel scenario include rapid increase in employment, increase in income and vehicle ownership, and higher rental values within Hinjewadi area. In the end, the study highlights the possible measures that could alleviate the travel scenario in Hinjewadi area and prompt sustainable growth. The measures could be the earliest implementation of mass transit systems like Metro connecting Hinjewadi and Pune city, and introducing policies to encourage mixed land use, walk to work, and integrated township projects.