There
has been a lot of hype about smart cities in the last few years. There is a lot
of ambiguity on the definition of smartness of systems. Most of the people
confuse smartness with the use of technology. The reality is that smartness is
making the technology humane for efficient and optimum use for the users of
public services. A smart city cannot be infused with just technology of
connected/intelligent systems, it needs aesthetics and usability to enhance the
landscape with covert and embedded use of technologies.
Through
many of the surveys done by research agencies, a majority of people have rated
transport as a top issue for the smart cities.
On a
broad scale, a large metropolitan city can have 3 orbits of road transportation.
This is depicted schematically in the figure below.
Out of
the above orbits, las mile transportation is most chaotic and deficient in our
country. There were the good old cycle rickshaw days, where the rickshaw could
be hailed almost from the doorstep and would always drop one back at the
doorstep. This would mostly happen in the small towns or in lesser developed
cities. Then came the auto rickshaws and then the e-rickshaws. Mostly we can’t
hail them from our doorstep and many a times they don’t drop you at the door
step.
With
the cities expanding and aspirations of our young population on the rise, few
would like to drive the auto / e-rickshaws. They may demand more respectable
jobs. Also with smartness being introduced in the cities, the chaos created by
these modes of transport may have to be dispensed with.
Also
rising is the population of seniors. Children are becoming more mobile for
their activities like sports and tuition, and our differently abled people
aspire for inclusive public systems.
What we
need is an ably managed last mile transport that is caring, that is smart, that
does not pollute, that works on renewable energy, and so on. Our cities are
crowded so we do not need hi speed last mile transport. What we need is a no frill,
small footed (read footprint) electric/solar transport that moves around slowly
in a defined ‘cell’.
Definition
of a CELL could be a locality which is connected by metro and public buses.
This locality is bounded or defined by a name. It has its own nervous system
(read by lanes and labyrinths) and the last mile transport needs to cover each
of these by lanes.
An example of a cell& a visualisation
of last mile transport
A very
thoughtful user centric design needs to be created which caters to the
stereotypes and behavioural pattern of
our target audience (mainly seniors, children and differently abled) It should
move in a designated narrow path and should be constantly on the move. Ideally
it should be an electric vehicle with solar charging and should be able to
accommodate at least 8-10 adults. It should be an App based connected vehicle
with several well-articulated smart features.
Last
mile transportation will also mitigate several problems related to chaos on
roads, crowded parking spaces and pollution. We cannot blindly follow the
benchmarks of other countries. It is imperative that Indian demography and behavioural
patterns are unique, with verycomplex population dynamics. With the development
of smart cities gaining momentum, it is an opportune time to develop our own last
mile system that works consistently. We have to create a no-frill, frugal
design that enhances our roadscape and is kind to our environment and people.
It is suggested
that a template is created for dry run. During the dry run, we should refine
the design to the hilt while plugging all gaps. After perfecting the system, it
could be replicated across the city. To cater to the unique requirements of
regions, small/big cities, one can follow the 80/20 principle, where 80% of the
design is fixed and 20% is open for customisation.
Great
transport system is the real identifier of smart cities. Last mile will show
the empathy of the government towards people’s needs and solve many problems.
Anuj Prasad
Founder & CEO, Desmania, one of the best Industrial Design Studios in India.
He can be reached at anuj@desmania.com
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