Forget Shanghai, Bengaluru is worse off than even China’s 13th largest city

MOHIT M. RAO

On an average, a commuter in Bengaluru emits nearly 46 per cent more carbon dioxide than a resident of Xi’an per trip.— File Photo

City does poorly with respect to commuting and transport emissions

After aspiring to become the next Shanghai or Singapore, there is a rude reality check for Bengaluru.

A study has shown that the city fares worse than Xi’an, China’s 13th largest city, with respect to commuting and transport emissions.

A better mass transit system in the Chinese city results in more people using metros or buses rather than their cars.

A little more than one-third of the people in core areas of Xi’an use their cars, whereas in Bengaluru, nearly three-fourths of people living in the business district travel primarily by personal vehicles. And, due to Bengaluru’s poor urban planning, the average commute to work is nearly twice the distance as compared with their counterparts in Xi’an, which is a far more ‘compact’ city rather than a haphazard sprawl.

The end result is that citizens here end up polluting more than their counterparts in Xi’an.

On an average, a commuter in Bengaluru emits nearly 46 per cent more carbon dioxide than a resident of Xi’an per trip, shows the study by T. V. Ramachandra from the Indian Institute of Science, who co-ordinated with researchers from China.

Weak public transport

36.8 per cent living in Xi’an’s Central Business District (CBD) travel by car. In Bengaluru, it is 71.5 per cent

Citizens in Bengaluru emit 0.13 kg more of carbon dioxide per trip than those in Xi'an

Haphazard town planning

For a resident living in the CBD in Xi’an, the average commute is just 2.88 km whereas the figure for a Bengalurean is 7.32 km

Even outside ring roads, in Xi’an, the average commute is 5 km as compared to 8.44 km in Bengaluru