Every
increase in motorized speed creates new demands on space and time. This demand
of space and time killing the nature in the name of development has led to many
adverse impacts. India may be lagging behind China on several economic
indicators but when it comes to environmental degradation, the country has
definitely outsmarted its giant neighbor.
Of the
world’s top 20 polluted cities, 13 are in India.
Air pollution slashes life expectancy by 3.2 years for
the 660 million Indians who live in cities. The Ganga and Yamuna are ranked
among the world’s 10 most polluted rivers. A
three-year analysis of the water quality in 290 rivers by the Central Pollution
Control Board said about66% of the
stretches monitored had high organic pollution. It means 8,400 km of these rivers are badly polluted and
not fit for supporting aquatic life. India’s cities are in crisis. They are
clogged with traffic, choked with pollution, blighted by concrete flyovers,
overcrowded, suffer from power and water shortages, are prone to flooding and
can at times be almost unbearable to live in.
Smart
cities call for smart solutions in an age when carbon emissions and respect for
the environment have come to the fore. And very often it is the low-energy,
simpler forms of technology that can provide the answers. Writing in 1973, the
philosopher and social commentator Ivan Illich stated the following:
“Man
on a bicycle can go three or four times faster than the pedestrian, but uses
five times less energy in the process. He carries one gram of his weight over a
kilometer of flat road at an expense of only 0.15 calories…
Equipped with this tool, man outstrips the efficiency of not only all machines
but all other animals as well… In contrast, the accelerating individual capsule
[the car] enabled societies to engage in a ritual of progressively paralyzing
speed.”
Much
modern urban planning is car-centric. But where is the need for the car if
work, school or healthcare facilities are close by. Less need for ugly flyovers
or six lane highways that rip up communities in their path. Getting from A to B
would not require a race against the clock on the highway that cuts through a
series of localities that are never to be visited, never to be regarded as
anything but an inconvenience to be passed through en route to big-mac nirvana,
multiplex overload or shopping-mall hedonism. The main factor that keeps
cycling rates low in many cities is that most people are not comfortable
sharing space in streets with fast-moving cars and trucks. Most modern cities
are designed for cars. Thus, an intelligent city planner while planning a smart
city should assume that cycling, walking and public transport would be the main
forms of transport while trying to figure out how to accommodate inefficient,
polluting and dangerous modes like private car use.
A
humanistic, people-friendly city is first and foremost an accessible city,
where mobility is possible for all. Traffic congestion represents a major
economic problem because of the many working hours lost each day from sitting
in traffic jams and soaring petrol costs. So what’s the solution? The
good old bicycle! A growing number of cities around the world
are eager to become bicycle cities, as part of a wider strategy to raise their
green profile. The key to enabling high levels of cycling is having the right
infrastructure, including cycle paths and bicycle parking, but also a number of
communication campaigns to promote cycling, educate children and target groups
who do not normally cycle.
Currently,
31% of India’s population lives in cities; these cities also generate 63% of
the nation’s economic activity. These
numbers are rapidly increasing, with almost half of India’s population
projected to live in its cities by 2030. Smart Cities focus on the most
pressing needs and on the greatest opportunities to improve quality of life for
residents today and in the future. With this in mind, planners would create
so-called separated cycle facilities “a combination of cycle tracks at the
sidewalk level and/or protected bike lanes in the roadways”, Infrastructure,
however, is not just about bike lanes associated with that in a smart city
there will be opportunity to leverage technology to enable many facets of
cycling.
- There is already a lot of advancement in the area of Cycle Locks that are connected to your hand held devices that inform you of any possible tampering. Using Bluetooth Low-Energy, Wi-Fi, and an accelerometer, the lock pairs itself with a smartphone to be contextually aware
- Innovation in the
Cycle industry has brought in various ways to track your wellness, the
cyclist now is able to know the distance driving, calories burnt, heart
rate, pulse and few other key statistics, also the cycles are smart enough
to store your data on cloud and monitor the improvement in health
parameters. There are advanced studies that show how this data help the
medical and Para medical faculties in helping one overcome lifestyle
disorders of diabetes and blood pressure
- Another classic innovation
is the Copenhagen Wheel that allows you to capture the energy dissipated
while cycling and braking and save it for when you need a bit of a boost.
It also maps pollution levels, traffic congestion, road conditions in
real-time. Controlled through your smart phone, the Copenhagen Wheel
becomes a natural extension of your everyday life. You can use your phone
to unlock and lock your bike, change gears and select how much the motor
assists you.
- Smart pedal and smart chain
/ belt are two other innovations that leverage the IoT and facilitate
bicycle rides for longer distances. If one has to travel from home to
office say 20Kms the modern cycle leveraging the technology has made it in
par if not as fast as a car to cover the distance of 20Kms at the rate of
60Kmph. So you can reach the destination in 20mins overcoming all traffic
- Smart Cycles are great
energy savers, the capacitors and auto charge elements of the bicycle are
generating energy that can be used back home for daily chores, heating,
lighting and many other day to day activities.
What
is required by the planners today is to ensure when Smart Cities are built
there should be enough infrastructure for Cycling and Pedestrians and this
alone will contribute help improve the living conditions, directly impacting
fuel costs and wellness of the person on cycle.
Lets
build a smart planet with smart people choosing smart lifestyle supported by
smart technology and smart governance...
Connect
with me on LinkedIn or mail me rajesh.mohandas@gmail.com to discuss
smart opportunities :-)
