Vehicular Growth versus Population Growth
Urban transport infrastructure is likely to face a major challenge by the steep rise in vehicular growth, fuelled by high Indian economic growth ensuring that millions of Indians are in a position to afford there first vehicle. Transport infrastructure in Indian cities is likely to face an immense pressure from increasing number of vehicles as well as growing populations wanting to use public modes of transportation. The number of motor vehicles in India is growing much faster than the population and faster than the gross domestic product with 15% annual growth in two wheelers and 10% annual growth in cars. Additionally, only 28 of India’s 88 cities with a population of more than half a million have any formal public transportation system.

Safety and Health
Even fewer cities have designating cycling and walking lanes that are safe and well functioning. As expected, the rise in vehicular usage has led to an alarming increase in air and noise pollution. A 2008 UNEP report documented 3 kilometer thick brown clouds of pollution hanging over Mumbai, New Delhi and Calcutta making these cities dimmer and darker. Automobile emissions and pollutants are a significant cause of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in the country.

Opportunities to Reform Urban Transportation
Being witness to the extraordinary and largely uncontrolled growth of motorized transport in India and other Asian cities; EMBARQ, WRI in partnership with the Swedish International Development Agency and the Asian Development Bank, under the initiation of the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities; launched the Partnership for Sustainable Transport in Asia (PSUTA) in 2004. Under this initiative, it formed partnerships with three Asian cities; including Pune, to develop a strategic framework which then cities throughout the region could use to develop their own customized sustainable transport plan. In March 2006, the partnership held a successful handover of the project to the city authorities.