The burgeoning number of vehicles in the Country, especially in Urban setting which are choking the cities in India is the main concern of the Government as well as the urban Planners.
The reasons for this are twofold. With the liberalization of the Indian economy
- Conceptual transformation of 'luxuries' to 'necessities'. The average Indian middle class, which constitutes a bulk of the Indian population, has that financial strength to view vehicles as necessities as against luxuries not too long ago.
- The availability of state-of-the-art vehicles in India which is too tempting to be ignored by the affluent.
- These have resulted in an explosion in the automobile industry with all its strengths and evils.
However every care has to be taken to see that these 'necessities' do not become a bane in day-to-day life. This calls for an effective transportation management in an Urban setting. Since 'Transportation Management' is a spatial phenomenon, GIS can be used as an effective tool in Managing and Planning transportation. Application of geography to situational problems with technological support and domain expertise are ideal to the Indian scenario.
This paper gives a comprehensive insight as to how GIS can be used effectively to manage and plan Transportation and make commuting easier (if not pleasure) in an Urban setting.