In Bengaluru, the traffic snarls at Silk Board Junction and the toxic foam at Bellandur Lake have become fodder for memes on social media platforms. These problems – replicated in cities across India – are often attributed to Bengaluru’s rapid population growth and poor planning by the government. However, this is a more complex issue. It is a problem of the commons and needs to be viewed through a different lens.
Here’s one way to understand the idea of a common good. When one fish is extracted from a pond, there is one less available for the collective use of everyone. If someone takes a private car to a busy city road, that car space is unavailable to anybody else. Even as the good or service is accessible to all, its use by one person reduces the ability of somebody else to use it.
People compete to use common goods and it is difficult to exclude users from accessing them. Hence, they need to be governed as commons, where resources are equitably shared among users and institutional arrangements enforce this.
Pollution, private cars as ‘enclosures’
In Bengaluru, for instance, lake pollution and traffic congestion can be attributed to the lack of commons sense. Pollution and private cars act as “enclosures” to the common goods of water bodies and roads – depriving others of their right to access these resources.
In the case of a lake, a limited amount of contamination and pollution is enough reason for direct users like fishers and washers to be affected. By contrast, indirect users like joggers could continue to use the lake. However, once pollution and degradation become a public health scare, it is likely to spark an uproar demanding that the problem be addressed. Often, this becomes the justification to reclaim the water body, resulting in new real estate being created.
Similarly, prioritising the ease of mobility for private cars leads to enclosures. Private cars take away the space for public modes of transport. Essential matters of equity and fairness often take a backseat to questionable perceptions and priorities of urban growth and resilience.
Research on the governance of small freshwater bodies, particularly community rural ponds in Kerala, offers insights into reclaiming and revitalising vital water resources for sustainable livelihoods. Marginalised communities, including women and Dalit Bahujans, have harnessed the functions of local self-governments and government funds to rejuvenate these water bodies.
Even with access to piped potable water, these communities continue to use common ponds for washing, cleaning and recreation. Such a diversification of water sources yields economic, social, and ecological benefits.
Cities like Bengaluru, historically reliant on numerous water bodies, can draw inspiration from the imagination, knowledge, and solutions of indigenous and local communities.
Regulating access
An ecologically smart city needs policy interventions to curb road congestion and pollution. In late 2023, there was an uproar on social media after news reports that the Karnataka government was considering the introduction of a “congestion charge” to reduce traffic during peak hours on select roads. A congestion charge is a levy on motorists for using the otherwise congested roads. The idea was dismissed as “absurd”, “utter madness”, and a “ploy to squeeze tax paying middle-class”.
Of course, though many affluent urban Indians say they would like their cities to be like Singapore, they conveniently forget that the city-nation has a quota system for vehicles and a prohibitively expensive Certificate of Entitlement that virtually makes it impossible to own a car there.
Responding to assessments showing a precarious water situation in cities like Bengaluru, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in February said that the government would “prioritise irrigation and water management projects over other works, such as building roads”.
The statement alludes to the limits of supply-side thinking, which believes that continuously expanding infrastructure, such as widening roads and constructing more flyovers, will reduce traffic congestion. Studies indicate that building new roads creates induced demand for an increase in cars that quickly fill capacity.
As an alternative, strategies like implementing a congestion charge or (more appropriately) an access fee emerge as the most viable option if the outright banning of cars is not feasible in the short term.
The implementation of an access fee serves as more than just a financial deterrent. It is a crucial signalling mechanism for commuters to reconsider their approach to mobility and explore alternative options.
Some may argue that they already pay a considerable lifetime road tax, granting them seemingly unlimited rights to the road, but it is important to recognise the rationale of the road tax. It is collected to provide infrastructure such as street lights and road signs. Toll roads, for instance, require users to pay for access to spacious and well-maintained infrastructure. The same logic, however, is not applied to congested roads within the city where space is at a premium.
A reduction in the number of private cars will alleviate road congestion, significantly reduce pollution and make space for public vehicles. Adopting more sustainable modes of transportation, such as public transit, cycling and walking, will not only alleviate congestion and reduce pollution but also promote healthier lifestyles and foster a sense of community.
Simultaneously, there is an urgent need to reclaim and revive the lakes in Bengaluru. Recent incidents of lakes catching fire due to toxic industrial effluents, widespread bird and fish kills and recurring flooding caused by construction in low-lying waterbeds have underscored the dire state of these vital ecosystems.
Converting lakes and other vital ecosystems to use as golf courses, bus terminals, stadiums, residential and industrial areas in the name of growth and development has exacerbated the situation. It is imperative to halt this trend and prioritise the preservation and restoration of lakes.
When examining solutions to alleviate traffic congestion, cities like Singapore, Stockholm, and London stand out as success stories in implementing access fees during rush hours. It is true that this fee may hurt middle-class users more than the wealthy and upper middle-class, it is important to compare it to alternative measures, such as a uniform carbon tax on petrol and diesel.
Unlike a carbon tax, which disproportionately affects the poor due to higher fuel prices, an access fee is less regressive in its impact. Recent news reports have shown that rising fuel prices have had little effect on the demand for luxury cars, indicating that the wealthy are less affected by such measures.
Moreover, viewing city roads as a public good, where free and open access is expected, must be reconsidered. An access fee can be seen as a fair contribution towards the maintenance and management of urban infrastructure, particularly considering the profile of users and the strain on the road network.
The idea of implementing an access fee is likely to encounter substantial opposition, particularly from the middle class who may resist paying for something that was previously free. However, it is essential to acknowledge the critical issue at hand: the tragedy of open access (often wrongly termed as the tragedy of commons), which manifests itself in severe congestion and pollution, ultimately undermining the goal of fostering mass mobility and creating just and livable cities.
Simultaneously, governments must prioritise investment in accessible and reliable public transportation systems. Revenue generated from road pricing initiatives should be earmarked for enhancing equitable public transport options. This will ensure that those paying the access fees contribute directly to the improvement of transportation infrastructure.
Creating equitable and sustainable cities must address the challenges of congestion, pollution and inequitable access to infrastructure. It is crucial to remember that roads and lakes are no longer public goods but common goods that must be shared and cared for.
Vinay Sankar is a Fellow in Residence at ATREE, Bangalore, with an interest in locating water access issues from a Political Ecology perspective and is captivated by the idea of Commons. Namratha Murali is a Senior Communications Associate at ATREE.
