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• Survey amongst car-owners in Bangalore unveils individual comfort scoring over greater good, fuel conservation and climate change.
• 11% of the respondents spend more than Rs. 5,000 per month on fuel; 30% spend over Rs. 4,000; 48% spend over Rs. 3,000.
• Car Pooling is only for about 20% of the respondents; More than 50% of those surveyed have not considered using Public Transport.
• 30% of the respondents are firm that they are not going to use the Metro Service when it becomes operational.
• BCIL, leader in creating urban eco-friendly homes, conducts BCIL ECO-PULSE surveys every quarter, on various conservation related issues.
Even as the decibel levels on issues like Energy Usage, Emissions, Global Warming, Climate Change are on the rise globally, a survey among car-owning Bangaloreans has rather worryingly revealed that Fuel Conservation is not yet a focus area for many. In a survey where most of those surveyed earned between 20-40 Thousand Rupees per month, almost half (48%) of the respondents spend upwards of Rs.3,000 per month on fuel. In fact, 11% spend more than Rs.5,000. This and many other such key findings were a part of the second in the series of surveys titled ‘BCIL ECO-PULSE’, conducted by BCIL (Biodiversity Conservation [India] Limited), a pioneer in Alternate Technologies, dedicated to creating eco-friendly homes.
The survey reveals that 51% travel more than 30 kms per day to their workplace. 85% use the car for shopping and 60% of respondents said that they use it to go on long drives. A large segment (75%) of the respondents also posses a two wheeler in addition to the four wheeler, while only 4% own a bicycle.
Mr. Chandrashekar Hariharan, CEO, BCIL, said, “Consumption of oil and oil products is responsible for 57% of the CO2 emissions in the country today. And among all oil-consuming sectors, CO2 emissions from transport are increasing at the fastest rate – at more than 6 per cent per annum. The need of the hour therefore is to think of methods to conserve fuel. It is sad that even a seemingly evolved city like Bangalore is not willing to take the lead in fuel conservation.”
The city is not doing too well on most indicators of fuel conservation. Only 22% of those polled have practiced car pooling. There is also not much to look forward to on that front; almost half (47%) the respondents said they are ‘comfortable traveling alone’. Not many are trying / willing to try public transport either. More than 50% have not even thought of using Public Transport services. Reasons cited included over crowded buses, poor frequency, poor quality of buses etc. At the same time, 43% are not willing try Public Transport even if service standards ‘improve’.
And after all the hype and high-expectations on the Metro Rail, 30% of car-owners have already decided that they are not going to use the Metro! “A drastic overhaul of our Public Transport System and a major change in the citizen’s perception of it is in order for any major impetus towards fuel conservation to happen.”, Mr. Hariharan added.
The survey, aimed at understanding the behavioral patterns and attitude towards Fuel Conservation was conducted among 315 respondents (all of whom were car-owners who used the car to commute to office) from various zones in Bangalore in the age group of 21 to 50 years. 86% of those surveyed were Graduates or Post-Graduates and 88% were with household income of more than Rs. 20,000 per month. This Survey comes in the backdrop of ever increasing vehicle ownership rates in metros like Bangalore. The rolling stock of vehicles continuously locks up huge amount of energy and carbon. This has increased toxic emissions in our cities leading to widely different concerns converged around vehicles – Fuel Splurge, Climate Impacts and Public Health.
It is a sobering thought that such apathy towards fuel usage is being reflected at a time of ever increasing fuel prices and even a ‘squeeze’ in fuel supply. Mr. Hariharan suggested that, “Even if a person does not consider himself to be an environmentalist, a little fuel conservation can really help not just the environment, but also the wallet! The price of petrol and diesel seems to always be on the rise. The best defense against rising gas prices is fuel conservation.”
This is the second of the series of quarterly surveys that is being conducted by BCIL to reveal insights / alarming facts about Bangaloreans and their usage of critical resources. The first survey conducted by BCIL during the last quarter had focused on the need for Water Conservation in the city. The forthcoming surveys in the ‘BCIL ECO-PULSE’ series will focus on Waste Management, Air Quality, etc., all of which, are causes that BCIL is crusading for, by building homes that are Water and Energy Positive, while being sensitive to most conservation related parameters.
The complete set of findings of ‘BCIL ECO-PULSE’ (First and Second editions) is available on request.
About BCIL
Biodiversity Conservation [India] Limited is an alternate technology enterprise dedicated to creative ‘green’ solutions for urban living. BCIL has grown from Rs. 20 million in 1995 to Rs. 800 million in 2008, offering housing solutions that are pioneering, and demonstrable models for the future. BCIL is more a prototype company, with building innovations that raise environment thresholds with every new project it creates. From 20 homes in a year, BCIL has grown to 150 houses a year in 2007, all of them with no compromise on the green values.
BCIL mainstreams ecologically sustainable real estate options for urban home-buyers — with focus on localized energy generation; water solutions that reduce/eliminate dependence on State infrastructure; waste management systems that ensure residential communities take responsibility for responsible disposal or reuse. BCIL is also into creation of green tourism destinations that are grid-free on energy, water-positive in the long term, and built with building methods and values that are energy-efficient and offering the best in urban convenience. BCIL is a for-profit company managed by professionals with all earnings going entirely towards sustainable projects that drive solutions for urban living with affordable homes offered to the public.
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