Towards Sustainable Transport: An Analysis of Urban Mobility in Hyderabad, Telangana Using Uber Movement Data

Abstract

Cities worldwide face traffic congestion, challenging sustainable development and requiring insight into its dynamics, dispersion, and stability. Effective traffic management is pivotal for fostering sustainable urban mobility and enhancing quality of life. Leveraging Uber movement data, this study examines travel times and speeds across Hyderabad over a four-year span from 2016 to 2019. Congestion and friction indices from travel time matrices, along with network analysis, gauge urban accessibility, revealing similar magnitudes of Congestion and Travel Time Delay Transition Indices for inbound and outbound traffic within specific intervals. Notably, there is an inverse proportional relationship between these two indices. The Congestion Index values indicate that most zones experience significant traffic jams, while the Travel Time Delay Transition Index was calculated to affirm its inverse relationship with the Congestion Index. Employing fractal geometry, the study delves into the spatial complexity of the network and its correlation with urban growth parameters, contributing to sustainable urban planning efforts. Furthermore, the fractal dimension value obtained from the Mass-Radius method is 1.6955, with a correlation coefficient of 0.99, indicating a high degree of linearity between the road network and friction index. Results underscore the intricate interplay between traffic congestion, macroeconomic factors, and urban form, highlighting the imperative of integrating sustainability principles into transportation policies. By leveraging readily available Uber movement data, this research provides a comprehensive assessment of citywide traffic conditions, offering valuable insights for crafting sustainable transportation management strategies aimed at mitigating congestion and promoting equitable access to mobility.