Currently, motorization is increasing at an alarming 10-20% each year, traffic studies cite poor conditions of roads and pavements (nearly 40% of the road network), low travel speeds (10-12 km/hour), high traffic accidents (800 fatalities per annum) among others. Further, high pollution levels have made Bangalore citizens more prone to asthma and other cardio-respiratory diseases.
In order to truly transform Bangalore into a vibrant and liveable city there is an urgent and real need to move away from short term measures like traditional supply enhancing projects like road-widening, flyovers or one way streets and instead a need to rework the paradigm of transportation in manner that is truly sustainable and inclusive. The first step towards achieving that is to encourage and plan for low-energy, less-space consuming and zero-pollution modes like cycling.
Subsequently, as part of this vision the BMLTA in partnership with EMBARQ India, Interface for Cycling Expertise, Bangalore City Connect, Ride a Cycle Foundation and Karnatak State Road and Transport Corporation hosted a one-day workshop on the 31st of January 2009 to initiate awareness of, and facilitate cooperation between the transport planning authorities, civil society and corporate sector towards current and future cycling initiatives, projects and technical solutions and recommendations required to propel Bangalore into being the cycling capital of India.
The objectives and goals of the workshop were to present an overview of the current best practices in cycling inclusive planning across various international and Indian cities in order to formulate a base awareness of the planning and commitment required to create a cycle-friendly city among various stakeholders present. Technical expert presentations were made on the experiences and trends of cycle use and planning in the Asian cities of Taiwan, Singapore, China, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The international examples were supplemented by a more focused and thematic presentation on the Indian experience of generating awareness, planning, designing, and implementing cycling in Delhi, Pune and Nanded.
Going Forward:
- Bangalore - Cycling Action Plan (B - CAP)
The various stakeholders present at the workshop created an action plan for cycling in Bangalore that identified and prioritized short and long term projects such as cycling lanes, Automobile Free Sunday at Cubon Park, cycling rental schemes and donation drives. - Creation of a Non Motorized Transportation Cell
The cell should comprise of members of all stakeholder groups and for effective functioning should evaluate all road and development projects to ensure that should have NMT users are provided for adequately. It should also have dedicated staff that recieve training and engage in capacity building apart from an adequate budget and legitimacy. - Creation of a Cycling Master Plan for Bangalore
The Plan is a detailed document which should include the study of all
existing cycling routes in the city with current peak and off peak demand. In addition it should set the goals and desired level of service for a Cycle friendly infrastructure and include quantifiable criteria such as average cycling speeds, capacity, parking infrastructure, and integration options with public transport etc.
EMBARQ India’s activities are supported by its global strategic partners the Shell Foundationand the Caterpillar foundation. Our activities in India are also supported under the SUMA program of CAI-Asia.