Brand Bengaluru’s ‘Agile and Sustainable Mobility for All’ report has recommended the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) open more bicycle lanes, pedestrianise, and invigorate public transport besides focusing on implementation of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA).
The report was submitted to the BBMP by Meghna Verma, Associate Professor and Head, Centre for Sustainability, Ramaiah Institute of Management, and Ashish Verma, Professor and Convenor, IISc Sustainable Transportation Lab (IST Lab), Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
The report was prepared after analysing 6,154 responses from the public and discussion with stakeholders.
The report has predominantly recommended the immediate implementation of the BMLTA Bill that was passed in December 2022, and the redefining of the development goal for Bengaluru under the Brand Bengaluru campaign as ‘Sustainable and Liveable Bengaluru.’
The report suggested developing an up-to-date masterplan and comprehensive mobility plan for the city.
The report has recommended formulating local citizen groups, with representations from volunteers who are actively involved in achieving or promoting sustainable mobility and who can help the government with inputs and insights for planning implementation.
Active mobility
The report has recommended significant improvement to active mobility infrastructure in the city, with a special emphasis on increasing pedestrian walkways network connectivity, quality of footpaths in the influence zone of all metro stations, major bus stations and upcoming suburban stations.
It also bats for the implementation of pedestrianised and cycle streets in areas with high pedestrian population on high priority. The report has also recommended developing a sustainable manual for streets that encompasses footpaths, drains, and public spaces.
The report says bicycle/bike/rickshaw sharing facilities in congested areas and transit hubs could help resolve last and first-mile connectivity.
Encourage public transport
To nudge people towards sustainable modes of travel, the government should make personal travel modes unattractive through carefully and scientifically derived policy and planning strategies, it says.
The report has recommended levying high lifetime tax on vehicles based on various costs associated with owning and using a vehicle. Congestion pricing could be imposed on road users travelling during congested hours or to congested areas, it added.
To encourage public transport, last-mile connectivity should be made better and the government must work towards the implementation of multi-modal integration and station accessibility plans around station areas.
The report recommended increasing the trip model share of public transportation through various government initiatives, implementation of revenue sharing arrangements between BMTC and BMRCL for increase feeder buses, crafting a comprehensive maintenance strategy inclusive of detailed schedules for the regular upkeep of public transportation infrastructure, increasing network connectivity of BMTC and metro.
