The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Beating congestion, pollution on roads

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Thursday, Jan 29, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Beating congestion, pollution on roads

Staff Reporter

Bangalore Cycling Inclusive Planning workshop to be held on January 30, 31

Bangalore: RideAcycle Foundation has organised a two-day Bangalore Cycling Inclusive Planning workshop on January 30 and 31.

The workshop will be held at the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation’s Central office in Bangalore.

Pradeep B.V. from the foundation said that Bangalore was plagued by problems of congestion and pollution.

Traffic studies cited poor condition of pavements, low travel speeds, high intersection delays, and poor or non-existent parking facilities, he said.

“Traffic problems cannot be resolved by taking up measures such as introducing one-ways, constructing flyovers and widening of roads. There is a need to rethink the entire paradigm of transportation in a manner which is sustainable and inclusive. The first step for that is to encourage and plan for low-energy, less-space consuming and zero-pollution modes such as cycling. Bangalore wants to not only be a cycle-friendly city, but be a model for other cities in India to emulate.”

He said that the workshop was organised with an aim to understand the current international and Indian discourses on cycling-friendly cities to formulate a base awareness of the issues involved.

The workshop would also discuss ways to reach an informed consensus together with all stakeholders as to what approach would work best for the city, to formulate a base structure for capacity building of the city and outline a plan for inputs needed to make the city self-sufficient to implement plans on cycle inclusive transport systems and put together an action plan and get commitment from the stakeholders to their roles in its implementation.

For more information, visit www.rideacycle.org

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