Visitors look at a 'Bough Bike' from the Netherlands at the exhibition at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Credit: DH Photo/BK Janardhan
Bengaluru: The first series of the World Symposium on Sustainable Transport and Livability (WSSTL) began on Wednesday at the JN Tata Auditorium, Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
A biennial global event, the WSSTL is being launched in India, with the three-day symposium jointly organised by the Special Interest Group (SIG-F4) of the World Conference on Transport Research Society (WCTRS) and IISc’s Department of Civil Engineering.
The event features keynote speeches, panel discussions, and technical sessions. A pre-symposium workshop was also held on Wednesday.
In his inaugural address, Professor Ashish Verma, Chair of the International Scientific Committee and Convener of the Local Organising Committee, underlined the need for a dedicated service cadre for India’s urban transport systems and highlighted the IISc’s role in transport design.
"The symposium highlights the fact that when you look at sustainable mobility and sustainable transport solutions, it is important to look beyond traffic solutions, and view transportation from a development perspective," Verma told DH.
On Wednesday, Guenter Emberger, professor at the Technical University of Vienna, delivered a keynote on ‘Are sustainability, quality of life, and the choice of means of transport related?’.
This was followed by panel discussions and sessions on topics such as ‘Advancing Public Transport and Well-being through Zero-emission Buses’ and ‘Understanding Women’s Needs and Challenges from Urban Transport in India’.
Events coming up
On Thursday, Maria Attard, Head of Geography and Director of the Institute for Climate Change and Sustainable Development at the University of Malta, will speak on ‘What affects walking? Designing action research to engage citizens’.
On Friday, Ahmed El-Geneidy, professor of transport planning at McGill University, Canada, will discuss ‘How daily travel contributes to quality of life: Lessons from the Canadian context’.
The programme also includes sessions on ‘Bridging Gaps for Inclusive Urban Transport Systems’ and ‘Towards a Liveable Bengaluru: Addressing Congestion through Connectivity’.
For details, visit wsstl2025.iisc.ac.in.