Symposium on sustainable transport focuses on urban mobility reform

Bengaluru: The World Symposium on Sustainable Transport and Livability (WSSTL) at the JN Tata Auditorium, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), saw government officials and political leaders discuss urban mobility challenges on its
second day.

The day opened with a keynote by Professor Maria Attard, Head of Geography and Director of the Institute for Climate Change and Sustainable Development,
University of Malta.

Speaking on ‘What Affects Walking?’, she highlighted the varied perceptions of pedestrians and cyclists across regions and stressed the need for citizen science and action research to understand factors influencing walking.

This was followed by five plenary sessions — Bridging Gaps for Inclusive Urban Transport Systems; Seamless Journeys, Healthier Lives; Aligning Transport and Urban Planning to Enhance Quality of Life; Shift/Transport—From Congested and Vulnerable to Connected and Resilient; and Accessibility-based Measures for Urban & Transport Planning.

Sessions featured research bodies such as the IST Lab at IISc and the World Resources Institute (India). Panellists included officials from the BMTC, BMRCL, K-Ride, and professors from international universities.

During a session on urban planning, Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya criticised several state government policies like the ban on bike taxis, high metro fares, and the tunnel road project, claiming these worsened Bengaluru’s public transport system.

“The biggest culprit for congestion is private vehicles, but the policy is to build more roads worth Rs 1 lakh crore, incentivising vehicle ownership. We are building road-contractor-oriented cities, not citizen-centric ones,” he said.

MLA Rizwan Arshad highlighted government efforts to improve mobility and addressed concerns over the city’s upcoming second airport.