EP 56 | India’s Transition to Non-Motorised Transport | #PolicyBeyondPolitics Policy Beyond Politics

To achieve the sustainability goals of the transport sector, it is necessary to promote the use of NMT. In this podcast, Mr Shrinivas Deshmukh, Co-founder & Director, Urban Research Foundation, talks about policy-level and implementation-level challenges in the integration of NMT with the public transport sector. Non-motorised transport systems have been proposed to be seamlessly integrated with public transport networks, serving as last-mile connectors, but the integration poses significant challenges. The development of NMT infrastructure should be closely aligned with pedestrian safety measures, prioritising the creation of an inclusive environment that caters to the needs of differently abled individuals and other vulnerable groups. The predominant components of NMT, encompassing walking, cycling, and rickshaws, represent environmentally friendly modes of transportation that could substantially contribute to reducing carbon footprints and achieving zero emissions. Although cities and states have initiated formulation for policies to promote non-motorised forms of transport, the ground level implementation is still challenging. Street designs have the potential to be the brand style of cities, attracting more people to use street facilities. A real time analysis of the NMT feasibility is required to ensure people switch to NMT, thereby ensuring decarbonisation in the transport sector.The podcast would look into:


The need for incentivising plans for opting for NMT modes of transport.
The need to come up with city-specific street designs to facilitate NMT
Ways to ensure accessible and inclusive planning for NMT Infrastructure
Impact of integration of NMT into the public transport system.
Policy level challenges in implementing NMT in cities