Local authorities in Bangalore announced their commitment to bicycling and walking at a Cycling Inclusive Planning Workshop, held on January 31.

The goal was to find sustainable cycling solutions to combat congestion and traffic accidents, as well as health problems, like asthma and other cardiorespiratory diseases, associated with high pollution levels.

The workshop was hosted by the Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA), in partnership with EMBARQ – the World Resources Institute Center for Sustainable Transport, the Interface for Cycling Expertise (I-CE), and local partners Bangalore City Connect and RideACycle Foundation (RAC-F).

National and international experts, cycling enthusiasts and civil society organizations discussed how to build the momentum required to make Bangalore the "cycling capital of India." Options involve expanding the city's current "active transport" (i.e. bicycling and walking) initiatives and incorporating new ones under a systematic strategy.

As a result of the event, the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT), which oversees all urban land transport initiatives in Bangalore, indicated that it will take action to implement the main recommendations of the workshop, including the following short- and long-term projects:

• Implement pilot bike lanes, starting with those identified during the workshop with input from the participants
• Prepare a Bangalore Cycling Master Plan (B-CAP)
• Create a core consultative group for non-motorized transport that includes government, private sector and civil society participation

Download the full workshop report here.

Workshop participants included the following dignitaries:

• Gaurav Gupta, Commissioner and Member Convener of the Government of Karnataka's Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT)
• Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Member of Parliament and Convener of the Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure and Development Task Force (ABIDe)
• A Ravindra, Former Chief Secretary, Indian Administrative Service
• Jyothi Ramalingam, Principal Secretary, Service Department of Urban Development, Indian Administrative Service

EMBARQ’s activities are supported by its global strategic partners, the Shell Foundation and the Caterpillar Foundation. Activities in India are also supported by the Sustainable Urban Mobility in Asia (SUMA) program of the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia).