Active Mobility Bill has become a need of the hour: Experts

NT Correspondent | Huda khan

Bengaluru: After the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT), released an official draft of the Active Mobility Bill on 30 December 2021 there have been several discussions on whether the bill could help solve the problem of congestion in the city.

Recently, a group of cyclists urged Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to pass the bill in the winter session, which is currently taking place at Belagavi.

Satya Shankaran, the bicycle mayor of Bangalore and founder of The Council for Active Mobility said “So far there hasn’t been any mention of the bill on the agenda of the winter session but we still have a few days left. “Passing it has become an urgent need after the pedestrian deaths we saw in 2020 and it’s time for the government to improve infrastructural facilities for cyclists and pedestrians “, he added.

In 2019, the Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC) released a sustainable mobility report along with Uber which suggested that a policy for Active Mobility can solve the problems of last-mile connectivity and congestion in the city. The report also stated that the city's mobility options should focus on sustainability along with afford ability and comfort.

“If Karnataka adopts this policy then we will be the first state to implement active mobility and this can influence other cities to adopt a similar policy,” Shankaran added.

Jhatkaa, an organization campaigning for the bill, met CM Bommai on December 16th and submitted a written request to table the bill during the winter session at Belagavi. They also initiated a petition to pass the bill and have received about four thousand signatures.

“We’re keeping our fingers crossed at the moment and have heard positive responses from a few MLA’S including Soumya Reddy and Rizwan Arshad”, said Rachna, Lead Coordinator of the Active Mobility Bill at Jhatkaa.

“This bill will not only help improve the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city but will also help reduce congestion at the Bottleneck areas of Bang alore” she added.

Currently, cyclists around Karnataka are eagerly waiting for a response from the Legislative Assembly of Karnataka on the approval of the bill