Low Carbon Mobility Plans will be ready in a year for the city with two detailed projects to choose from for Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation.
Visakhapatnam is one of the four cities selected for the implementation of LCMP under the UNEP programme.
Innovative Transport Solutions (iTrans) Pvt Ltd, a Technology Business Incubation Unit of IIT, Delhi, is the consultant for the project and IIT, Delhi, that has developed the methodology will monitor the studies.
Besides Visakhapatnam, Rajkot signed an MoU with UNEP for LCMP.
Director and CEO of I Trans Anvita Arora told The Hindu on Friday that the current transportation means, level of emissions, and public health will be surveyed and baseline data collected for the purpose.
A number of options will be presented to the GVMC but two projects will be developed in a detailed manner to enable the municipal corporation take them up for funding probably under phase two of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.
The thrust will be on strong public transport and non-motorised transport notably bicycling and walking. Good footpaths for walking or guarded bicycle parking lots will promote walking and using bicycles.
The interventions should be in such a way to encourage use of public transport and non-motorised mode so as to reduce pollution. There will be inter-model integration so that each mode of transport is effectively used.
Associate Professor of Department of Civil Engineering of IIT, Delhi, Kalaga Ramachandra Rao said there was a need to regulate pollution as urban growth in Andhra Pradesh was between 10 and 15 per cent whereas rural growth was a mere 2 per cent indicating large-scale migration.
Because of population of about 20 lakhs Visakhapatnam had a limited area to develop. It also took some measures to promote non-motorised transport whereas some other cities had flatly refused to take up such programmes.
Incentives
Ms. Arora mooted provision of incentives for use of non-polluting means and disincentives for use of motorised transport. For instance, in a bid to encourage cycling, a management in Pune is allowing those coming by bicycle to come late by half an hour or go early. Alternately, high parking fee for cars in the city area will be a disincentive.
At Nai Raipur, capital of Chattisgarh, walk-ways and cycling tracks are coming up all over the city and the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) has defined access.
Ms. Arora was of the view that besides commuting for regular work for which one might use bus etc., other short trips one makes during the day also should be taken care of in a non-polluting manner.
The overall objective was to improve quality of life in the city, she said.
