If someone were to tell you that your city will introduce a transport system that will congest roads, will contribute towards worsening air quality, will be responsible for many road traffic-related deaths and will cater to only 3% of the population, what will your reaction be? I am sure you will laugh or get angry or even become speechless, right? You would surely not support this kind of system. Unfortunately, we are not only doing it day in and day out, but are also supporting the car-centric model of development. The result is that we get streets clogged with traffic, clouded with smog, blaring with honking while all we want is that everyone – rich or poor, young or old, men or women – should be able to use the streets to walk, cycle and use public transport without any fear of safety or security.

Read More “Cities are for people and not for cars. Period.”

Raahgiri day has been halted due to COVID-19 restrictions since early 2019, but it will be reopening this week, Sunday the 5th of September from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. For those you who have forgotten (and for the few unaware in the first place), Raahgiri day is an event wherein major streets are closed to all automobiles and are instead repurposed toward recreational and community leisure activities. It was launched initially in Gurgaon in November of 2013 but was eventually adopted by many of the major cities.

Read More “Raahgiri Day is back – and why you must come!”

What does carbon neutral mean?

Put simply, having carbon-neutrality implies that any C02 released into the environment by company or human activity is to be balanced by an equivalent amount being removed. In the context of climate change, carbon (CO2) refers to the greenhouse gases released by the combustion of fossil fuels, land use change and other human activity (Carbon Free Boston, 2021)

Read More “How Raahgiri is creating carbon-neutral streets”

Every year, far too many lives are lost on the streets of Gurgaon, due to its ill-designed and unsafe roads. In 2021 alone, there were 125 pedestrian deaths in Gurgaon, which accounted for 31% of the total road accident fatalities in the city. Gurgaonites, however, are not necessarily at fault for how Gurgaon walks.

Although Gurgaon may seem like one of the most developed cities in India because of its grand buildings and wide roads, it has the reputation of being one of the least walkable cities in Haryana. In fact, the city has an average walkability index of only 0.45 out of 5, which reflects “an overall poor condition.” To add to that, 48% of all daily trips in Gurgaon are taken on foot, but only 28% of its arterial roads have footpaths.

Read More “HOW GURGAON WALKS”

The lessons India can learn from cities that were able to transform transportation and mobility.

To say that Indian cities have largely neglected sustainable transport would be an understatement. Urban cities have largely been designed to cater to vehicles; designed to ensure that these vehicles can get from place A to place B as rapidly and comfortably as possible. In doing so, the needs of vulnerable road users are neglected. According to the Indian Government, one citizen is killed due to a traffic accident every three and a half minutes. Yet, most continue to move forward believing this is acceptable and unavoidable – that this is ‘just the way it is’.

Read More “The Power of Initiative”

Wounds get healed, bills get paid off, and life moves on but there’s more to road accidents than what meets the eye. Though often overlooked, the mental scars that lie beneath bloodied wounds deserve just as much attention as the physical ones. These scars take a long time to heal and sometimes, due to a lack of proper response, they also have the potential to develop into lifelong disorders or phobias.
Read More “Beyond Physical Injuries: The Unseen Trauma of Road Crashes”

In the next two decades, it is estimated that the percentage of individuals living in urban areas will increase to 70%, up from the current 50%. According to a 2020 report by the European Union, there is nearly one car for every two people. Although this is an average statistic, the trend of motorization continues to grow, with a 2019 survey showing that the total number of vehicles in India alone reached 295.8 million
Read More “Sustainable Mobility for India: The G20 Vision”

Indian drivers are incredibly resourceful when using the road: we don’t believe in wasting space. Out of a two-lane road, drivers carve out nearly five (or possibly more if one takes into account the footpath that 2-wheeler drivers whimsically repurpose). Granted, it’s hyperbolic but it isn’t far from the truth, is it? Unsurprisingly, India’s alarming numbers of fatal road crashes do not seem to be coming down. While there is some level of ignorance about road safety rules, a broken system with no real will to intervene at the policy level, is what is truly responsible for today’s sorry state of affairs.
Read More “Indians and their “hate-hate” relationship with traffic rules”

Imagine a world without roads. At first, it might seem like a minor inconvenience: maybe you’ll have to traipse through a field to reach school or take a short hike through a forest to get to work. Upon closer inspection, a world without roads would quickly fall apart. The local grocer would not receive his supplies, vegetables could not be transported from neighbouring cities or states. Sick or injured individuals could not be accessed by ambulances, firefighters would not be able to respond to emergencies. In today’s interconnected world, even a short strike or road closure brings the whole system to a grinding halt.
Read More “Making Roads More Inclusive”

Imagine a world without roads or streets. At first, it might seem like a minor inconvenience, such as not being able to reach your school on time or not finding your favourite street vendors. However, upon closer inspection, the ramifications of such a world would be far more severe. The local grocer would not receive timely supplies of goods, and vegetables would not be imported from neighbouring cities or states. Sick or injured individuals would not have the benefit of ambulances, and firefighters would not be able to respond to emergencies in a timely manner. In today’s globalized world, even a 24-hour strike or road closure due to maintenance causes significant disruption. It is fair to say that roads are as essential to our survival as food, water, and air.
Read More “Why We Need Inclusive Transportation”