THE Union ministry of urban development has evolved a system for evaluating urban transportation services in cities across India.

The Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) has come up with the first of its kind pedestrian design guidelines to ensure that walking in the city becomes safe and a pleasurable experience.

The built environment affects public health in many ways (Frumkin et al. 2004), depending on the interplay between factors such as community design, travel patterns, physical activity, transportation safety, and air and water pollution.

Benchmarking is now well recognized as an important mechanism for introducing accountability in service delivery. It can help Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and utilities in identifying performance gaps and effecting improvements through the sharing of information and best practices, ultimately resulting in better services to people.

Pedestrians have ceased to have a place in urban transport plans in India. (Editorial)

The rapid growth in motor vehicle ownership and activity in India is causing a wide range of serious health, environmental, socio-economic, and resource use impacts, even as it provides mobility to millions, and contributes to employment and the economy. The loss of accessibility for pedestrians is one of the most important of these negative impacts, which remains neglected by policy.

View image India, China get WHO top ranking for traffic accident deaths Road accidents will become the fifth leading cause of death in the world by 2030. Highlights of the report on 178 countries Over 1.2 million people die and 20-50 million get injured in road accidents every year The number may

With the economic growth and rapid urbanization there has been a sharp increase in urban transport requirements. The author, who has considerable experience in transport infrastructure, brings out that one of the options is optimisation of the right way of roads with the objective of maximizing passenger trips instead of vehicle trips.

Investing in sustainable transport reduces carbon dioxide emissions and helps mitigate the potential impacts of climate change. This publication details GEF

This study provides detailed analysis of walking conditions in Indian cities. The analysis indicates that walkability is overlooked and undervalued in transport planning, and that improved walkability is justified for equity and efficiency sake. It provides specific recommendations for improving walking conditions to address a variety of planning objectives.

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