In today's world, the main focus should be on the mobility of people and not just the mobility of vehicles. A sustainable mobility framework must be worked upon by looking upon the citizens' geographical, economic and social needs. That is something that the government know and is prioritizing too. But it's not just the government who is supposed to work; we as the citizens should also be dutiful towards creating a sustainable transportation system.
The government has implemented many strategies, but the results turn out to be satisfactory. However, where the infrastructure is available, it's not used to its full extent. For example, pedestrian pathways are used for other things or are not walkable due to being broken or lined with garbage.
Due to the growth in urban population, the need for motorized travel is growing. In addition, as people earn more, they shift towards private transport, due to reliability. However, the condition of the hour should be to focus on public transportation.
For public transportation to be focused: -
There should be an integrated plan for each city, such that the use of land and transport happens effectively.
For the use of public transport to be more accountable, we should use intelligent transport systems to improve the operations of the buses.
The public transportation system should be looked upon as a barrier-free mode so that all age groups, women and disabled people, don't face any issue limiting their mobility.
Usually, the cyclists and the pedestrians get excluded on the roads. The street design should be such that it adheres to every user's needs, not just the vehicle population. The proper sense of complete streets should be there- one that caters to all genders, age groups and modes of transport. Wide, has enough space for interaction, has bus stops, continuous footpaths and is convenient. People believe that maximum transportation happens through motorized vehicles; however, we find that walking and cycling account for 40-50% of the total modal share if we look at some facts. So, looking at these issues and coming up with a chance to resolve them is required to make transportation sustainable.
After making sense of complete streets, an essential thing would be to create safer streets. Fear of crime has resulted in limited use of public transport. There should be gender safety audits, patrolling. The ones providing the transport service should be interviewed to know whether they would prevent or address such crimes. Campaigns should be there so that there is a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment, and it also encourages women and girls to report crimes. Women should also be at the centre of planning and making decisions along with men. For creating a better plan, we can use the perspective of women. The bus stops, train corridors should be well lit and easily accessible.
There is a lot to be done, and there is a lot that is happening. But as citizens, we must understand that the sustainable form of transport comes only when all people can travel from one place to another without any barriers. Barrier-free mobility is critical, as limitations to mobility can cause limitations to many things, such as participation in the workforce, proper education, health care. So as the government tries to keep helping us, we should also cooperate and make our world a better and sustainable place.
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