Tag: Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC)

Business World

City’s young techies develop unique solutions to decongest Bengaluru

Oct 12, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments ##BengaluruMoving campaign, #Jaison Jose, #Khushal Wadhawan, #Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC)

The Mobility Champions program, hosted by Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) in partnership with the #BengaluruMoving campaign, World Resources Institute India (WRI) and Let Me Breathe (LMB) has proposed three unique solutions aimed at solving Bengaluru’s traffic woes. The program started on July 25, has worked with 12 passionate young residents of the city – to suggest promising mobility solutions and garner support from policymakers and citizens.

The Mobility Champions program is part of the wider ‘Bengaluru Moving’ campaign, which is aimed at highlighting the challenges of public transport in Bengaluru and the need for better first and last-mile connectivity while championing bus lanes, non-motorised transport (NMT) solutions and investment in urban transport infrastructure.

Taking note of the burgeoning number of two-wheelers in the city, which exceeds 50 lakh, the mobility champions have recommended their better utilization for building a robust first and last-mile solution by considering the legalisation of bike taxis. As a first step, the government could set up a Regulatory Sandbox where new mobility service providers like bike taxi operators can pilot their services in limited geography for a specific time period. This pilot can then be assessed to gauge the potential of these services in reducing congestion. Additionally, optimization of BMTC routes and adding new metro feeder buses to provide first and last-mile connectivity between IT Parks and metro stations, while maximizing bus lanes are some of the prominent recommendations put forward.

Talking about the importance of micro-transit, Febin Sagir, a Mobility Champion said, “Micro-transit services can complement the mass transit (bus, metro, suburban rail) network as a means for first-mile and last-mile connectivity and help increase adoption of public transportation. “

For a large number of people in Bengaluru, walking is the primary mode of commute. It is estimated that over 28% of all trips in Bengaluru are undertaken by walking, one of the highest among the metro cities in India. In the wake of the global pandemic, emphasis on socially distant non-motorized transport (NMT) is seeing a resurgence across the world. In line with this, the Mobility Champions have recommended a two-pronged approach which makes the streets safe and footpaths a sought-after mode of commute while enticing people to pick bicycles over motorized transport. Their solution comprises a combination of better urban design for improved connectivity and a well spread out infrastructure for bicycle lanes.

Sharing his thoughts on the program, Jaison Jose added, “The Mobility Champions program provided us with a platform to engage with NMT developments in the city and to work with prominent stakeholders such as the Bicycle Mayor and the Department of Urban Land Transport to bolster the ongoing efforts. Our main objective was to build support for NMT in Bengaluru, a city where the weather and terrain are both conducive to cycling and walking.”

For a city with a growing population of non-native speakers, information availability at bus stops or on apps in English as well as Kannada has become increasingly important. To aid this set of commuters, the Champions have also put forth recommendations for building a consistent, citizen-centric and integrated pathfinding system for the city i.e. designing information systems such that they are: i) INCLUSIVE to take into consideration the needs of each and every citizen; ii) ACCESSIBLE to all, both online and offline; iii) RELIABLE, where accurate information on public transport is available to everyone to reduce uncertainty and enhance ease of travel; and iv) RESPONSIVE, where mechanisms are in place to address grievances and ensure the safety of travellers.

Khushal Wadhawan, a Champion working on this initiative, said, “To retain and increase the mode share of public transport, it is essential that the users are provided with real-time, accurate and reliable information on public transport operations. This will help public transport develop as a real alternative to private transport and would ultimately lead to less vehicular density and congestion on Bengaluru’s streets”

News

‘Mobility Champions’ strive to bring unique solutions to Bengaluru’s roads; aim to get #BengaluruMoving

Sep 3, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments ##BengaluruMoving campaign, #Mobility Champions, #Rohit, #Sowmya V, #Sudeept Maiti, #Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC)

Bengaluru, September 3 – The Mobility Champions program, aimed at working towards reducing vehicular emissions and congestion in the city, is being hosted by Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) in partnership with the #BengaluruMoving campaign, World Resources Institute India (WRI) and Let Me Breathe (LMB). The program, started on July 25, is grooming 12 passionate young residents of Bengaluru as ‘Mobility Champions’ to build support for promising mobility solutions among policymakers and citizens.

The Mobility Champions program is part of the wider ‘Bengaluru Moving’ campaign, which is aimed at highlighting the challenges of public transport in Bengaluru and the need for better first and last mile connectivity, non-motorised transport (NMT) solutions and investment in urban transport infrastructure, while encouraging citizens to use Public Transport.

The focus is currently on supporting efficient public transportation, including bus lanes, and designing solutions to increase uptake of public transportation among residents. With the entire program being run remotely in the wake of restrictions posed by COVID 19, YLAC has instituted the Bengaluru Active Citizenship Labs – a 45-day engagement program – to fast track the grooming of the 12 Mobility Champions. Additionally, online advocacy initiatives are also being run by the Mobility Champions, including outreach to policymakers, civil society and citizen groups.

Speaking about the Mobility Champions program, Rohit Kumar, Co-founder, YLAC said, “The Mobility Champions initiative with the #BengaluruMoving campaign is an important first in many such initiatives that YLAC plans to undertake under its Active Citizenship Labs. The goal is to get citizens to take an active part in shaping their lives by constructively engaging with the issues that affect them.”

“My biggest motivation to work on this campaign stems from the fact that traffic is the one issue turning Bengaluru from one of the most livable cities in India to a nightmare. All of us have constantly complained and discussed mobility issues in the city, but seldom do we get an opportunity to use our skills and experience in making a difference,” said Sowmya V, one of the 12 Mobility Champions. An alumnus of IIT Madras, in her day job, Sowmya is actively working to catalyse urban transformation and enhance ease of living through digital infrastructure at urban local bodies.

Sharing his thoughts on the impact of the program, Sudeept Maiti, Senior Manager, Integrated Transport at WRI said, “Improving Bengaluru’s mobility issues will require participation at different levels and through different stakeholders. Meaningful public engagement is an important first step at addressing these concerns, and getting more citizens onboard our public transit systems. The Mobility Champions represent a great initiative to involve Bengaluru’s youth in the issues that affect them on a daily basis.”

Speaking about the need for mobility solutions emanating from citizens, Rohit added, “Bengaluru, and many other cities in India, are plagued by mobility issues that have drastically reduced the liveability of our cities. And the government alone can’t fix the problem. It is a massive problem that needs technical solutions and better urban planning, but also behavioral change and common action by citizens. At the core of the solution, therefore, we believe, is active citizenship.”

Business World

Innovators come together for a hackathon to get #BengaluruMoving

Aug 14, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments ##BengaluruMoving hackathon, #co-Founder, #Directorate of Urban Land Transport, #Let Me Breathe, #Rohit Kumar, #World Resources Institute (WRI), #YLAC, #Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC)

#BengaluruMoving hackathon is being hosted by Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC), in partnership with World Resources Institute (WRI), Let Me Breathe and Directorate of Urban Land Transport, with the objective of encouraging passionate innovators to come forth with their ideas for decongesting Bengaluru city. The registration for the hackathon, which will be hosted on Skillenza platform, kickstarted in the last week of July, with August 23 being the final date to submit the concept notes. The winner of the hackathon will be presented with Rs 1 lakh and a mobility pioneer certificate.

The hackathon is part of the wider ‘Bengaluru Moving’ campaign, which is aimed at highlighting the challenges of public transport in Bengaluru and the need for better first and last-mile connectivity while championing bus lanes, non-motorised transport (NMT) solutions and investment in urban transport infrastructure.

Over the next few weeks, close to 100 teams will be participating in the hackathon to design and present solutions that will encourage and simplify the usage of public transport to address mobility woes of the city, by designing a ‘Bengaluru Connectivity Index’. The platform will use the user’s location and destination to provide all possible transport modes and allow users to choose their preferred mode of transport based on trip time, total fare, and a number of transfers.

In addition to helping commuters plan their trips across the city with accurate and real-time information, the platform will collate service information from buses, metros, trains, and new mobility platforms to create a comprehensive index. This index will also help the transport agencies assess how accessible different areas of the city are by various transport modes and improve connectivity.

Talking about the importance of the hackathon, Rohit Kumar, Co-Founder, YLAC, said, “A big barrier to efficient transportation in Bengaluru is the lack of correct, real-time information for commuters. Commuters require a wide variety of information to make their travelling decisions, such as fares, transfers, and the duration of the total trip. Through the hackathon and ‘Bengaluru Connectivity Index’, we aim to address the root cause of the problem to enable mass adoption of public transport across Bengaluru.”

As part of the hackathon, the innovators are required to equip the connectivity index with a survey feature for commuters to help crowdsource this data, where commuters can fill in details about their trip (how long it took, what transport mode they used, destination, etc.) and rank different areas in Bengaluru on their accessibility, helping to build a better picture of transport connectivity in the city.

Sharing insights on this requirement, Sudeept Maiti, Senior Manager, Integrated Transport at WRI India, added, “Given the amount of data available today, there are very few commuter-facing tools and platforms that allow citizens in Bengaluru to assess the connectivity and accessibility of their home and places of work and leisure. Understanding this is an important step to reflecting the reality on the ground and improving connectivity for everyone–across all areas and modes of transport. This gap is where we believe the Bengaluru Connectivity Index can make an impact—for citizens, neighbourhoods, and transit agencies.”

To get the best minds on board, YLAC is also exploring partnerships with mobility startups, apart from tie-ups with other organizations for data partnerships for the hackathon. In line with this, YLAC is also looking at organising webinars and mentorship sessions with domain experts to help the participants bring out robust and practical solutions.