SuMA: A parallel movement for sustain-ability

While Smart City Mission road projects see a dilution in footpath standards, a unique parallel movement involving neighbourhood communities and the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) is currently on to promote sustainable mobility.

Under DULT’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Accord (SuMA), this movement is attempting to make small yet practical changes through planning, expertise, active community involvement and mobility models that can be scaled up across the city.

For instance, Sensing Local, a SuMA partner that describes itself as an ‘Urban Living Lab’ is currently involved in three unique types of engagements that represent typical community-based projects:

Creating more walkable streets by revitalising conservancy lanes in Malleshwaram.

Read | Not so smart compromises

Creating cycling infrastructure to enable a modal shift in Doddanekundi ward through the citizens’ collective Doddanekundi Rising.

Increasing the use of public transport and network penetration through the development of an integrated information system.

Under the ‘Walkable Malleswaram’ project, over 60 residents participated in an audit of the area’s footpaths. The project’s aim is to reclaim the footpath spaces and conservancy lanes by designing suitable and sustainable solutions.

Read | Why are main roads and footpaths treated differently?

Spread over a year, the project will see work taken up on an 11-km stretch from Sankey Tank to MKK Road. Also on its agenda are solutions to problems faced by pedestrians, especially senior citizens, due to traffic congestions, faulty footpaths and lanes.

So far, nearly 100 people have signed up for the project. The data they collect on the state of footpaths and conservancy lanes will be fed into an interactive map, to be made available on the project website.