Ahmedabad, July 2 (IANS) Ahmedabad has taken a further step towards strengthening its urban transport planning with a two-day capacity-building workshop on active mobility, bringing together government agencies, urban planning experts, researchers and students as part of preparations for the proposed 2030 Commonwealth Games and 2036 Olympic Games.
The workshop, organised by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Thursday in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), focused on developing safer, healthier and more people-centred streets by promoting walking and cycling as integral components of the city’s transport network.
Held under the ‘Sustainable Urban Mobility – Air Quality, Climate Action and Accessibility (SUM-ACA) project’, the programme forms part of a wider initiative being implemented with the support of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) India to improve sustainable urban mobility.
International experts from the Dutch Cycling Embassy and the ACTIVE Programme, supported by the Netherlands government, travelled to Ahmedabad to conduct the training.
They shared examples of successful pedestrian- and cycling-oriented urban planning from across the world and discussed approaches that could be adapted to Indian cities.
According to the organisers, the workshop is an important component of the capacity-building programme being undertaken in Ahmedabad in view of the Central government’s plans for the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the 2036 Olympic Games, with the aim of developing a modern and sustainable urban transport system.
The programme began with a pre-workshop discussion to identify local challenges and priorities before participants attended two days of technical sessions.
An online follow-up session is planned to assess how the training is implemented, gather participant feedback and provide additional guidance where required.
Participants included officials from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC), Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC), students from CEPT University and representatives of technical organisations involved in various urban mobility projects with the civic body.
The training combined classroom sessions, group discussions and practical design exercises covering complete streets, safe intersection design, universal accessibility, cycling infrastructure, pedestrian safety and ways to integrate walking and cycling with public transport.
A key feature of the workshop was an on-site learning session in which participants assessed existing road conditions at selected locations and developed practical design recommendations based on the concepts covered during the training.
On the second day, a guided cycle ride was organised in collaboration with MYBYK, allowing participants to experience Ahmedabad’s cycling infrastructure first-hand.
The exercise highlighted the importance of incorporating the perspective of cyclists into urban street design and planning.
At the concluding session, participants presented their observations and recommendations for improving the city’s roads and public spaces.
The organisers said the programme underscored the role of international knowledge exchange and continued capacity building in helping Indian cities develop inclusive, environmentally sustainable and people-centred urban mobility systems.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation thanked the Netherlands government, the expert trainers, GIZ India, the SUM-ACA team, MYBYK, CEPT University and all participating organisations for their contribution to the successful conduct of the workshop.
–IANS
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