Karnataka forms Urban Mobility Mission Committee to tackle Bengaluru traffic congestion

Bengaluru, Aug 8 (IANS) The Karnataka government led by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has constituted the ‘Urban Mobility Mission Committee for Bengaluru’ (UMMCB), headed by Home Minister Priyank Kharge, to develop a comprehensive, efficient, sustainable and technology-driven urban mobility system for Bengaluru.

The Home Department on Saturday issued an order constituting the committee, which will bring together government agencies, private mobility and logistics companies, technology firms, academic institutions, experts and citizen representatives on a common platform to find integrated solutions to the city’s growing traffic problems.

“Instead of taking separate measures for Bengaluru’s traffic problems, the key objective of this mission is to bring all relevant agencies, the private sector, technology companies, experts and citizens onto a single platform and develop comprehensive solutions,” Kharge said.

The government said Bengaluru is facing several mobility challenges, including increasing vehicular congestion, longer travel times, inadequate first and last-mile connectivity, lack of coordination among public transport systems, parking problems, freight movement and growing pressure on road space. These challenges are affecting the city’s productivity, economic efficiency and quality of life.

The committee will be chaired by the Minister for Home, Information Technology and Biotechnology and e-Governance, while the Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department will serve as vice-chairperson.

Senior officials from the Home Department, Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), Bengaluru City Police, Urban Development Department, Infrastructure Development Department, BBMP-related agencies, Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT), Transport Department, BMTC, Bengaluru Metro, BWSSB, Public Works Department, K-RIDE, state road transport corporations, BESCOM, KPTCL and national highway agencies will be part of the committee.

Representatives from private mobility platforms such as Namma Yatri, MoveInSync, Uber, Rapido and Ola, along with hotel and educational institutions, auto-rickshaw and taxi associations, employee transport services and parking technology companies, have also been included. Logistics and delivery companies such as Swiggy, Zomato, Amazon Logistics and Flipkart will also participate.

Representatives from major technology and employment hubs, including Outer Ring Road companies, Manyata Tech Park, Whitefield, Electronic City, ITPL/ITPB, Bagmane Tech Park and Embassy TechVillage, will be part of the initiative.

Academic institutions such as the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), IIIT-Bangalore and IIM Bangalore, along with civil society organisations working in road safety and sustainable transport, will also be represented.

Kharge said the committee would prioritise data-driven traffic management, better coordination among government agencies, integration of public and private transport, improved first- and last-mile connectivity and stronger pedestrian infrastructure.

The committee will also focus on improving commuter safety, reliability and connectivity, encouraging public transport use and finding practical solutions for congestion in major employment hubs such as ORR, Manyata Tech Park, Whitefield and Electronic City.

Seven task forces have been constituted under the committee to focus on traffic management and road safety, public transport coordination, first and last-mile connectivity, corporate and technology cluster mobility, digital mobility and data, urban freight and delivery movement, and infrastructure and roadwork coordination.

The committee will work towards preparing a common Bengaluru Mobility Action Plan, identifying major congestion-prone roads and junctions, establishing data-sharing mechanisms, developing a Bengaluru Mobility Dashboard and improving connectivity around Metro, bus and suburban railway stations.

The initiative will also focus on pedestrian and cycling infrastructure and monitoring the progress of various measures.

The committee will meet every three months under the chairmanship of the Home Minister. Task forces will also hold quarterly meetings, with progress reports submitted every three months and an annual report presented to the Karnataka government.

–IANS

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