Experts stress steps to improve urban mobility
A view of Islamabad city. PHOTO: FILE
Experts at a webinar in connection with World Environment Day said the capital was going to embrace high-rise residential apartments that would bring thousands of vehicles at a time on the roads, which is needed to be addressed through better urban mobility initiatives.
The experts demanded a dedicated Islamabad Transport Authority (ITA) and robust urban mobility to address challenges due to rising fuel prices and provide cost-effective alternative means.
The webinar titled “Rising Fuel Prices and Alternative Means of Urban Mobility” organised by the Institute of Urbanism was participated by Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) Director-General Farzana Altaf Shah, Head of Islamic Institute of Economics Professor Dr Abdul Rashid and founding Executive Director of the Institute of Urbanism Mome Saleem.
Shah said the federal capital needed a dedicated Islamabad Transport Authority and price management body to regulate transport fares and ensure effective urban mobility that would help control emissions and reduce vehicular congestion with better service delivery to the public.
She said the capital’s population and vehicles were rapidly spiking up with incompatible connectivity infrastructure that could not cater for such bulging size of automobiles. Shah said the country’s capital lacked a proper mass transit system that could provide a holistic commute to all the sectors of the metropolis.
Founding Executive Director of the Institute of Urbanism Mome Saleem welcomed the suggestions of the EPA DG and assured that these ideas would be raised before the parliamentarians’ caucus of the institute for further debate.
She said that the institute was working on a smart application to introduce carpooling on the sequel of such apps, not meant for monetary purposes, developed in western particularly European countries to encourage carpooling.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 7th, 2022.