NMT guidance documentPrior to the launch of the National Urban Renewal Mission (2005) and the National Urban Transport Policy (2006), investments in public transportation systems to meet the mobility needs of the current and future population were limited in Indian cities. Planning for essential city systems — environmental, land, mobility, economic and social — has largely been attempted in piecemeal manner. The need to induce a paradigm shift, putting people first in planning our regions, cities and neighbourhoods, implies providing for increased mobility choices from dependence on private vehicles to the availability of good public transportation and safe non-motorised transport. Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) is a foundational sustainable mobility concept that prioritizes planning for walking and cycling over automobiles.
This NMT Guidance Document presents a compendium of strategies and recommendations for integrating accessibility with land use and infrastructure investment decisions in shaping NMT-friendly street designs. It also identifies a five-step planning process for local authorities, central government agencies and development professionals to follow in implementing transit oriented development projects. This Guidance Document brings out clarity in the discourse around promoting NMT in Indian cities by analyzing challenges encountered in attempting to invest in pedestrian and cycling infrastructure around the country. The purpose is first to document the state of the practice and finally to assemble the resources necessary to assist cities, transit agencies and professionals who wish to embrace NMT as a sustainable mobility concept.