Panaji, May 6 (UNI) As the sky turned blue this Sunday morning, citizens of the city came together in huge numbers to participate in WWF-India’s ‘One Planet Streets for All’, to take a stand for the cause of having inclusive streets and adopting sustainable modes of commuting.
The public event was held in partnership with Corporation of The City of Panaji (CCP), supported by ICLEI-South Asia to raise awareness and gather support for adopting smarter and greener choices of commute, whilst making the roads more inclusive for the benefit and safety of all road users.
Mobility accounts for about 25 per cent of the global energy related CO2 emissions, with much of this occurring in cities. Therefore, mobility sector plays an important role in lowering the carbon emissions to avoid the impacts of climate change.
Goa is one of the states with the highest car ownership density in the country hence; shifting to sustainable modes of transportation becomes even more crucial. However, sustainable urban mobility requires a mind shift: where private motorized vehicles give way to sustainable transport modes and better lifestyle choices, including public transport, cycling, walking or car-pooling.
Panaji aims to reduce community level emissions by 19% by 2019 from 2013 levels, with a strong focus on expanding its sustainable mobility infrastructure and raising community awareness.
The cyclothon was flagged off and led by Corporation of City of Panaji Mayor Vithal Dayanand Chopdekar and saw participation from people across Panaji, eager to adopt eco-friendly practices in their daily lives and inspire positive action for the planet.
Speaking at the event, Mr Chopdekar said, “This is a great initiative and Corporation of the City of Panaji is happy to be a part of it. We understand the need for walking and cycling spaces in the city as part of the Smart City initiative. We will endeavor to encourage this initiative and request more citizens, especially children to contribute to this cause and make our city pollution-free.”
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