On September 5, 2023, a workshop on "Sustainable Transportation for Road Safety, Air Quality, and Climate Change" was conducted in collaboration with the Parisar, Centre for Environmental Education (CEE) and the Department of Environmental Science at Shivaji University, Kolhapur. The workshop aimed to address urban transport, road safety, air quality, and climate change concerns by assessing the current situations, challenges, experiences, and existing policies.
Objectives:
- Gain insights into the current state of sustainable urban transport, road safety, air quality, and climate change in Kolhapur.
- Identify key issues, challenges, and lessons learned.
- Assess the effectiveness of existing policies and enhance understanding.
- Foster knowledge-sharing among participants to improve policy implementation.
- Collaborate with local NGOs and stakeholders for Road Safety Network (RSN).
Workshop Process:
- Mrs. Asawari Jadhav from AGPM Hall's Environmental Science Department and Shivaji University extended a warm welcome.
- Sandeep Gaikwad provided an overview of the Parisar organization and introduced the participants. He then took a session that covered various aspects of road safety.
- Ranjit Gadgil presented aspects of sustainable transport and Amarnath Karan representing CEE, presented insights on air quality.
Feedback of Participant:
The participants discussed the issues related to sustainable transportation and road safety in the city Kolhapur. These issues included parking management, traffic congestion, small vehicle impact on traffic, fluctuating fuel prices, and many others. The workshop aimed to raise awareness and provide solutions to these challenges.
Outcome:
- Local citizens now have a better understanding of road safety and air quality issues in Kolhapur, and discussions were held to identify necessary actions to address these concerns.
- A network has been established with local organizations to focus on Road Safety and Sustainability in Kolhapur, as part of the Road Safety Network (RSN).
The workshop successfully achieved its objectives of raising awareness, fostering collaboration, and providing insights into critical issues related to sustainable transportation, road safety, and air quality in Kolhapur.
Way Forward:
The workshop participants engaged in fruitful discussions and identified several key recommendations and action points to address the challenges related to sustainable transportation, road safety, and air quality in Kolhapur. We look forward to the collaborations and engagement in their future endeavours.