Kochi: Residents of the city came together in large numbers today to participate in WWF-India’s ‘One Planet Cities Pedalathon’ to take a stand for the cause of adopting sustainable modes of commute.
Flagged off by Mayor Soumini Jain, the event saw participation by over 300 citizens in the cyclothon and the marathon. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-India and Kochi Municipal Corporation, in partnership with ICLEI-South Asia organized this public event to raise awareness and gather support from the citizens for adopting smarter and greener choices of commute.
Kochi, being the commercial capital of the state with economic activities increasing manifolds, the demand for urban transport is also increasing, leading to traffic congestion and pollution that subsequently has had health impacts on the citizens.
Of the total vehicular traffic here, private vehicles constitute more than 70 per cent, including cars and two-wheelers, which carry about 20 per cent of passenger traffic.
The WWF-India said apart from improving the transport infrastructure in the city, there is need for individual action to enable a climate smart future city. The “One Planet Cities Pedalathon” is WWF’s initiative to promote sustainable mobility as part of its One Planet City Challenge platform.
The “One Planet Cities Pedalathon” is thus a call to action for citizens of Kochi to Give Up to Give Back to the planet by giving up on unsustainable modes of commute and adopting ‘smart commute’ choices like cycling, walking, using public transport, electric vehicles, and carpooling whenever possible, that will offer them convenience and be a positive step towards a sustainable future, it said.