Citizens Speak Up

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Citizen surveys are emerging as a crucial tool for urban development, from healthcare to transportation. From Kochi's bus route modifications to Noida’s efforts in last-mile connectivity, cities are actively seeking public input. These efforts mark a positive step, especially toward inclusive mobility. But the challenge lies in ensuring genuine public participation and translating feedback into actionable changes. Are these surveys genuinely influencing urban mobility planning? Or are they mere data-gathering exercises?

Image by Shivendu Shukla | Source: Unsplash

Just last week, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched a Citizen Perception Survey under the Ease of Living Index in 264 cities across the country to capture citizens’ feedback about different aspects of their cities. These include public transport, education facilities, healthcare services, cost of living, among others.

Citizen surveys help in identifying the most critical problems that plague the cities and, therefore, are very important while planning for the development of the city.

Over the years, citizen surveys have been instrumental in voicing citizen opinion regarding different sectors of urban development. One such sector is urban transportation.

Source: metrorailnews

This year in July, Kochi Metro Rail Limited launched an online citizen survey with an aim to modify the routes of bus feeder service based on public opinion to improve the first and last mile connectivity of the metro.

Previously, the authority conducted a passenger survey in September 2021 to gauge the needs of the commuters. Similarly, the Noida Metro Rail Corporation carried out a survey last year to identify more routes before restarting the city bus service for better last-mile connectivity.

Citizen Perception Survey | Source: News on Air

Citizen engagement forms an integral element of sustainable urban mobility planning, as it brings a sense of ownership to the users, and a citizen survey is one of the easiest methods to reach out to the citizens.

Have you ever participated in a transportation survey held in your city?

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Such recent initiatives are an important step in this direction. However, the challenge lies in effective survey dissemination by the authorities and receiving a sincere response from the citizens. To know more about Kochi’s citizen survey, read.