Several presentations, seminars, and informal discussions were held between the PTTF and city officials during the second half of 2004. While city officials were broadly supportive of some sustainable transport measures, they required considerable convincing in many areas, including adding sidewalks to Pune?s narrow streets, the continued relevance of bicycles in an age of increasingly available motor vehicles, and the utility of bus-only lanes. Initially, the view of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) was that traffic was too heavy for these measures. The grantee, using examples from sustainable transport accomplishments in Singapore, Bogotá, London and Curitiba, slowly but successfully shifted the view of the PMC towards the recognition that certain forms of traffic restrictions actually speeds traffic rather than restricts it, while benefiting the environment, improving public safety, and increasing the mobility of the poor.

As city officials became increasingly receptive, outside experts were brought in and administrators from the PMT were included. Holding a seminar titled ?One Right Turn: Critical Issues in Urban Mobility for Developing Countries for Coming Decades,? the grantee attracted participants from noted NGOs such as the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment, transit officials from Delhi and Mumbai, other noted Indian advocates for BRT systems, and officials from the Central Institute of Road Transport. The seminar was well-received by officials, and garnered a lot of media attention, catalyzing popular support. A major publication on sustainable transport came out of the seminar, which ? combined with an appearance by Enrique Penalosa and his flagging off of a major cycle rally (~4500 cyclists) ? went a long way in persuading the PMC to take a more sympathetic approach to NMT, BRT and TDM.

The beginning of 2005 saw the PMC hire a consulting firm to help develop a transport action plan, with the grantee being given a role in the oversight of their work. Immediately encountering obstacles, the consulting firm?s recommendations were largely auto-centric and failed to countenance the progresses of the past year. The grantee engaged the consultants, and successfully persuaded them to revise the document. For unclear reasons however, the recommendations were not accepted by the PMC, throwing the progress made into doubt.


The 2006 municipal budget however allayed these worries, making significant financial commitments to sustainable transport development including:
? Upgrade of Pune?s citywide cycling network, including several kilometres of cycling tracks
? The beginnings of a multi-million dollar BRT system, with two initial routes to be constructed
? A decision mandating footpaths for all public roads in the city.

These provisions represent outstanding successes, and pave the way for further progress in the future. Parisar and its partners continue to lobby for sustainable transport and serve as policy watchdogs, monitoring city policy and ensuring continued improvement.