The standing Parliamentary Committee studying the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2016, has recommended that "pedestrians and non-motorised vehicles (mainly the cyclists) be restricted from using main roads and highways in metro cities."

The Committee also observes that "the nonmotorised vehicles do not follow road rules and create a lot of nuisance. They are traffic hazard for others also".

I think it is a thoughtless & visionless observation akin to 'throwing the baby with the diaper, instead changing the diaper.' If we go by the plain statistics, it is enough to understand that who flout the traffic rules and who are responsible for the loss millions of lives on road every year!

This proposal by the Parliamentary standing committee has drawn strong objection from the Sustainable Urban Mobility Network (SUM Net India), a national coalition of civil society organisations, who have called it-
“Antipeople, anti-poor and highly discriminatory”. 

The SUM Net India and many experts have also pointed out that 'this recommendation is totally contrary to the principles outlined in the National Urban Transport Policy 2006 and the recent AMRUT and smart city guidelines which speak of promoting walking, cycling and lanes for non-motorised transport.'

I understand that the parliamentary committee’s recommendations are currently revised by the transport ministry. Therefore, it is time, we must urge the ministry to reject this recommendation and make a new Non-Motorised Vehicles Act. There is a need of streamlining non-motorised vehicles by introducing relevant traffic rules and dedicated tracks for the purpose, but not certainly banning them from the roads!

Hence, this petition to Mr. Nitin Gadkari, Honourable Minister for road transport & highways, to emphasise him the importance of rejecting the said committiee reccomendations and to help promoting eco-friendly transport system in our country.

I request all my countryman to sign this petition.