The 2017 Sustainable Urban Mobility Program: Leaders in Urban Transport Planning and Management seminar was held at National Taiwan University in Taipei City from Feb. 9-10, helping foster links between Taiwan and India officials and industry professionals in line with the government’s New Southbound Policy.

A key plank in President Tsai Ing-wen’s national development strategy, the New Southbound Policy seeks to deepen Taiwan’s agricultural, business, cultural, education, trade and tourism links with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand.

The annual seminar is part of the Sustainable Urban Transport Project jointly initiated by the World Bank, India’s Ministry of Urban Development and the Center of Excellence in Urban Transport at Center for Environmental Planning and Technology University in Ahmedabad. The SUTP aims to promote environmentally sustainable urban transport in the South Asian nation and improve the usage of environmentally friendly transport methods through demonstration projects in selected cities.

Launched in 2015, the program is organized by the Advanced Public Transportation Research Center at NTU in conjunction with the Center of Excellence in Urban Transport at CEPTU.

The two-day seminar was tailored to advance the expertise of urban transportation professionals and high-level government officials. It included workshops and discussions encompassing topics such as Taipei’s integration of intelligent transportation systems and sustainable transportation with urban development, as well as the city’s experiences regarding the establishment and management of the YouBike public bicycle rental system.

Tours were arranged to various YouBike facilities so that seminar participants could gain a more practical understanding of the platform.

According to Taiwan representative to India Tien Chung-kwang, the program, in line with the New Southbound Policy, seeks to not only strengthen economic and trade ties between the two sides, but also provide opportunities for Taiwan to help India cultivate talent in various fields.

A total of 45 representatives from India’s public and private urban transportation sectors attended the seminar, including officials from the Ministry of Urban Development, Central Railway and Ministry of Transport of West Bengal. (SCK-E)

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