An international workshop on capacity building for urban mobility and sustainable urban transport index (SUTI) begins in the capital today (Wednesday) with an aim of improving the city's transport system.
More than 125 participants, including 25 international participants from 11 countries, are taking part in the two-day workshop.
The participants include local and foreign high officials as well as transport and traffic experts from different universities, including Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) has organised the workshop in collaboration with Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges (MoRTB) and Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA).
The workshop will focus on introducing SUTI in different countries, including Bangladesh. It will also share the results of SUTI application in other cities, where it has been already introduced.
MoRTB has already decided to introduce an index to assess the level and quality of transport system in the capital by evaluating the data on 10 indicators, including accidents.
It is aimed at achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by improving the city's transport system.
Other indicators of the index include air quality, convenient access to public transport service, public transport quality and reliability, affordability, operational cost of public transport system, cost recovery ratio, investment in public transport system, and greenhouse gas emission from vehicles.
SUTI, developed by UNESCAP, has already been introduced in four Asian cities - Colombo, Jakarta, Hanoi and Kathmandu. It is now under process of launching in Dhaka, Ho Chi Minh City, Surabaya and Bandung.
Officials said participants from the countries, where SUTI has been introduced, will share their experiences in introducing the index.
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