U.S. to offer transport solutions for 3 smart cities

The U.S. Department of Transportation will offer sustainable transport solutions for Allahabad, Ajmer and Visakhapatnam, a statement from the Ministry of Urban Development said on Thursday.

These three cities will be developed as smart cities with the help of the U.S. Government.

US Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, leading a nine-member delegation, met Urban Development Minister  M.Venkaiah Naidu here on Thursday.

The meeting focused on cooperation on the transportation elements of smart cities including efficient public transportation systems, Intelligent Transport Systems, Traffic Information and Control, multimodal integration and capacity building and training in the field of urban transportation.

Foxx stressed that efficient urban transportation based on proper planning and execution holds the key to making cities more livable. He said the US Government is focusing on promoting regional transport solutions and described the initiative of building 100 smart cities in India as “very exciting”.

Bilateral cooperation

Naidu discussed the initiatives being taken in the urban, with the objective of enhancing the quality of lives of the people in urban areas and enabling cities to drive economic growth. He said that task forces have been constituted for promotion of Allahabad, Ajmer and Visakhapatnam in association with United States Trade Development Agency and suggested that the US Department of Transportation can work with the teams to promote sustainable transport solutions.