Reports flag urgent need for clean mobility and stronger EV push in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow: With Uttar Pradesh grappling with the highest vehicle population in the country and worsening air quality across its cities, a new set of reports has called for urgent action to transform the state’s mobility systems.

The Climate Agenda, a grassroots not-for-profit working on climate consciousness, on Saturday released two commissioned studies titled From Gridlock to Green Inclusive Mobility – Analysing Traffic, Air Quality, and Public Transport Opportunities in Lucknow and Assessment of Uttar Pradesh Electric Vehicle Manufacturing and Mobility Policy 2022.

The research, conducted in collaboration with IIT-BHU and EnviroCatalysts, combines ground-level evidence with policy analysis to anchor clean and inclusive mobility in public discourse and influence future decision-making.

The mobility report on Lucknow highlights the socio-economic fallout of new vehicle registrations, traffic congestion and worsening air pollution. Drawing from TomTom Traffic Data of August 2024, it shows that most traffic corridors in Lucknow suffer from chronic congestion, with peak gridlock occurring daily between 5 pm and 8 pm.

Daytime traffic between 10 am and 5 pm is the second-most congested period. The resulting vehicular emissions, the report warns, are having severe health consequences.

Citing a 2020 study by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, the report notes that air pollution may have reduced life expectancy of Lucknow residents by 6.5 years compared to regions meeting World Health Organisation guidelines for safe PM2.5 levels.

Even if the city had met India’s own national ambient air quality standards, residents could have lived three years longer on average.

The findings underline the growing reliance on private transport in Lucknow.

Registration data for 2023-24 shows that two-wheelers account for 51 per cent of vehicles and private cars for 29 per cent, leaving public transport with only a limited share. This dependence has intensified traffic snarls and

pushed pollution to breathing levels, directly affecting residents.

“Both studies underline the need for a comprehensive strategy to transform the state into a competitive hub for investment, innovation, and sustainable urban living,” said Ekta Shekhar, Director of The Climate Agenda.