Dear Traffic Police and transport planners, 


I am a Chennai resident for the past year and a half. In this period, I have taken up several modes of transport in the city and tried various combinations of private, and public transport. Frustrated with everything, I finally bought a cycle. A cycle I use for my daily commute to work and for other purposes. Although, I have enjoyed the past five months of cycling around the city, there are a few things I wish for everytime I am on the road. I hope some of these wishes become a reality in this year. So here’s my wishlist for Chennai roads and streets.

1. Decreasing the use of one-way Roads in the city

Taking from my disciplinary training in urban planning, I really wish Chennai had fewer one-way streets. Not only do one-way streets make it tough for drivers to merge and de-merge as they navigate due to potential conflict points between merging and demerging traffic, but one-way roads are also some of the most inefficient systems for traffic m…

In this exclusive interview with IFMR LEAD, Dr. Sultan Hafeez Rahman, Executive Director of BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), Bangladesh discusses the importance of and barriers to evidence based research for policymaking. He also specifically talks about the current research and development scenario in Bangladesh and how regional cooperation can help address key development challenges of collaborating countries.

Drawing on various country experiences, what is your take on the importance of research evidence in the current policymaking environment of low and middle-income countries?

Globalization and sustained technological change has ushered the world in the 'age of knowledge.' It is absolutely imperative for governments to take advantage of the growing body of knowledge (based on rigorous research) and research methods that can be used to solve the complex challenges they face in transforming their countries into more just and prosperous societies. They need…