Karnataka in the Framework
The Framework asks for four legislative instruments at the state level. Karnataka has produced one, and has the other on the desk.
Motor Vehicles Act Rules ✓ Done
Karnataka Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Rules 2026, gazetted 12 May 2026. Inserts two new chapters into the Karnataka Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 (Chapter V-B on non-motorised transport and pedestrian infrastructure; Chapter VI-A on road design, construction, and maintenance standards). Notified expressly under §138 and §210D of the Motor Vehicles Act — the precise hooks the Supreme Court directed.
This is Karnataka's contribution to Stream 1 of the Framework. The federal Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill — strengthening §138(1A), §210D, and creating a statutory state Active Mobility Coordinator role — is still needed at the central level.
State Active Mobility Act ⏳ Pending Cabinet approval
Karnataka Active Mobility Bill, drafted by the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT). The Bill has been revised after public consultation and is currently submitted to the Government for Cabinet approval. CFAM's petition asks for it to be tabled in the Monsoon Session of the Karnataka Assembly 2026.
The Bill is the flagship state instrument the Framework asks for in every state — what the Karnataka Motor Vehicle Rules cannot reach: a state Active Mobility Cell, statutory Officers and Wardens, a Code of Conduct linked to driving licence training, and a rights-based framing.
Karnataka has produced state-level instances of two of the four streams. 35 other states and Union Territories have produced none. Karnataka is now the working template for the rest of India.
What's in the Rules
Eight substantive areas, in two new chapters — Chapter V-B (rules 135L–135T) on non-motorised transport and pedestrian infrastructure, and Chapter VI-A (rules 231F–231J) on road design, construction, and maintenance standards.
Road hierarchy
Four-tier classification — Arterial / Sub-Arterial / Collector (40 kmph) / Local Street (20 kmph, shared-space, NMT priority). Vulnerable Road Users defined to include pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, children, elderly, and persons with disabilities.
Footpath protection
Minimum 1.5 m clear width; 2.5 m in school zones. Reduction allowed "only as a last resort and only upon recording reasons in writing" after parking removal, carriageway rationalisation, and utility relocation. Continuous, encroachment-free, well-lit, well-drained.
Pedestrian crossings
Crossings every 150 m maximum in urban areas. At-grade by default. Grade-separation only where carriageway exceeds 18 m and speed exceeds 50 kmph. Min 2 m crossing width. Refuge islands where needed. Exclusive pedestrian phase at signals.
Accessibility standards
Mandatory tactile guiding/warning blocks, kerb ramps, Braille on handrails, pelican signals with audible devices. Signal timing designed for the walking speed of children, elderly, and persons with disabilities. Cross-references Harmonised Guidelines 2021 and RPwD Act 2016.
Cycle tracks
Mandatory on arterial and sub-arterial roads, school connectors, and any road with vehicular speed above 30 kmph. Physical segregation on higher-speed roads. No parking, vending, or utilities in the cycle zone. Contraflow cycle lanes on one-way streets, fully segregated.
Motorist duties
Statutory 1.5 m overtaking distance for cyclists in mixed traffic. "Dooring" protection. Yield to pedestrians and cyclists at unsignalled crossings. Heightened precaution near children, elderly, and persons with disabilities. No driving or parking on footpaths or cycle tracks.
Institutional architecture
Public Works Department and Urban Local Bodies as Implementing Agency. Transport Department as State Monitoring Agency. BMLTA as Monitoring Agency for Bengaluru (citing Karnataka Act 6 of 2023). District Road Safety Committees elsewhere. Three-stage independent Road Safety Audits. Quarterly + half-yearly + annual reports.
Penalties & citizen standing
Up to Rs 1 lakh on implementing agencies where non-compliance causes death or grievous injury. Motorist penalties Rs 1,000 first / Rs 5,000 subsequent / up to Rs 1,000 per day for continuing violations. Statutory grievance redressal with 30-day resolution and appeal to the Chief Secretary.
What the Bill still adds — and why CFAM keeps pushing
The Karnataka Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Rules 2026 cover roughly 70% of what the Framework asks for at the state level. They handle design standards, monitoring, and enforcement. But the Rules are delegated legislation under the central Motor Vehicles Act — they cannot reach the institutional and rights architecture only a standalone state Act can deliver.
The Karnataka Active Mobility Bill, still pending Cabinet approval, is needed for the residual 30% — and that 30% is what makes the difference between a technical standards regime and a genuine right to safe mobility:
State Active Mobility Cell
A permanent unit within the state government with budget, mandate, and personnel — not just a function delegated to PWD or ULBs.
Statutory Active Mobility Officer
A named senior officer accountable for walking and cycling outcomes at the state level — modelled on US Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinators.
Active Mobility Wardens
Street-level enforcement personnel empowered to act on encroachments, parking violations, and ULB non-compliance.
Code of Conduct + DL training
A statutory Code of Conduct for all road users, linked to driving licence training and testing — making defensive-driving content mandatory.
A rights-based framing
The Rules set design standards. The Bill enumerates a right to safe and accessible streets — converting design standards from technical compliance into citizens' entitlements, with corresponding state duties.
This is what CFAM's petition asks for. The Bill makes Karnataka's Stream 3 contribution complete — and gives every other state in India the working template they need.
Sign the petition
Table the Karnataka Active Mobility Bill in the Monsoon Session of the Karnataka Assembly 2026.
The Bill has been on the Government's desk since 2022. Karnataka has shown the rest of India what the Motor Vehicle Rules look like. The Bill is the next piece. Add your name.
How other states can replicate
The Supreme Court directed every state to notify rules under MV Act §138(1A) and §210D within six months. The deadline expired 7 April 2026. Karnataka has shown what it looks like to comply. Six steps for any state to follow.
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Study the Karnataka Rules
Read the gazette text — Karnataka Gazette Extraordinary Part IVA No. 368, TD 147 TDO 2025. The two new chapters (V-B and VI-A) are directly portable to other states' Motor Vehicle Rules 1989.
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Draft state-level amendments under §138(1A) and §210D
The two MV Act sections are central, but rule-making is delegated to states. Each state's draft can adapt Karnataka's chapter structure to its own road hierarchy, ULB structure, and existing road safety architecture.
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Reference the binding technical standards
IRC 103-2022 for pedestrian safety, IRC 11-2015 for cycle tracks, IRC 70 for bus stops, and the Harmonised Guidelines and Space Standards for Universal Accessibility in India 2021 (RPwD-incorporated). All four are already binding nationally; state rules need only reference them.
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Engage the State Road Safety Committee, the Transport Department, and the relevant ULBs
Karnataka's BMLTA monitoring architecture is specific to Bengaluru's statutory transport authority. States without a UMTA can use District Road Safety Committees — Karnataka does, outside Bengaluru.
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Publish a draft for public consultation
Karnataka published its draft on 8 April 2026, ran 30 days of consultation, then notified on 12 May 2026. The 30-day consultation is standard and protects the rule from procedural challenges.
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Notify in the state gazette — and table a State Active Mobility Bill in parallel
The Rules close out Stream 1 at the state level. A separate Active Mobility Bill — drafted off the DULT Karnataka template — delivers Stream 3. Both are needed. Both are state-level instruments. Both can be tabled in the same legislative session.
The people behind it
Karnataka's national-first status didn't happen by accident. Several institutions and civil-society organisations have been working towards this for years.
Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT)
The state body that drafted the Karnataka Active Mobility Bill. DULT remains the lead on Stream 3.
Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA)
Bengaluru's statutory transport authority, created by Karnataka Act 6 of 2023. Now named in the MV Rules 2026 as Monitoring Agency for Bengaluru.
Karnataka Transport Department
Notified the Karnataka Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Rules 2026 on 12 May 2026 under TD 147 TDO 2025.
IISc Sustainable Transportation Lab
Founded 2009 at the Department of Civil Engineering, IISc Bangalore. Technical research partner. Co-authored the Church Street pedestrianisation impact assessment with DULT and Urban Morph.
Bicycle Mayor of Bengaluru
Sathya Sankaran — convener of the IST Lab × Urban Morph partnership for a Centre of Excellence on Active Mobility.
Council for Active Mobility (CFAM)
Stewarded by Urban Morph. Coordinating the civil society advocacy push to table the Active Mobility Bill in the 2026 Monsoon Session.
Working in this stream and want to be listed? Contact contact@cfam.in.
Karnataka is the working template. The other 35 states need it too.
If you want to push your state to act, the materials and contacts are here. If you can amplify the Karnataka petition, that helps the Bill cross the line.