The Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar was nearly knocked down on the road by motor cyclists while he was on a morning walk in Patna recently. Fortunately, he sensed the danger, the culprits had dented his security, he quickly jumped on the footpath and he was saved. That shows how poor urban mobility is in the whole country in fact[Read More…]
As a frequent traveller in and around Chennai, I have experienced the ups and downs of utilizing bus services, ranging from paid buses to pink-coloured buses free of charge exclusively for women. Moreover, while using Chennai’s public transport, I recently discovered the Chalo app, a revolutionary addition to the transportation ecosystem, which has made my commute significantly more manageable and[Read More…]
Maharashtra’s politicians have betrayed the masses on a massive scale . But one good decisions taken by the government before the recent filthy politics is that it introduced 50 per cent concession in fares for women on State Transport buses. It needs to do more for promoting public transport. Making a documentary film would be one good measure, it has[Read More…]
Twenty six passengers were charred to death beyond recognition when a private bus going from Nagpur to Pune crashed on the so called Samruddhi highway early hours this morning. This was a disaster waiting to happen and government agencies are being squarely blamed for poor planning and enforcement. It is a dream project costing a staggering Rs 60,000 crore opened[Read More…]
There is increasing protest in the U.S. against the craze for car parking. More space is being allotted for parking of cars than for houses because of wrong policies. The same is happening in Mumbai and other cities and this is going to create a big crisis in the coming days. A new book by David Grabar about the heavy[Read More…]
A seemingly good decision to provide free insurance to commuters of two lines on the Mumbai Metro is also highly discriminatory and almost insulting to suburban train and bus commuters. Who needs insurance and accident compensation more ? Obviously, suburban rail commuters, nearly three thousand of them die each year due to overcrowding and others issues. Yet, each one of[Read More…]
We can expect little improvement in our urban transport system considering what could be termed as inadequate understanding of the issue shown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his post budget webinar last week. He emphasised Metro rail network as a key driver not realising the extremely poor record in most ciies. Even the moderate Marathi daily Maharashtra Times in[Read More…]
Metro work causing havoc in Surat, in Mr Modi’s home state. In Mumbai bus transport is neglected. The prohibitively costly Metro rail project has caused disruption on a massive scale in different cities in India. But nowhere else more than in Surat in the Prime Minister’s home state of Gujarat. And also in Mumbai. Metro Mokan says today’s edition of[Read More…]
Mr R.C. Bhargava, the high profile chairman of Maruti Suzuki, and the likes of him owe an explanation to the public for the situation so visible in many places in the country. There is a blatant encroachment by the motor car showroom on the footpath as well as the prominent artery S.V. Road in Bandra in Mumbai. And a serious[Read More…]
It is surprising that Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis embarked on the speed misadventure on the Samruddhi Mahamarg highway on December 4, so soon after the death in a road crash of Cyrus Mistry, former chairperson of Tata group. Mr Fadnavis himself was at the wheel driving at a speed of some 120 km[Read More…]
I attended an international conference on urban transport mobility in Kochi last week from November 4 to 6. After listening to ministers, bureaucrats and others at this conference as well as earlier meetings, one gets the clear impression that we are in for serious problems of road congestion and pollution. Things are going to become worse despite all tall talk[Read More…]
It seems the government machinery which is so arrogant towards common people, listens only to voices of aggression. The officialdom sat meekly, almost scared yesterday on the dais in front of a large gathering of Aagri community farmers, men and women, during a public hearing on Metro 9 railway line. Scared indeed because there were two police officers on the[Read More…]
The Metro rail network is failing miserably in different cities. In Bangalore steps to check the falling ridership of Namma Metro are not helping. Its daily pass scheme too has drawn poor response. In a city of millions, only four people bought a three day pass costing Rs 400 on April 5. With the pass you can travel any number[Read More…]
What kind of Swachh Bharat and modern urbanisation we are creating ? Let us start with Bandra suburban station in Mumbai, one of the oldest and prized heritage stone buildings, with its red tile roof. A perfectly functioning toilet for men and women here was demolished recently and now there is no toilet, urinal of any kind on any[Read More…]
Narendra Modi, Prime Minister, unwittingly admitted today that the operation of Metro railway network in India is a failure. He was inaugurating short stretches of two Metro lines in Pune. He appealed to people to travel by the Metro. It was in the tone of desperation of a salesman who knows the product is expensive and does not meet real[Read More…]
If the goal is to protect environment from automobile pollution, improve road safety, and end economic disparities in the society, then vehicle scrappage policy is not likely to deliver on these tall promises. Rather such a policy could be counter-productive if we look closely at the aforementioned goals. Such a policy is another example of promoting market-based solutions to benefit[Read More…]
Mr Durga Shankar Mishra, the secretary of the union ministry of urban affairs, says that his son, an architect, cycles seven km from his home to his office in Delhi and back every day. That is the encouraging part. The younger generation can usher in a change. The not so good part is that most bureaucrats and politicians have little[Read More…]
It would be good if our politicians and bureaucrats did a little introspection like Bangalore’s traffic police commissioner Ravikanthe Gowda. He said he had not travelled by a bus for the last twenty years and we make decisions about public transport without using public transport ourselves and without involving people who are real users. This situation has to change, he[Read More…]
Because I realized (better late than never) that it is government’s responsibility to provide safe, convenient, affordable, accessible and humane ways of commuting for all its citizens. When governments fail on its duty then it hides behind the market forces, and co-opts itself in corporate agenda, enticing citizens to own, borrow, rent and use private vehicles to commute. Forcing people[Read More…]
Mumbai: Mr Nitin Gadkari, union road transport minister, is one of the more efficient ministers. He often comes up with innovative solutions like converting waste water and garbage to profitable use. Unfortunately, there is little innovation in urban transport with which his department is closely concerned. In fact, instead of innovation, regressive , costly solutions are being thrust on civic[Read More…]
This luxury 24 storey high rise building represents an assault on the heart of Mumbai. This is in Mahim geographically the heart of the metropolis as Mahim connects the island city with the suburbs. The skyscraper is an eyesore amidst low-rise housing but more than that it has come up on the bus depot of the BEST Undertaking .[Read More…]
I was impressed by the pleasant ambience of the Trivandrum railway station and the bus depot for long distance travel which is just across the road. This is how public transport should be but this has become so rare due to the callousness of our politicians and bureaucrats. The whole area is clean. And travel is really seamless. I[Read More…]
One can understand the annoyance Maharashtra’s director general of police Satish Mathur faced last Monday when he was stuck in traffic for half an hour in the central business district CBD Belapur. Four policemen were transferred for failing not to clear the way for him. Mr Mathur would feel much less annoyed if he realized that his discomfort is nothing[Read More…]
Beijing, the Chinese capital could well be a model for India’s Swachh Bharat mission of cleanliness. Toilets are everywhere in the city, I noticed during my two-week visit to Beijing last month. It could also be a model for us in public transport. I experienced this through my constant walks in different parts of the city and travel by[Read More…]
In 2012, the city of Vancouver in Canada’s British Columbia province set a lofty transportation goal — for people to make more than 50 percent of their trips in the city by foot, bicycle, and public transit by 2020. In 2015, the city had already met its target. As the short video by Streetfilms below shows, the city accomplished this through a multi-modal approach by making sustainable[Read More…]
The money crisis is more painful because of is suddenness. But the government has been causing hardships to citizens for years through various ways. One is the anti-people policy on transport. The pain is spread over a long time and we do not feel it so intensely. The government has inflicted motorization on the country without any safeguards to vulnerable[Read More…]
Mumbai: Despite advances in technology, life is getting worse for users of public transport . This is at least partly because of the callous way the technology is being handled. The seats in the big brand new coaches in the local Western railway trains in Mumbai are clearly uncomfortable. I tried out both in first and second class. I[Read More…]
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My Amma (Malayalam word for Mother) passed away on August 22, 2023 at 3.10 AM. It is always difficult to deal with the passing of a parent, that too one’s mother. I thought the grief would go away. No it didn’t. All those bitter sweet memories won’t go away. At night I lie awake for hours. My friend, guide and[Read More…]
