[sustran] Re: Fwd: GETTING THERE

Akila Dinakar akiladinakar at hotmail.com
Thu Aug 10 01:01:07 JST 2000


That was a great write-up. Even in Chennai, lack of walking space for 
pedestrians is a major problem. While some pseudo steps are taken to remove 
pavement dwellers to make way for pedestrians, once removed, the area is 
leased out for car parking and the remaining little area becomes 
`unwalkable' as they are used as a free public convenience. The Chennai 
Corporation, rather audaciously has constructed 10 flyovers and plans 15 
more, ribbon-thin, buses don't ply on some of them. They occupy major 
portions of already small and congested roads. The authority which has to 
monitor that citizens get so many metres pavement space to walk on has 
reduced pavements in the fly-over zones to a couple of inches. As good as 
having no pavement at all, pedestrians are forced to take the road where 
heavy vehicles come with menacing speed. With no place to walk, just think 
about cycling!

Bye from akiladinakar at hotmail.com, Reporter, The Hindu, Chennai.


>From: "S. Husnaini" <nainisofjan at pd.jaring.my>
>Reply-To: sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org
>To: <sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org>
>CC: <msia-plan-transp at egroups.com>, "Tunku Mohar" <tunkumohar at hotmail.com>, 
>"Donet H" <hamizah at ipoh.linton.edu.my>, "AF2 Png" <mahfaz at tm.net.my>, "ZonK 
>Wahie" <zonk at mimos.my>, "Wong CH" <chwinwin at tm.net.my>, "Sheenah Kanthar" 
><sheenad at unops.org>, "Manok SMN" <kehijauan at yahoo.com>, "Jran Chong" 
><jran at tm.net.my>, "Geroj AsmuniA" <munivwa at hotmail.com>, "Bazlan Wan" 
><bazlan at perodua.com.my>, "Liza Rahim" <Noraliza at aol.com>
>Subject: [sustran] Fwd: GETTING THERE
>Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2000 22:48:04 +0800
>
>www.malaysiakini.com
>Aug 9, 2000
>
>
>GETTING THERE
>A. Rahman Paul Barter
>
>Is there a plot to eliminate pedestrians?
>
>
>Is there a macabre conspiracy bent on preventing Malaysians from walking
>anywhere? Would this shadowy group stoop to killing off the few brave
>pedestrians who fail to take their hints?
>
>Does this cabal of evil plotters consider walking to be un-Malaysian? There
>is disturbing evidence in our streets. Of course, official policy is
>actually to encourage walking. The anti-walking conspiracy must be a very
>devious one.
>
>Picture if you will a brainstorming session of Central Branch of the secret
>"Prevention of Walking Society (POWS)"…
>
>"Hey what if we could persuade pedestrians to risk their skins and walk on
>the roadway instead of on the footpath? No problem! Just make the footpaths
>difficult to walk on. How about some land mines?
>No stupid. That's much too obvious, lah! Ooh I have an idea! Make the
>footpaths about a foot higher than the street so that every time there is a
>driveway or corner those pesky pedestrians will have to step down and up.
>
>Ha ha, good one! And put lots of obstacles in their way. How about a few
>phone booths, big poles, bits of wire sticking out of the ground, hawker
>stalls, and stuff. Hey look at that taxi rank there.. we should put a big
>metal fence around it so pedestrians have to squeeze between it and that
>open drain! Looks like we already stole the drain covers, good work team!
>Hee hee we're really getting somewhere now, there is no way anyone in a
>wheelchair could get through there!"
>
>Visualise the impatient chair ticking off the members as they examine their
>detailed street maps…
>
>"You idiots, look at that intersection. Why is there still a pedestrian
>phase on those traffic lights? Build a pedestrian bridge lah! You know, a
>jejantas. Why should a few useless pedestrians stop the traffic?
>What's that you say at the back? They keep crossing on the ground even when
>there is a jejantas?
>
>Hah! Then padan muka when they get hit by a lorry! And a few police "saman"
>will send them the right message - what are they doing walking anyway?
>Would pedestrians still get across this street too easily? Hmm.. how about
>a nice big fence in the median strip? A good hurdle to make things more
>interesting as they dash across.
>
>Come to think of it. Don't even build the jejantas. Just remove the lights,
>build the fence, turn the street into a highway and then only promise to
>build the pedestrian bridge in a few years time…he he."
>
>Someone else calls out that vehicles travelling at 30 km/h or less have
>less than a 5% chance of killing a pedestrian even if they hit one. So a
>special note goes on the whiteboard "make sure motor vehicles always go as
>fast as possible" and "Persuade police to enforce speed limits only on big
>highways where there are no pedestrians."
>
>The conspirators also decide that the young should never even get into the
>habit of walking anywhere. Traffic around schools must be made as chaotic
>and dangerous as possible so that parents fear to let their children walk
>to school.
>
>As the session continues the whiteboard fills with more and more ideas on
>how to discourage or slaughter all those annoying pedestrians. One
>conspirator points out that it would be too obvious if they eliminated all
>pedestrian lights and pedestrian phases in traffic lights. Better to put in
>some pedestrian lights but make sure they usually don't work. And how about
>pedestrian lights that turn on and off at random even when no-one presses
>the button, so motorists and walkers both start ignoring them completely.
>
>One plotter even suggests a few token pedestrian zones in the city but then
>adds the sly twist that there must be no shade trees in the pedestrian
>areas, just little palm trees designed especially to give NO shade at all.
>Nothing like a blast of tropical midday sun to empty the pavement of
>pattering feet.
>
>OK, let's get back to reality now... OF COURSE THERE IS NO CONSPIRACY to
>inflict genocide on people who use their feet or wheelchairs to move
>around. What a ridiculous idea. For a start, we are all pedestrians
>sometimes. Most trips involve at least some walking even if only to lurch
>from the parking lot to the office or house. A plot against pedestrians
>would be a plot against all of us.
>
>In fact, I should point out that there are SOME excellent efforts being
>made here and there in Kuala Lumpur and other municipalities around the
>country to make things a little easier and safer for pedestrians. These
>worthy efforts do offer some hope that Malaysia's pedestrians can soon be
>taken off the endangered species list. The fanciful conspiracy theory above
>is obviously way over the top!
>
>But then again, how do YOU explain all those obstacle-riddled footpaths,
>pedestrian bridges, faulty pedestrian lights and all those little non-shady
>palm trees?
>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>A. Rahman Paul Barter is a researcher and writer on urban transport in
>Asia. He has lived in Kuala Lumpur since 1994. GETTING THERE is a regular
>column about transport issues in Malaysia.
>

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