[sustran] Re: Soliciting Information on Sustrainable Transport worldwide

[kisan mehta]

----- Original Message -----
From: kisan mehta <kisansbc at vsnl.com>
To: Eric Britton <eric.britton at ecoplan.org>;
<sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org>; Lake Sagaris <sagaris at terra.cl>
Sent: Sunday, April 14, 2002 10:38 AM
Subject: Re: [sustran] Soliciting Information on  Sustrainable Transport
worldwide


> Dear Sustran friends,
>
> Our authorities- Maharashtra State Government, Indian
> Railways,  Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development
> Authority, Mumbai Municipality, Traffic Police etc are
> anxious to develop a traffic system in Mumbai (12
> million residents) based on pavementless carriageways,
> elevated roads, flyovers etc to help private motorists at
> public cost.  These programmes cause severe hardship
> to the common man.  As if this is not enough, the
> government is out to construct Sea Link costing (not
> disclosed) cost of Rs 10 billion (Ind Rs 48 make a US $)
>
 The World Bank is all set to legitimise this flamboyant
 Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) by extending
a loan to the resource strapped government that has
 withdrawn social welfare programmes in education and
public health on the grounds of paucity of funds.
 As motorists will pay nothing for the facilities, the
 burden will fall on common man.
>
> Mumbai has the highest road fatality rate in the world.
 Pedestrians form 81% of the fatalieis. Ministers and
 bureaucrats use govt limousines with blaring lights.
 So they are not affected by rising road accident rate.
>
> We wish to do a last ditch effort to bring sense to the
 authorities.  We thought we shall place verious
 untraditional programmes similar to what have worked
 in Curitoba,  Bogota and elsewhere to promote walking,
 cycling, public transport etc.  We seek detailed info on
 these programmes.  Many of you are intimately involved
 and follow such programmes.  Can you kindly forward
 data to us through email, published literature. etc. from
the scratch
>
> Our authorties feign ignorance to data on email, fax
 etc to avoid public exposure.   They are backed by the World
Bank so hardly worry about citizen hardship. Thanks in
advance. Best wishes.
>
> Kisan Mehta  mailto:kisansbc at vsnl.com
> and Priya Salvi  priya_salvi at yahoo.com
> Save Bombay Committee
> 620 Jame Jamshed Road, Dadar East,
> Mumbai 400 014 India
> Tel: 00 91 22 414 9688
> Fax:00 91 22 415 5536