[sustran] Re: Dinesh Mohon - CNG a big mistake?

[Alan Patrick Howes]

But the US situation is at least a little more understandable, as the
proportion of voters who use buses there is pretty low. But that is not the
case in India, at least on the basis of my perceptions. I haven't yet read
Dinesh's original posting - having trouble with our email here, I will have
to check it out at home. I would have hoped that, if Indian democracy is
worthy of the name, it would be possible to get the right message over to
the PTB ... 

But even as I write this, my natural optimism is fading.


-- 
Alan P Howes, Special Transport Advisor, 
     Dubai Municipality Public Transport Department
aphowes at dm.gov.ae
Tel:    +971 4 286 1616 ext 214
Mobile: +971 50 5989661


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Eric Bruun [mailto:ericbruun at earthlink.net]
> Sent: Mon, April 29, 2002 10:37 PM
> To: sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org
> Subject: [sustran] Re: Fw: [sustran] FW: Dinesh Mohon - CNG a 
> big mistake?
> 
> 
> 
> The reason that buses are singled out in India is probably 
> the same as why
> they are singled out in the US of A. They are not backed by 
> politically
> powerful corporations nor do the politicians use buses. In 
> the US, they are
> outnumbered by truck and long-distance buses by 100 to 1 and large
> personal SUVS keep proliferating, yet transit agencies are 
> being singled out
> to lead the fight for cleaner air.
> 
> Eric Bruun
> 
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: kisan mehta <kisansbc at vsnl.com>
> > To: <sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org>
> > Sent: Thursday, April 25, 2002 12:37 PM
> > Subject: Re: [sustran] FW: Dinesh Mohon - CNG a big mistake?
> >
> >
> > > Dear Sustran,  Clean Air Initiative Asia colleagues and Jack,
> > >
> >  Prof Dinesh Mohan has brought out pertinent issues via-a-vis
> > branding public road buses as polluters in Delhi.   It is not only
> > the number of buses  but, as stated by Prof Dinesh Mohan `one
> > must look not only at the pollution caused per vehicle but also
> > at the pollution caused per passenger transported over a
> > kilometre.'  No control is exercised on personal vehicles
> > which though serving an extremely small sector of the
> > community have a high polution rate.  They affect the
> > efficiency of public transport.
> > >
> > > He has very rightly dealt with the backlash that may come
> > up on urban public transport and detrimental change over
> > to private vehicles.    Central and State Governments
> > are already using public resources to promote private
> > vehicle ownership and usage.    The Supreme Court directive 
> restricted to
> > public road buses only would go to support
> > ownership and usage of private vehicles and introduction
> > of smaller non-efficient vehicles like rural mini buses,
> > the cumulative effect of which would be marked
> > deterioration of air quality.
> > >
> > > We fail to understand as to why buses only and no other
> > polluting vehicles are being targeted and penalised.
> > Low price for diesel has resulted in many motorists
> > changing over to diesel operated vehicles which pollutes
> > more.
> >
> > The air quality in India and more particularly in urban centres
> > is very poor and is fast deteriorating due to increasing number
> > of 2, 3 and 4 wheelers and absence of strict monitoring.
> > Vehicles now enter, dock and get repaired in highly congested
> > areas and thus affect larger number of people.
> >
> > Suffocating congestion, traffic jams, air quality deterioration
> > are everywhere.  Controlling  and curbing the movement and
> > docking of  vehicles  and of air quality are the need of the hour.
> Vehicles
> > pay nothing for use of  roads and polluting the 
> environment.  It would be
> > prudent to levy congestion and
> > pollution tax at 10% each on fuel at the fuel outlets.
> > Parking on roads and pavements should be banned.
> > Incentives now extended for owning vehicles should be
> > withdrawn.   What is required is to discourage residents
> > from using vehicles.  Best wishes.
> >
> > Priya Salvi and Kisan Mehta
> >
> >