[sustran] Re: netra update

[kisan mehta]

Dear Sujit,  Sustran colleagues,

Thanks for forwarding a copy of your mail to Nikhil 
Anand. Pardon my ignorance of Nikhil and the Netra,
though I claim to be a Mumbaikar since my birth. 

>From what has been recorded in his despatch, I 
could observe that it is a group of NGOs who do 
not base their approach on the ground reality.

The BEST at present suffers heavy losses which is crosssubsidised by profits in electicity supply in the 
Island City.  Yet the Govt extracts about 15% part 
of every bus ticket and the BMC charges an annual
fee which I have been comparing to the jijiyavera of 
Aurangzeb and khandani (which our Indian Princes 
paid to the British protectors from internal uprising)
   
Motorcars do not pay anything at all for use of roads.  The 
vestige of a charge in the form of wheel tax frozen
to the year 1937 level has also been withdrawn. Yet 
motorists cry hoarse on bad roads.  The BMC spends
about 300 crores annually (15% of BMC total budget) yet
BEST buses cannot move everywhere like private 
cars.

MMRDA is building Truck Terminal at Wadala for a 
period longer than Shahjehan took to build the Taj
at a totally unworkable site.  If anybody expected 
trucks to return to that Terminal after unloading and
wait for a call to enter the crowded Mohamedali-
Chakla area, he must be totally ignorant of the
working of truck transport economics. 

Over 1200 intercity buses come to Mumbai a day.
They go into Mumbai's deepest parts to dock and
clean up before starting off on return journey 
clogging movment of people.  The State Transport
buses dock in the most congested areas. What do 
we want to do for this malady?

MSRDC is building the JJ Hospital-Jyotiba Phule 
Elevated Road. No group objected to this amphibion
coming up on Mumbai's most crowded road on which 
about 23 bus routes ply. Before the road is completed, 
parking is patronised by BMC, MSRDC and Police.
We are getting convinced that the elevated road is
being constructed to create 500 car parking spaces  
where parking was prohibited for at least 40 years.  

Skybuses do not come for free.  One or two routes 
cannot make a dent on Mumbai's traffic woes yet our
friends, who do not worry about mounting public debt,        
promote the sure solution for  Mumbai's traffic snarls. 
 
Our NGOs do not worry about the worsening air quality 
brought about by galloping increase in cars.  As long as 
car parking is allowed on pavements and partof road, we 
feel well looked after. 

The MUTP, likely to cost Rs 60 billion is now being  
considered by the World Bank.  It is not worried 
about high emission levels. Every Mumbaiwalla 
should have a minimum dose of 600 gms of air
pollutants (to keep healthy?).

Motorists do not pay any tax for congestion and 
pollution.   They do not pay anything for using flyovers
(costing 16 to 20 billion cost kept top secret) but 
flyovers have increased car movement and parking 
resulting in slowing down Buses. The BEST General 
Manager is cutting down many routes on the excuse 
of continuing loss. We talk of air conditioned buses 
at that time and do not come out to support people's 
transport. 

This is our approach. I can continue writing but am 
stopping now in the fear that you may delete the entire 
piece having been fully tired out.   Best wishes.

Kisan Mehta kisansbc at vsnl.com 
Priya Salvi priya_salvi at yahoo.com

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Sujit Patwardhan 
  To: nikhil anand 
  Cc: Kisan Mehta 
  Sent: Saturday, January 19, 2002 11:27 PM
  Subject: Re: netra udate


  19 January 2002
  Nikhil,

  I was a little surprised to read about the inclusion of the Skybus Metro in your list of desirables. From the presentation in Pune was clear that they didn't even have a prototype on the ground. The presentation only had computer 3D images of the Skubus and unsubstantiated claims that the Skybus is "almost" as cheap as a bus. This is impossible as expensive infrastructure is needed for putting up the supports and rails and the suspended wagons. How can it then still be as cheap as a bus? Do they mean only the running costs? What about the capital costs? Even for some limited routes only (mostly radiating outward from the Pune city) the costs mentioned were Rs. 2,500 crores to Rs. 3,500 crores. Are these included in the figure they quote? These are important questions we have to ask. 

  We should not be taken in by promises given by the promoters who as in the case of the Mumbai Pune Expressway exaggerate the benefits while playing down the costs. It is only after the project is completed that these begin to surface by which time it is too late to do anything.
  My gut feeling (as I haven't studied Mumbai's traffic plans) is that the top priority needs to be given to creating dedicated lanes for BEST buses as in Curitiba, to have more efficient and larger capacity buses running on CNG or electric trolly buses. To give them space to move private vehicles (mostly cars) need to be restrained, not through one time taxes alone, but through a package of rules ranging from step by step enlargement of NO Parking Areas, charging higher parking fees, creating Carfree areas, creating bus priority lanes and other measures that will discourage people bringing their cars on the roads specially in the business districts (I would be in favour of banning cars from the entire Fort area and substitute them with electric shuttle buses. People would be able to move around comfortably if there are adequate buses of this kind. Taxis and bicycles can also be allowed but no private vehicles. Pollution and road congestion will disappear from the Fort area, people will be able to walk and shop without having to look over their shoulders. On the periphery of the No Car Zone special multistory parking lots can be erected. This is not utopian thinking but can be a reality.

  Please see the site www.carfree.com/  for many examples of Carfree cities.

  So before you support the Skybus I think you should get all the facts and figures and have them checked out by someone capable and independent of the promoters of the project.
  With good wishes,
  --
  Sujit

  At 10:51 AM 1/19/02 +0530, you wrote:

    "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word"> 
    dear sujit
    just a little update re netra
    i have been considerably less involved.  seeds is taking up much of my time and its difficult to work netra in as well
    but we had a meeting with suresh kumar and he was very receptive to the following 10 points we collaboratively put together 
    then a couple of weeks ago, a delegation met the CSecy and he assigned tasks to the different officers present there and now we expect to have a follow up meeting at the end of the month
    sorry for the excessive brevity
    just a quick email update this is
    more when i come to pune!
     
    nikhil
  NETRA is a network of organizations, associations and citizens that has been formed in response to the growing traffic and its affiliated problems faced by Mumbai City. We see ourselves as an instrument for coordination and not an organization. Some of the constituent members of NETRA are: Bombay Environmental Action Group, CLEAN-Air, NAGAR, Critical Mass and CitiSpace.

  Our mission is to network and campaign for the formulation and implementation of an Integrated Transport Policy, and the setting up of a Unified Transport Authority for the MMR, particularly focusing on the need to upgrade and prioritise sustainable transport and mass transport systems. To this end we have highlighted the following areas of focus:

    A.      Urgent implementation of Mass Urban Transport Project (MUTP) II emphasizing public transportation services. 
  These are to include road and rail components; specifically, a creation of a special bus lane; increasing the number of AC buses; and a special emphasis on the introduction of 1 AC coach on all fast trains.

    B.      Introducing the Skybus metro project. 
  We feel this is an efficient, economical, non-polluting and comfortable mode of public transport. An added advantage is that it does not take up additional road space.

    C.      Stringent enforcement of parking and traffic violations. 
  Our parking concerns relate to double and triple-parked cars and those cars that are parked at intersections. With regard to traffic violations, our concerns are cars that wait on the zebra crossing for the signal to change; cars that edge into the intersection in preparation for the light to change; and cars that make turns from the wrong lane.

    D.      Compulsory off road parking for vehicles. 
  We would like to see restriction of parking on arterial roads and major through fares.

    E.      Increasing parking charges to commercial rates. 
  We believe that increasing parking charges it will act as a deterrent to the use of private transport. These parking charges should be commensurate with commercial rates at specific locations and times. Also the costs of parking infrastructure development should be borne by the car user.

    F.      Completion of Truck/Bus Terminus at Wadala. 
  We suggest mandatory idle parking of all trucks and buses to be banned in the city, which will free the road space for vehicular traffic. 

    G.      Restoring pedestrian pavements; making them accessible for the aged and handicapped. 
  Pavements should be returned to the pedestrians. We wish to remove illegal (hawkers) and legal (police chowkies) encroachments. Pavements should not arbitrarily be narrowed or dispensed with for road widening as this implies that the pedestrian does not have right to use the road.  We further encourage the use of escalators/elevators at subways and overbridges to make them accessible to the aged and the handicapped.  Further, we advocate the creation of pedestrian (car free) plazas such as at Horniman Circle, to encourage the use of the roads by pedestrians.

    H.      Installation of proper road signage and markings. 
  Absence of appropriate road markings results in indisciplined driving which results in traffic slowing down and creates the potential for accidents. Furthermore, appropriate road signage and markings will increase the discharge capacity of roads.

    I.      Restricted entry of cars in Greater Mumbai and implementation of cordon pricing during peak traffic hours. 
  Restricting the number cars entering the city should be accomplished through traffic restraint schemes; fiscal or policy measures, and through cordon pricing during peak traffic hours.

    J.      An integrated Mumbai Transportation Authority to manage public transportation. 
  We understand that this idea has been proposed by several governmental bodies and that is has been placed on the backbench for some time now. We strongly recommend that this project be resurrected and implemented.
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Sujit Patwardhan.
  PARISAR, 
  Yamuna, ICS Colony, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune 411 007
  Tel: 5537955
  Email: sujit at vsnl.com
  *****************************************************************
  In nature there are neither Rewards nor Punishments--- 
  there are Consequences.
  *****************************************************************

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