[sustran] Fwd: Satyagraha for pedestrians' rights - DNA

Sujit Patwardhan sujit at vsnl.com
Thu Apr 3 23:08:38 JST 2008


3 April 2008


I'm forwarding a message from our friend Ajitbhai Shenoy (Mumbai) which is
sure to be of interest to all on the SUSTRAN list.
This is most inspiring for advocates of sustainable transportation, because
it is clear that ultimately only visible mass public pressure will generate
the "political will" essential for overhauling an outdated and unjust vision
that favours autos at the cost of pedestrians, cyclists and users of public
transport.
--
Sujit




   Wednesday, March 26, 2008 3:20:00 AM    *Permission to reprint or copy
this article or photo must be obtained from www.3dsyndication.com.*
*Satyagraha
for pedestrians' rights*    Sandeep Ashar

 *Bandra residents use this strategy to claim the right to use road space
encroached upon by autos and hawkers*

MUMBAI: The tony suburb of Bandra has a brand new fixation — the Pedestrian
Satyagraha or civil disobedience for the rights of pedestrians. The fight
for pedestrians having the first right to use road space, initiated by the
group Sahasi Padyatri and supported by DNA, has found a considerable support
from Bandra residents.

So overwhelming has been the response that the activist pedestrians have
decided to make it a mainstay for the campaign. Krishnaraj Rao, co-founder
of Sahasi Padyatri, whose volunteers have taken to drawing 6 ft lanes from
the centre of the road on both sides, said, "Having received support from
the citizens' trust in Bandra, we have decided to continue marking lanes in
the suburb as a 'pedestrian-only' territory. Buoyed by the response, we have
decided to focus our efforts in this region."

Volunteers of the group, along with local citizens, will repaint the
pedestrian-only lanes at Bandra's station road on Thursday. These lanes were
painted last week. The campaign was appreciated by many commuters and
locals, for whom walking on the road had become a nightmare with
autorickshaws and hawkers encroaching upon the road space meant for
pedestrians.

Vidya Vaidya, member, Federation of H/West Ward Citizens' Trust, attributed
the response to the active citizens' movement in the suburb. "We have
jointly decided to support the group in the fight for the pedestrians'
territory. We will keep demarcating lanes and encourage more and more people
to use these lanes," she said.

While Bandra has taken to the satyagraha like no other, citizens from all
parts from the city have begun to volunteer for the cause. Rao said,
"Aggrieved pedestrians from any part of the city can contact the group for
staging the satyagraha in their area."

*If the roads in your area are hell for pedestrians and you want to voice
your protest, contact Sahasi Padyatri at 98215 88114 or mail us at **
padyatri at dnaindia.net* <padyatri at dnaindia.net>



-- 
------------------------------------------------------
Sujit Patwardhan
sujit at vsnl.com
sujitjp at gmail.com

"Yamuna",
ICS Colony,
Ganeshkhind Road,
Pune 411 007
India
Tel: 25537955
-----------------------------------------------------
Hon. Secretary:
Parisar
www.parisar.org
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Founder Member:
PTTF
(Pune Traffic & Transportation Forum)
www.pttf.net
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