[sustran] Car dominated "vision" - destroying our cities

[Sujit Patwardhan]

Forwarded article from HasiruUsiru, Bangalore. More information about them
can be found here:
http://www.esgindia.org/campaigns/Tree%20felling/Hasire%20Usiru/background.html



10 November 2010

This article from the Deccan Herald, Bangalore brings out forcefully how in
many of our cities the Old Mobility Concepts continue to dominate the
thinking, and planning of projects at the State and Municipal Corporation
level, despite the National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) that all our
national leaders swear by and despite irrefutable evidence from all parts of
the globe that "Car Dominated Traffic Vision" is a guaranteed prescription
for urban disaster.

Do read this article and oppose such outdated traffic planning concepts in
your own city.

Is it too much to expect any action from the Urban Development Ministry at
the Centre that seems to turn a blind eye to such blatant disregards to its
recommendations and continues to dole out huge funds to cities under the
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNuRM)?

--
Sujit



 *Tagore underpass: Crime with
impunity*<http://www.deccanherald.com/content/111426/tagore-underpass-crime-impunity.html>

Deccan Herald -
Wednesday, November 10, 2010

By Vinod Vyasulu

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/111426/tagore-underpass-crime-impunity.html


*The citizens of Bangalore have been blessed by the gods.*

They get to show the world how to survive and smile in spite of a flawed
democracy that finds many ways to harass them. The Tagore circle underpass
(TCU) is a wonderful example of how to harass citizens with impunity.

KR Road was one of the nicest roads in Bangalore. From city market to
Jayanagar, it was a beautiful stretch with old tress providing shade in
summer and fresh air year round. The bureaucrats were terribly unhappy. How
could such pleasant surroundings continue when they were pledged to harass
all citizens round the year without fear or favour? It was simply
unacceptable that people could enjoy a pleasant walk on KR Road at any time
of the year. It was unacceptable to these authorities that traffic flowed
smoothly from north to south and vice versa. It was evidence of humongous
failure on their part.

And so remedial action began. The first step was to ensure that all
beautiful trees were cut. Whether the volume of traffic justified it or not,
the road was to be widened in public interest. It's a matter of pride to the
city corporation! Bangalore should not look like a pensioner's paradise when
it was growing as the back office of the world. Look at the stretch near the
National high school. From a majestic highway it was reduced to poor quality
road in a few years. Bangaloreans, patient and calm, took it lying down.

*Cutting trees*

Some even sympathised with the authorities, saying they had a difficult job
to do in managing a growing city; we should not make life difficult by
raising objections over the cutting of a few trees in the Garden City. To
help citizens, they took up a small project - widening the road between the
post office and the police station. They cut several trees. Bangaloreans
remained calm and composed.

After a brief respite, they moved again. This time the target was the road
opposite National College. The flyover, on a west-east direction, would go
right opposite the college. The college had to shift its gate. It was
unacceptable that there was no chaos when so many students went to and fro.
It was unacceptable that the choultries on the stretch to Lal Bagh felt no
pressure of traffic. And with great ingenuity they came up with a plan for a
huge flyover. The fact that residents of the area protested was taken as an
example of democracy - people had a right, almost a duty to object. The
authorities were above such mundane things as consultation. It was their
duty to ignore such protest in their effort to make the city dirty and
dusty, on par with the dustiest cities in the world.

And the flyover was built. It exceeded its cost estimates, and it took
longer than planned. And Bangaloreans remained calm and composed. They took
to the dust with resignation and sought 'moksha' elsewhere.

The authorities had some failures too. They are human, and we must
understand this. They experimented with 'magic boxes' in some areas. On the
Sankey Road, they constructed magic boxes near the Place Road junction, and
near Cauvery Theatre. They constructed magic boxes on Hosur Road. They were
all complete failures.

Learning from this failure, the authorities returned to KR Road, with a plan
of a grade separator at Tagore Circle. Citizens exercised their democratic
right to protest. They claimed it was not needed. They said there was no
traffic disruption. There was plenty of parking. The authorities knew
better. They went ahead in public interest.

And so we have a mess near SV Complex and Sovereign Apartments. Now, to
ensure that misery is extended widely, they have dug up the road near the
Basavangudi Club. The next step is to take land away from these privileged
buildings. This is an opportunity to take away land and inconvenience a
large number of taxpaying citizens. A special group is senior citizens and
the infirm. Earlier they had problems crossing the road. Now they are spared
from walking as there are no pavements. They can remain peacefully at home.

And this success will be replicated elsewhere. Perhaps in other cities of
Karnataka as well. Truly the TCU is a model to be emulated!
 ------------------------------
 http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/no-to-tagore-circle-underpass

http://www.petitiononline.com/underpas/ http://www.petol.org/underpas
 ------------------------------

http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_bangalore-road-widening-rage-goes-online_1421805-all

http://www.commonfloor.com/stories/say-no-to-bangalore-road-widening-online-506

http://www.mybangalore.com/article/0710/bbmps-road-widening-project-will-displace-over-2-lakh-people-in-the-city-.html

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/no-to-road-widening-in-bangalore

http://www.petitiononline.com/roadwide/ http://petol.org/roadwide
 ------------------------------
 http://www.thepetitionsite.com/4/say-no-to-sankey-road-widening
 ------------------------------
 *Tagore Circle Underpass (TCU) is just another case study of the
JNNURM(Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission)
triggered/hastened collapse
of urbania in India, Karnataka and Bangalore and it's being frenziedly
replicated in Mysore in almost each and every ward, locality / area and main
road.*
------------------------------
 - Syed Tanveeruddin / ಸೈಯದ್ ತನ್ವೀರುದ್ದೀನ್ / सैय्द तन्वीरुद्दीन
 Member Karanji and Siddharthanagar Tax Payers' Association (KSTPA)
Member Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP)
 ------------------------------




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[image: CARTRAP.jpg]

*Cities need mobility, not cars.*
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Sujit Patwardhan
patwardhan.sujit at gmail.com
sujit at parisar.org <sujitjp at gmail.com>
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