[sustran] Re: No money for good PT or walk/bike infastructure?: India 'world's biggest arms buyer'

[bruun at seas.upenn.edu]

Pardo

So the reason I sometimes favor metros isn't because I think that they  
serve a useful purpose
but because I have to compensate for my deficiencies?

Eric Bruun

Quoting Pardo <carlosfpardo at gmail.com>:

> Adhiraj,
>
> You forgpt to note the importance of Freudian compensation as a  
> factor in buying big shiny "toys" like expensive metros, and  
> people's tendency to believe that they will solve everyone's  
> transport problems (even when they live 10 kms away from the planned  
> metro line. Of course, it's even worse when they think that a  
> flyover being built will also solve everything, and even worse an  
> elevated highway. But, incredibly, the need for compensation in some  
> citizens and policynakers is stronger than their frontal lobe. Thus,  
> I would also find a strong link between these ideas and the choices  
> of where to spend money.
>
> (and let's not get started about cars and psychoanalysis!)
>
> Pardo
>
> Written with my thumbs. Please excuse typos.
>
> On 15/03/2011, at 4:58, Dr Adhiraj Joglekar  
> <adhiraj.joglekar at googlemail.com> wrote:
>
>> I do not think its off topic. I have always held a view that monies are
>> finite and how its used has to be prioritised based on needs assessment
>> across sectors. Should money be spent on a metro when basic healthcare is
>> absent? My answer is NO.
>>
>> Is the semantics anti-India? Really depends on whether we remain married to
>> history and paranoia thereof. More importantly which part of our faculties
>> is at play? Emotive yet primitive survial of fittest brain or conscious
>> frontal lobe?
>>
>> While I risk digressing, its primitive structures rules by prevailing
>> emotive background that largely drives individuals and masses. This of
>> course affects us as emotions relating probable war run high and we respond
>> to fear and anger. But the same structures are taken by hedonistic
>> tendencies where posh & big seems better. No wonder how easy it is to get
>> masses to align with glamorous metro than a basic bus based transport
>> system.
>>
>> Of course there is always the slim chance that conscious but corrupt ideas
>> are in play in the most singular, clinical and calculated manner. Businesses
>> have to thrive and forces are at play to ensure big spends - metro is an
>> example just as the industry that depends on actual or feared wars. Why
>> would then any one care if there were footpaths? In fact the lack of such
>> basics points to the dance of the psychological dynamic I attempt to
>> describe above.
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> Adhiraj
>>
>>
>>
>> On 15 March 2011 08:11, Sujit Patwardhan <patwardhan.sujit at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Thank you Rutul for your timely intervention on this.
>>>
>>> My problem with Tom's email is not so much its content but the tone which
>>> can be interpreted (I'm sure unjustly) as anti-India. If one starts talking
>>> about expenditure on arms I can write volumes on the US and USSR and UK and
>>> France and many other countries that could use the money on health,
>>> education, the environment and so on... and now China and India are also
>>> joining their ranks, but I sincerely believe that bulk of the criticism
>>> against Government's spending on the armaments industry should come from
>>> the
>>> citizens themselves (where citizens have the democratic space to do so). I
>>> also admit that as citizens we (all of us, the communists included) are not
>>> doing enough in this area.
>>>
>>> Having said that-- in context of Public Transport and NMT facilities I
>>> think
>>> all (our) cities have enough money which is presently being spent on the
>>> wrong projects ones that will basically facilitate (even fuel) greater use
>>> of personal auto vehicles. As Rutul has points out, even with substantial
>>> amounts made available under the various urban renewal schemes, a
>>> favourable
>>> National Urban Transport Policy, insistence on preparation of City Mobility
>>> Plans before release of funds from the central Govt to the states and
>>> cities
>>> etc etc, we see PT and NMT schemes conspicuous by their absence. This is
>>> also being pointed out by many NGOs and independent experts.
>>>
>>> I feel the reason for this is the absence of proper monitoring and
>>> regulatory systems that need to be in place. There is evidence that
>>> presently this is being formulated by the central government and it may
>>> start functioning soon. However this should have been done at least 5 years
>>> back.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Sujit
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, Mar 15, 2011 at 11:19 AM, Rutul Joshi <joshirutul at yahoo.co.in
>>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Why Off-topic? Would anyone care to explain?  (Before anyone label me, I
>>>> must add that I am an Indian but not a communist)
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> However, this view - money for weapons but not for sustainable transport
>>> -
>>>> might be a bit naive.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> There is a lot of money with cities, states etc (400 million $ annual
>>>> budget of a 5 million plus city). There is a policy in place (National
>>> Urban
>>>> Transport Policy)... there is a program to implement this policy (JNNURM
>>> now
>>>> 'new' 'improved' JnNRUM)...there are plans (comprehensive mobility plans
>>> -
>>>> CMPs) then why is it so that even straight-forward projects like building
>>>> footpaths everywhere do not take off? Would anyone care to explain?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Rutul
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ________________________________
>>>> From: Cornie Huizenga <cornie.huizenga at slocatpartnership.org>
>>>> To: eric britton <eric.britton at ecoplan.org>
>>>> Cc: Asia and the Pacific sustainable transport <
>>>> sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org>
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, 15 March 2011 6:40 AM
>>>> Subject: Re: [sustran] Re: No money for good PT or walk/bike
>>>> infastructure?: India 'world's biggest arms buyer'
>>>>
>>>> Eric,
>>>>
>>>> I fully agree!
>>>>
>>>> Cornie
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, Mar 15, 2011 at 4:11 AM, eric britton <eric.britton at ecoplan.org
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> You are off topic Todd. Please.  Eric Britton
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --------------------------------------------------------
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>>>>> (the 'Global South').
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Cornie Huizenga
>>>> Joint Convener
>>>> Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport
>>>> Mobile: +86 13901949332
>>>> cornie.huizenga at slocatpartnership.org
>>>> www.slocat.net
>>>> --------------------------------------------------------
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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> *?..each million we invest into urban motorways is an investment
>>> to destroy the city?*
>>>
>>> Mayor Hans Joachim Vogel
>>> Munich 1970
>>>
>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> Sujit Patwardhan
>>> patwardhan.sujit at gmail.com
>>> sujit at parisar.org <sujitjp at gmail.com>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> Yamuna, ICS Colony, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune 411 007, India
>>> Tel: +91 20 25537955
>>> Cell: +91 98220 26627
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> Parisar: www.parisar.org
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> --------------------------------------------------------
>>> To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit
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>>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------
>> To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit
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>> countries (the 'Global South').
> --------------------------------------------------------
> To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit
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> equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing  
> countries (the 'Global South').