[sustran] Re: Pedestrian deaths in Delhi - mind blowing numbers!!What else will happen?

Kanthi Kannan kanthikannan at gmail.com
Fri Mar 2 14:30:24 JST 2012


March 2, 2012

The point is do we care?
Are these not figures that are coming out all our cities? Day after day and
year after year? 
What else will happen:
When the municipal commissioner is proclaiming proudly and loudly that he
finds it difficult to walk?
When the traffic police boss states that he finds it difficult to cross the
road?
When traffic police boss states that we need to accept 2 feet footpaths? And
finds 8 feet footpath demand utopian?
When each and every authority finally decides to have a certain road width
and then check if there is any space for the footpaths? Which of course have
all the ingredients of an obstacle race?

We need to campaign harder and fight our battles better 

Save the Pedestrian and Save Ourselves


Kanthi Kannan





-----Original Message-----
From: sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan=gmail.com at list.jca.apc.org
[mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan=gmail.com at list.jca.apc.org] On
Behalf Of Sujit Patwardhan
Sent: 02 March 2012 09:46
To: summembers at googlegroups.com
Cc: Romi Roy; PTTF General; Manish Umbrajkar; Global 'South' Sustainable
Transport
Subject: [sustran] Re: Pedestrian deaths in Delhi - mind blowing numbers!!

2 March 2012



Why should one be surprised that 1000 pedestrians are killed each year in
Delhi?

-- If you consider that Delhi has more cars than Mumbai, Calcutta and
Madras put together
-- If you consider that Delhi continues to build flyover after flyover and
wide roads to ensure cars don't have to slow down in traffic
-- If you consider that the Traffic Police in Delhi (as in all other
cities) seem to only think about "moving vehicles" and see pedestrians more
as impediments
-- If you consider that Delhi more than the other metro cities has more
"big shots with heavy clout" than common citizens and now with the market
oriented policies the individual matters even less....
-- With the obscene amount of money spent on the Metro Rail the decision
makers feel they've done more than enough for "public transport" so nothing
wrong in continuing to pamper the car users. (haven't we heard people say
"OK we need more buses and more trains but also more cars!!!")

Sadly this is the reality and even though it's like sitting on a time-bomb,
our "leaders" appear to be more concerned in tracking down and silencing
the voice of dissent than doing something simple like making the life of
the majority of road users (those who walk, cycle and use public
transport) safer and more dignified.

--
Sujit





On Fri, Mar 2, 2012 at 2:37 AM, Ranjit Gadgil
<ranjit.gadgil.1 at gmail.com>wrote:

> Can this be true?
>
> Close to a 1000 pedestrians killed every year in Delhi. OMG!!
>
> And if it is so bloody obvious that no one likes to use over bridges and
> that spending crores on them has not helped a bit (and in fact may have
> made things worse) how come no one is putting a stop to this nonsense and
> insisting on just plain regular at-grade crossings, where vehicles - I
know
> this may sound radical - stop!
>
>
>
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Pedestrians-not-welcome-on
-roads/Article1-816101.aspx
>
> "Despite civic agencies investing crores of rupees every year on subways
> and overbridges, Delhi's roads continue to be a death trap for
pedestrians.
> Every year, close to a thousand people are run over by speeding vehicles
> while walking on or crossing a busy street. According to a PWD survey,  a
> large number of people prefer crossing the road on the surface rather than
> walking a extra paces to use a pedestrian bridge."
>
> -- Ranjit
>



-- 
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*It's no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.
*

- J. Krishnamurti

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Sujit Patwardhan
patwardhan.sujit at gmail.com
sujit at parisar.org <sujitjp at gmail.com>
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Tel: +91 20 25537955
Cell: +91 98220 26627
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