From carlosfpardo at gmail.com Fri Jul 5 00:33:27 2013 From: carlosfpardo at gmail.com (Carlosfelipe Pardo) Date: Thu, 4 Jul 2013 10:33:27 -0500 Subject: [sustran] Transmilenio flashmob Message-ID: Hi, We just published a short video with an activity we did in Transmilenio some weeks ago. I hope you like it, and of course forward to anyone who may be interested! http://despacio.org/en/2013/07/03/flashmob-tm-eng/ Best regards, Pardo Probably written while riding a bicycle. Please excuse typos From yanivbin at gmail.com Mon Jul 8 02:18:46 2013 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Sun, 7 Jul 2013 22:48:46 +0530 Subject: [sustran] That's Right, Los Angeles Is Giving Up Car Lanes for Pedestrians Message-ID: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2013/07/s-right-los-angeles-giving-car-lanes-pedestrians/6116/ That's Right, Los Angeles Is Giving Up Car Lanes for Pedestrians - Eric Jaffe - Jul 05, 2013 - 30 Comments [image: That's Right, Los Angeles Is Giving Up Car Lanes for Pedestrians]Reuters Los Angeles has a great deal of walkabilitydespite its car-centric reputation, but much of it remains hidden to the public. In the city's historic Broadway corridor, at least, that secret is about to come out. The city council recently votedto fund an initial redevelopment of Broadway into a legitimate pedestrian plaza ? reducing six lanes of road down to three in the process. The plan to "bring back" Broadwayhas been going on for about five years, but it really started to take shape in late 2009with the public release of a street redesign. The first phase of this "Broadway Streetscape Master Plan" [PDF] is a makeshift and very cost-effective ($1.8 million) conversion modeled on the pedestrian parcels implemented in New York City. The second phase, yet to be funded, is where the heavy transformations would occur: *Image courtesy of the City Planning Commission [PDF ]*. As that image shows, the proposed changes will alter Broadway to its core. Instead of five travel lanes plus a "ghost" sixth lane for buses, the street will devote just three lanes to traffic and extend sidewalks and curbs for walking. Transit will be enhanced, too, with improvements to bus service and groundwork for a streetcar line the city hopes to bring to the corridor. All told, Broadway's reconfiguration will increase pedestrian share of the road from 38 percent, at present, up to 47 percent ? just about going halfsies with cars. The goal is to rejuvenate a Broadway strip that's lost much of its historic charm, at least according to the master plan. While shoppers do flock to the area during the day, at night the street is largely shuttered to business. Some of the old theaters have even been converted into non-entertainment venues, though many have agreed to revive their previous roles once the street changes take place. *Image courtesy of the City Planning Commission [PDF ]*. But Los Angeles has wisely chosen to pursue this goal by making Broadway a much friendlier place to walk around. Right now the traffic whizzes right next to the sidewalk without a buffer, and the 56-foot crosswalks are daunting. The new plan will broaden and beautify the sidewalks and, in addition to reducing the crossing length, also include mid-block refuges. The traffic studies suggest that the plan represents a true shift in priorities. On their own, the proposed alterations will put a strain on some intersections during morning and evening rush ? at least so far as car level-of-serviceis concerned. But the plans intend to mitigate this impact by promoting walking and transit, and the master document makes clear that vehicles will take a backseat, if you will, to alternative modes: Instead of seeing an efficient street as one that moves a certain number of vehicles through its intersections at certain target speeds, or one that maximizes throughput, this Plan seeks to move people both through and along the street, in a multi-modal fashion, in order to achieve efficiency and maximize input and output, be that by bus, bike, streetcar, delivery truck, or car. *Image courtesy of the City Planning Commission [PDF ]*. The plan is far from perfect. The choice for streetcarsin the corridor seems inspired more by nostalgia than true mobility: as currently conceived, they will share the road with other traffic and may be redundant with some buses. While plans do call for bike racks, there's no sign of bike lanes. And parking is a key to the new corridor, no doubt a nod to business demands, although the best new research suggests that retailers make more money over the long term from walkers than from wheels. But there's still time to work on the details ? phase one won't be done until the end of the year ? and even in its current form the Broadway plan serves a greater purpose. The more that walkability is brought to high-profile parts of Los Angeles, the more that Angelinos can think of it as a natural part of their city as opposed to a hidden gem. *Top image: Thousands of protesters march up Broadway during a May Day immigration rally in Los Angeles. (David McNew/Reuters)* Keywords: Los Angeles , Walkability , Broadway, streetcar , complete streets Eric Jaffe is a contributing writer to The Atlantic Cities and the author of *The King's Best Highway: The Lost History of the Boston Post Road, the Route That Made America*. He lives in New York. All posts ? From fekbritton at gmail.com Wed Jul 10 16:28:13 2013 From: fekbritton at gmail.com (FEKBRITTON) Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 09:28:13 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Re: Transmilenio flashmob In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <068d01ce7d3f$0a5afd70$1f10f850$@com> Carlos, This is delicious. I will share widely. Keep peddling, Eric From sutp at sutp.org Wed Jul 10 16:46:02 2013 From: sutp at sutp.org (sutp at sutp.org) Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 07:46:02 +0000 Subject: [sustran] SUTP Newsletter - 03/13, May-June, 2013 Message-ID: Dear All, Please find the attached document containing GIZ-SUTP Newsletter for the month of May-June, 2013. Best Wishes, SUTP-Team -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: NL-SUTP-May-June'13.pdf Type: application/octet-stream Size: 664379 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20130710/1cd1f0c4/NL-SUTP-May-June13-0001.bin From yanivbin at gmail.com Fri Jul 12 03:52:21 2013 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 00:22:21 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Formation of National Capital Region Transport Corporation Limited (NCRTC) Message-ID: http://pib.gov.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=0 Formation of National Capital Region Transport Corporation Limited (NCRTC) The Union Cabinet today approved constitution of National Capital Region Transport Corporation Limited (NCRTC) under the Companies Act, 1956 with initial seed capital of Rs.100 crore as per Company Act, 1956 for designing, developing, implementing, financing, operating and maintaining Regional Rapid Transit system (RRTS) in National Capital Region (NCR) to provide comfortable and fast transit to NCR towns and meet the high growth in transport demand. This company may form subsidiary companies for implementing each corridor. The seed capital of Rs. 100 crore shall be contributed as follows:- ** *Central Government* * * * * * *Ministry of Urban Development *:* 22.5% * *Ministry of Railways** *:* 22.5% * *National Capital Region Planning Board** *:* 5.0% * * * State Government* * *Government of NCT Delhi *:* 12.5% * *Government of Haryana** *:* 12.5% * *Government of Rajasthan Government of UP** *:* 12.5% 12.5% * * The three prioritized corridors, as per recommendation of the Task Force, to be taken up by NCRTC initially are as follows:** * * *S.No**.* *RRTS Corridor* *Length (km)* *Daily Ridership* *(in lakhs)* * 2016 2041* 1 Delhi-Sonipat-Panipat 111 3.77 9.83 2 Delhi-Gurgaon-Alwar 180 6.9 15.1 3 Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut 90 5.7 11.4 * * *Total* *381* *-* *-* * * * * * * * * * * * * The actual cost, financing plan, RRTS alignments, real estate development, financing through Transit Oriented Development, etc. will be firmed up and frozen in the DPRs of these projects while processing proposals for each corridor for sanction subsequently. The DPRs are under finalization. The NCRTC shall be set up within two months after approval of the Cabinet. NCRTC is proposed as the implementing agency for taking up the RRTS project in the NCR. It is envisaged to undertake design construction, operation and maintenance of the RRTS project on a similar pattern as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). It will cover the States of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. *Background* The National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) had prepared a `Functional Plan on Transport for NCR-2032`, which recommended eight RRTS Corridors to connect important towns of the NCR with a high speed rail based commuter transit system. A Task Force set up by the Planning Commission for the RRTS for the NCR in its meeting held in December, 2009 proposed the construction of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) called NCRTC, for the implementation of a comprehensive integrated multi-modal sub?urban commuter transportation system for the NCR, to start with a corpus of Rs.100 crore. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in June, 2011 by the Government of India, the NCRPB and the State Governments of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana. Rajasthan and the Government of the National Capital Teritory of Delhi (GNCTD) for the formation of the NCRTC. From lwright at vivacities.org Thu Jul 18 15:23:19 2013 From: lwright at vivacities.org (Lloyd Wright) Date: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 14:23:19 +0800 Subject: [sustran] More Chinese cities to restrict auto ownership Message-ID: <000901ce837f$4d45d330$e7d17990$@vivacities.org> http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-10/china-to-widen-car-purchase-curbs-t o-fight-pollution-group-says.html China Seen Widening Car-Purchase Limits to Fight Pollution By Bloomberg News - Jul 10, 2013 5:56 PM GMT+0800 China, the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, plans to widen the number of cities curbing auto purchases to fight pollution and congestion, threatening vehicle sales, the government-backed car association said. Eight cities -- Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Shijiazhuang, Tianjin and Wuhan -- will probably introduce measures limiting auto purchases, Shi Jianhua, deputy secretary general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, said in a briefing in Beijing today, without being more specific about the timing. Such limitations could cut vehicle deliveries by 400,000 units, or 2 percent of nationwide sales, and undermine economic growth, Shi said. If introduced, the measures may triple the number of Chinese cities -- Beijing and Shanghai have vehicle quotas -- imposing curbs on automobiles as public anger grows over worsening congestion and air pollution. "In the short term, the market will just jump in those cities," said Yale Zhang, managing director of Autoforesight Shanghai Co. "Consumers will panic and will start to buy whatever they can before the measures." Local brands would suffer the most as restrictions would make car ownership more inconvenient and undermine the appeal of cheaper vehicles, he said. More Restrictions Shijiazhuang, one of China's most polluted cities, proposed limiting vehicle ownership through a lottery, according to a Shijiazhuang Daily report on the local government's website last month. The Zhejiang eastern province held discussions last month to limit the number of new vehicles in the provincial capital of Hangzhou and Xi'an, home of China's terracotta warriors, discussed limiting vehicle ownership last year. CAAM is opposed to the restrictions because they go against efforts to boost consumption, deprives people of the equal right to own a car and don't do much to ease traffic jams, Shi said. The association has submitted a study on the impact of purchase limits to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which oversees the auto industry, he said. The auto group said in February that the industry has become a "scapegoat" for the toxic smog that engulfed Beijing last winter when coal-fired power plants should bear the main responsibility for the pollution. Passenger-vehicle sales rose 9.3 percent to 1.4 million units in June, the association said today, after dealers increased discounts to clear stock and meet half-year targets amid a cash crunch and concerns the economy is slowing. For the first half, passenger-vehicle deliveries increased 14 percent, while total vehicle demand, including buses and trucks, gained 12 percent, according to CAAM. From yanivbin at gmail.com Thu Jul 18 15:27:11 2013 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 11:57:11 +0530 Subject: [sustran] 1,600 'scrapped' buses still on roads in Delhi In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/1862206/report-1600-scrapped-buses-still-on-roads 1,600 'scrapped' buses still on roads Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013, 14:51 IST | Agency: DNA Shashi Bhushan If you commute by DTC buses, you could be putting your life at risk. This is because the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) continues to operate more than 1,600 ?scrapped? buses that have more than lived out their lives. Even though the buses have been declared unfit to ply on the streets for more than a decade, they continue to be on roads thanks to the Corporation?s indifferent attitude in phasing out the ?ghost? buses and bringing in new ones. The city requires an estimated 11,000 buses for its transport needs. The Corporation runs 5,399 buses of which 1,624 are standard floor buses that were to have been phased out because the buses have either completed eight years on road or travelled 6 lakh km. ?These standard floor buses meet both the criteria,? said a DTC official on condition of anonymity. ?In fact, all the buses met both the criterion between 2001 and 2003. Still, they continue to ply and end up breaking down on roads most of the times.? The city has 3,775 swanky green- and cherry-coloured low-floor buses and another 620 orange cluster buses. With lakhs of daily commuters, the buses do not meet even half of its requirement. On an average, 100 DTC buses break down every day, officials concede. A majority of these are standard floor buses, some of which don?t even make it out of the depot. The official said that the DTC lacks adequate number of buses which forces it to run the scrapped buses. The state government had told the Delhi High Court that of the 11,000 buses required, the supply would be equally shared by the DTC and cluster (private) buses. ?The ratio for buses was 50:50, but due to authorities? lackadaisical attitude, the buses failed to arrive,? the official said. The government was to procure 625 buses in the first phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). However, two years down the line, even the tenders to procure these buses have not been finalised. ?Another 1,100 buses were to ply on roads in the second phase, but after a year of planning, no decision has been taken on these either,? said the official. ?The plan exists only on paper, and commuters bear the brunt of the government?s negligent attitude.? From edelman at greenidea.eu Thu Jul 18 15:30:19 2013 From: edelman at greenidea.eu (Todd Edelman) Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 23:30:19 -0700 Subject: [sustran] FIA Foundation News / Bribery Charge: Formula One Boss Indicted in Germany Message-ID: <51E78B7B.3050907@greenidea.eu> http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/german-prosecutor-indicts-formula-one-boss-ecclestone-for-bribery-a-911661.html#ref=nl-international http://www.fia.com/news/fia-and-formula-one-walk-racing-line-road-safety "We take a zero tolerance approach to bribery and fraud and this is set out in our Anti-bribery and Corruption PolicyandAnti-Fraud Policy and Fraud Response Plan adopted by the Board of Trustees in November 2011 and March 2013 respectively." - http://www.fiafoundation.org/about/Pages/AboutHome.aspx I hope someone finds those two girls who are holding hands with Mr. Ecclestone in the photo from the FIA website to assure them that FIA and FIA Foundation are separate entities, so that whether or not Ecclestone is convicted they should not have to worry that he will have any formal problems with the Foundation. - T -- Todd Edelman SLOW Factory Voice/Text: 415 867 9843 Skype: toddedelman edelman@greenidea.eu www.greenidea.eu https://www.facebook.com/Iamtoddedelman http://twitter.com/toddedelman http://de.linkedin.com/in/toddedelman From chirag.d.s at gmail.com Sun Jul 21 14:08:05 2013 From: chirag.d.s at gmail.com (Chirag Shah) Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2013 10:38:05 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Chirag Shah Message-ID: http://openvldhamme.vldhamme.be/xmjxz/tnlzjghz.dyaxzfmgyiq From yanivbin at gmail.com Mon Jul 22 02:45:53 2013 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2013 23:15:53 +0530 Subject: [sustran] BMTC plans 35 TTMCs under private participation In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/340091/bmtc-plans-35-ttmcs-private.html BMTC plans 35 TTMCs under private participation Bangalore, Chethan Kumar, June 20, 2013, DHNS: Tenders for Jayanagar, Kathriguppe floated; 13 more in pipeline * The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has planned 35 more travel and transit management centres (TTMCs) in the City as it has managed to rent all the commercial space at the 10 existing TTMCs. * The BMTC earns Rs 14 crore per annum by renting space at the existing TTMCs and the sum will go up to Rs 35 crore once all allottees move in. At present, interior design and flooring works are being carried out at some of the space. So, not all the allottees have moved in, Anjum Parvez, Managing Director, BMTC, said. BMTC sources, however, say the admission by Parvez is proof that the Corporation struggled to attract tenants. ?If it makes just Rs 14 crore now and expects to earn more than double (Rs 35) later, they managed to get the clients only now,? a source said. According to Parvez, there are immediate plans to develop around 15 TTMCs, including those at Jayanagar 4th ?T? Block and Kathriguppe ? tenders for which have already been floated. *Partly funded by JnNURM * Significantly, the new TTMCs will be built on a public private partnership (PPP). The existing TTMCs were funded partly under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) and partly through loans. The Jayanagar TTMC will be on a ?design, finance, develop, construct, implement and handover? basis at a cost of around Rs 240 crore, spread across 9.8 acres. The selected concessionaire would occupy the commercial space for 30 years, including the construction period, a senior BMTC official said. The proposed facility will have BMTC and KSRTC bus terminals, a bus depot, a parting lot for private vehicles and commercial space. The BMTC and KSRTC bus terminals will have 15 bus platforms each and 25 and 10 idle parking spaces respectively. The commercial development is planned on a 5.75-lakh sq ft area proposed to include a hypermarket, a multiplex, other retail spaces and restaurants. The number of total vehicle trips that would be generated by the TTMC during peak hours was found to be 858 passenger car units (PCU) with 425 and 433 PCUs entering and exiting the facility respectively. The estimated number of vehicle trips also includes bus and auto rickshaw trips to the TTMC. A similar TTMC will come up at Kathriguppe at the cost of around Rs 140 crore and will be spread across 5.6-acre, Parvez said. *Easier rent conditions* The BMTC, which had struggled to rent commercial space at the TTMCs, relaxed the conditions in May 2011. Now, it will not ask aspiring tenants to bid for the entire complex, as was the case with Big Bazaar at Shanthinagar TTMC. Aspiring tenants can now bid for separate floors at pro rata prices. Besides, those with just a year?s experience in managing commercial operations can bid for BMTC space. The earlier requirement was three years of experience. From ravi at itrans.co.in Mon Jul 22 15:39:30 2013 From: ravi at itrans.co.in (Ravi Gadepalli) Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 14:39:30 +0800 (SGT) Subject: [sustran] Re: BMTC plans 35 TTMCs under private participation In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1374475170.99165.YahooMailNeo@web190302.mail.sg3.yahoo.com> APSRTC, the bus operating agency in Andhra is trying to come up with something similar but is struggling to pass through the institutional hurdles.? All the land allocated in various cities for APSRTC is from the local development authorities. They get it for free because APSRTC is intended for public service. Like most other STUs they are running in losses and the development authorities don't allow them for commercial development since public land cannot be used for profit making initiatives. In the end its a dead lock.? Did BMTC face any such hurdles? Does the BMTC share revenue with the local development authority? ?Do they have a PPP consultant who works out these details? It'll be a great help if someone can share information regarding this.? Thanks and Regards, Ravi Gadepalli, Manager, Transportation Engineering, iTrans Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. (www.itrans.co.in) Mob:?+91-9911628255 Off:?+91-11-41012611 ________________________________ From: Vinay Baindur To: Global 'South' Sustainable Transport Sent: Sunday, 21 July 2013 11:15 PM Subject: [sustran] BMTC plans 35 TTMCs under private participation http://www.deccanherald.com/content/340091/bmtc-plans-35-ttmcs-private.html BMTC plans 35 TTMCs under private participation Bangalore, Chethan?Kumar, June 20, 2013, DHNS: Tenders for Jayanagar, Kathriguppe floated; 13 more in pipeline * The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has planned 35 more travel and transit management centres (TTMCs) in the City as it has managed to rent all the commercial space at the 10 existing TTMCs. * The BMTC earns Rs 14 crore per annum by renting space at the existing TTMCs and the sum will go up to Rs 35 crore once all allottees move in. At present, interior design and flooring works are being carried out at some of the space. So, not all the allottees have moved in, Anjum Parvez, Managing Director, BMTC, said. BMTC sources, however, say the admission by Parvez is proof that the Corporation struggled to attract tenants. ?If it makes just Rs 14 crore now and expects to earn more than double (Rs 35) later, they managed to get the clients only now,? a source said. According to Parvez, there are immediate plans to develop around 15 TTMCs, including those at Jayanagar 4th ?T? Block and Kathriguppe ? tenders for which have already been floated. *Partly funded by JnNURM * Significantly, the new TTMCs will be built on a public private partnership (PPP). The existing TTMCs were funded partly under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) and partly through loans. The Jayanagar TTMC will be on a ?design, finance, develop, construct, implement and handover? basis at a cost of around Rs 240 crore, spread across 9.8 acres. The selected concessionaire would occupy the commercial space for 30 years, including the construction period, a senior BMTC official said. The proposed facility will have BMTC and KSRTC bus terminals, a bus depot, a parting lot for private vehicles and commercial space. The BMTC and KSRTC bus terminals will have 15 bus platforms each and 25 and 10 idle parking spaces respectively. The commercial development is planned on a 5.75-lakh sq ft area proposed to include a hypermarket, a multiplex, other retail spaces and restaurants. The number of total vehicle trips that would be generated by the TTMC during peak hours was found to be 858 passenger car units (PCU) with 425 and 433 PCUs entering and exiting the facility respectively. The estimated number of vehicle trips also includes bus and auto rickshaw trips to the TTMC. A similar TTMC will come up at Kathriguppe at the cost of around Rs 140 crore and will be spread across 5.6-acre, Parvez said. *Easier rent conditions* The BMTC, which had struggled to rent commercial space at the TTMCs, relaxed the conditions in May 2011. Now, it will not ask aspiring tenants to bid for the entire complex, as was the case with Big Bazaar at Shanthinagar TTMC. Aspiring tenants can now bid for separate floors at pro rata prices. Besides, those with just a year?s experience in managing commercial operations can bid for BMTC space. The earlier requirement was three years of experience. -------------------------------------------------------- To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss ================================================================ SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). From hghazali at gmail.com Thu Jul 25 18:53:34 2013 From: hghazali at gmail.com (Hassaan Ghazali) Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 14:53:34 +0500 Subject: [sustran] A comedy of errors in Lahore's BRT Message-ID: Dear Friends, Here's one reason why great haste makes great waste Regards, Hassaan http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2013/07/25/city/lahore/brts-still-in-the-works-citizens-grow-impatient/ - *Authorities dig out newly-built road after an underground drain stops functioning* - *TEPA chief engineer says project will complete in next few days* After the recent re-digging of the newly-constructed Ferozepur Road, citizens of the metropolis are wondering when the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) is finally going to be completed. The Punjab government invited a lot of criticism last year for diverting major portions of their development spending to the ambitious Ferozepur Road project. Large sections of the road were dug out for the 27 kilometer long bus route, causing a lot of inconvenience for commuters. However, the project was completed in a record nine months time, getting laurels for the Punjab regime under Chief Minister (CM) Shahbaz Sharif. A Chinese diplomat even dubbed the CM ?Shahbaz Speed? for the impressive pace of development works in the province. The recent digging from the Qartaba Chowk to LOS Stop near Shama, however, has brought a fresh round of trouble for road users, especially commuters getting on to Jail Road towards Shama along the BRTS route. Insiders have revealed that authorities had to dig out the newly built road after an underground drain stopped functioning. They said that the contractors had laid many layers of quality material in the construction of the road which had to be dug out. Moreover, the Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency (TEPA) recently decided to build new flyovers at the cost of Rs 7 billion in order to make the BRTS route signal-free. A high-level meeting also recently approved the construction of a new RaviBridge for the passage of the articulated metro buses. Last year, those criticising the government for diverting so much of the budget to this route said the cost was close to Rs 70 billion, although the government maintained it was actually Rs 29 billion. ?The entire project is complete and the traffic situation along the Ferozepur Road has improved as well. But why do policy makers have to dig out newly constructed roads?? said Ahsan Ali, a commuter stuck in traffic on the road. ?Other than the expenditures, it involves a great deal of trouble for the commuters, making it seem the BRTS is never going to end and has become a monument of sorts,? he said. TEPA Chief Engineer Saeed Akhtar, on the other hand, said that the digging is not more than 300 meters in length and will be complete in the next few days. He said the purpose of the digging was to clear the main drain pipe, which would solve the water problem of the adjoining localities. Lahore Transport Company (LTC) Chairman Khawaja Hassan said that all these extensions and work had been planned last year but were delayed for the government to launch the metro bus in time. ?The government has to bear additional expenditure of course, but meeting the deadline was also very important. As you know the world saw how the Punjab government completed such a huge project at an amazing pace, bringing a good name for the country, but the cost was very little,? he said. - See more at: http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2013/07/25/city/lahore/brts-still-in-the-works-citizens-grow-impatient/#sthash.m2DeiqVq.dpuf Cell: 0333 4231 666 *When conditions are right, things go wrong* From yanivbin at gmail.com Mon Jul 29 15:21:51 2013 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2013 11:51:51 +0530 Subject: [sustran] =?windows-1252?Q?Jakarta=92s_mass_transport_plan_runs_i?= =?windows-1252?Q?nto_Sindhi_roadblock?= Message-ID: http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/jakartas-mass-transport-plan-runs-into-sindhi-roadblock/article4946152.ece *Jakarta?s mass transport plan runs into Sindhi roadblock* PALLAVI AIYAR TOPICS World Indonesia transport mass transit The business owners on Fatmawati street contend that an elevated train station on the road violates their civic rights and will be detrimental to their business interests Jakarta?s attempts at projecting itself as a shiny megalopolis, emblematic of the ?rise of Asia?, always runs into one traffic snarl-shaped absence: that of a mass rapid transit system like Bangkok?s skytrain, Singapore? MRT, or Delhi?s Metro. After remaining 25-years in the planning, Jakarta?s MRT was finally ?launched? in May this year. But two months on, actual construction is yet to begin, in part due to the protestations of a group of Sindhi retailers, who have been holding up the commencement of works since 2011. Wisps of agarbati float across Gagandas Lalwani?s furnishing store and calendars with images of Lakshmi and Ganesha intersperse the curtain tassels and upholstery fabric that flank the walls.* ?We are going to be victims of the MRT,? says Mr. Lalwani*, an elderly, second-generation Indian-Indonesian, who is amongst the 60-70 Sindhis who own furnishing stores along the busy south-Jakarta shopping street of Fatmawati. It is the contention of Fatmawati business owners that the city?s plans to build an elevated train station on the road, as part of the first phase of the MRT?s construction, violates their civic rights and will be detrimental to their business interests. Mr. Lalawani alleges it will lead to a ?slumification? of the area, as has happened in other parts of Jakarta where train stations have been built. He also objects to the fact that the distance between the elevated station and shop fronts will only be 22 metres, less than the minimum recommended space of 32 metres. *There have been no consultations with civil society stakeholders he says, pointing to the fact that business owners in the area were given summary notices in late 2011, announcing the MRT as a fait accompli.* Mr. Lalwani?s group of protesters, known as Masyarakat Peduli MRT, are resisting sale of their land to the city government, a requirement for the project to move forward. ?This is an unusual group of people,? says Dr. Danang Parikesit, president of the Indonesia Transportation Society, a think tank. ?As Indians they are highly educated and have even been to Delhi on a study tour to prepare a case study of the Delhi metro in support of their contention.? This contention is that either the MRT should not be built in central Jakarta at all and instead focus on the suburbs where low-income residents most need it, or at the very least, the stations should be built underground rather than elevated. Last week, a delegation from Delhi Metro, led by Managing Director Mangu Singh was in Jakarta. Following a meeting with them, Jakarta Vice-Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama announced that Delhi?s experiences had proved the anxieties of Fatmawati retailers to be unfounded. The reason Delhi metro fares remain affordable, he said, is because most of its tracks are overland rather than below ground. Mr. Lalwani rebuts the claim by pointing out that the city centre in Delhi is served by underground stations, while overland ones have been constructed largely in the suburbs. In contrast, the Jakarta MRT would see overland stations in the heart of the city. Though the city government remains unyielding in the face of the Fatmawati retailers? demands, at least one of Mr. Lalwani?s wishes is about to come true. The Vice-Governor announced that a team of officials from MRT Jakarta will soon be sent to Delhi for training. ?The Delhi metro should be the benchmark for cost and efficiency,? agrees Mr. Lalwani. However, he points out that any Indian involvement in the Indonesian project will perforce be limited, given that the bulk of the Jakarta MRT is to be funded by a Japanese soft loan tied to the requirement that Japanese companies be the primary contract winners. Consequently, two consortiums of Japanese and state-owned companies have won the tenders for the first three work packages announced for the project so far. The first phase of the Jakarta MRT comprises 15.7 km of track and 13 stations, of which seven are planned as elevated. The entire project will cost an estimated ?144 billion ($1.78 billion) and is being funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency to the tune of ?120 billion ($1.49 billion). Keywords: Jakarta mass rapid transit system, Sindhi retailers, Fatmawati business owners