<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2963" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I am rather amused by all this fuss over a light hearted piece written by an annoymous "Dutchman" who may not even exist, and my amusement is increased by the fact that I have now have to consider myself as a native activist from India, land of snakes and tigers! (Has anyone seen the Indian rope trick recently? I also stay on the 5th floor, not too far from the elevator, and would be happy to show this to anyone who cares to drive in).</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>And on a more serious note, as Alan has observed after two weeks in Mumbai, life on the roads is quite different here, and unless people on this list make allowances for this, we will never achieve common ground. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>(Do get in touch Alan, whilst you are still alive in Mumbai - would love to meet over a pothole :) )</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Cheers!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Debi Goenka</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>B 502 Glengate</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Hiran. Gardens, Powai</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Mumbai 400076</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>India</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Mobile - +919820086404</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=robert_cowherd@yahoo.com href="mailto:robert_cowherd@yahoo.com">robert cowherd</A> </DIV> <DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org href="mailto:eric.britton@ecoplan.org, ">Global 'South' Sustainable Transport eric.britton@ecoplan.org, </A></DIV> <DIV><B>Sent:</B> Friday, August 25, 2006 7:26 PM</DIV> <DIV><B>Subject:</B> [sustran] Re: Driving in Bangalore / India - patronizing, offensive,heavy handed and counter-productive</DIV></DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV>I was too perplexed and annoyed (I deleted the message at the "idiot"<BR>pedestrians comment in the fifth paragraph) to be so offended.<BR><BR>Though cleverly written, this is the set of impressions I would expect<BR>someone to have after two weeks not two years. The disparaging attitude<BR>towards "chaos" doesn't give me much hope for selling shared space concepts<BR>a la Moderman. <BR><BR>Robert Cowherd<BR>Associate Professor, Wentworth Institute of Technology<BR>Boston, USA<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>On 8/25/06 7:51 AM, "Eric Britton" <<A href="mailto:eric.britton@ecoplan.org">eric.britton@ecoplan.org</A>> wrote:<BR><BR>> No, not "excellent" at all. Sorry but I do not think this is very funny. It<BR>> does<BR>> no good and illuminates nothing useful<BR>> <BR>>  <BR>> <BR>> To the contrary I find it patronizing, offensive, heavy handed and<BR>> counter-productive. (After all we are here for a reason, aren't we? Or is it<BR>> all<BR>> about guffawing at the feckless 'natives' for their primitive ways? Someone<BR>> help<BR>> me here.) . <BR>> <BR>>  <BR>> <BR>> I do not think that this alpha, rather puerile and distinctly uncultured piece<BR>> belongs here. I see it as a dinner piece for a group of hearty guffawing<BR>> colonials after their fifth beer.<BR>> <BR>> (I guess that some of you are not going to invite me to your next white man's<BR>> party, eh?)<BR>> <BR>>  <BR>> <BR>> Eric Britton (And here I am pleased to give anyone who does not like what I<BR>> say<BR>> here my full contact information so that you can mail, call or come here and<BR>> look me in the eye and tell me what you think of me and my views. I live on<BR>> the<BR>> fifth floor, door to the right of the elevator.<BR>> <BR>>  <BR>> <BR>> With all good wishes<BR>> <BR>>  <BR>> <BR>> Eric Britton<BR>> <BR>>   <BR>> <BR>> New Mobility Advisory/Briefs. Don't know about them yet?<BR>> <BR>> Maybe you should have a look at <A href="http://newmobilitybriefs.org">http://newmobilitybriefs.org</A><BR>> <BR>>  <BR>> <BR>> The New Mobility Agenda: on line at <A href="http://www.newmobility.org">http://www.newmobility.org</A><BR>> <BR>> Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara                   75006 Paris, France<BR>> <BR>> Tel:  +331 4326 1323      +338 7044 0343      Skype: newmobility<BR>> <BR>> E:  <<A href="mailto:contact@newmobility.org">mailto:contact@newmobility.org</A>> <A href="mailto:contact@newmobility.org">contact@newmobility.org</A><BR>> Backup:  <<A href="mailto:fekbritton@gmail.com">mailto:fekbritton@gmail.com</A>> <A href="mailto:fekbritton@gmail.com">fekbritton@gmail.com</A><BR>> <BR>>  <BR>> <BR>>  <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>>  <<A href="http://ericbritton.org/">http://ericbritton.org/</A>><BR>> <BR>>  <<A href="http://www.ecoplan.org/">http://www.ecoplan.org/</A>> Technology. Economy. Society.<BR>> <BR>>  <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Francis Eric Knight Britton<BR>> Innovation consultancy/advisory<BR>> <BR>> The Commons<BR>> EcoPlan Association 1901<BR>> 8/10, rue Joseph Bara<BR>> 75006 Paris, France<BR>> <BR>> <BR>>  <<A href="mailto:eric.britton@ecoplan.org">mailto:eric.britton@ecoplan.org</A>> <A href="mailto:eric.britton@ecoplan.org">eric.britton@ecoplan.org</A><BR>>  <<A href="mailto:fekbritton@gmail.com">mailto:fekbritton@gmail.com</A>> <A href="mailto:fekbritton@gmail.com">fekbritton@gmail.com</A><BR>> <BR>> <BR>> tel: <BR>> tel2:<BR>> mobile: <BR>> Skype ID:<BR>> <BR>> +338 7044 0343<BR>> +331 4326 1323<BR>> +336 7321 5868<BR>> ericbritton <BR>> <BR>>  <BR>> <BR>>  <BR>> <BR>>  <BR>> <BR>>  <BR>> <BR>> --------------------------------------------------------<BR>> IMPORTANT NOTE to everyone who gets sustran-discuss messages via YAHOOGROUPS.<BR>> <BR>> Please go to <A href="http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss">http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss</A> to join<BR>> the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. The yahoogroups<BR>> version is only a mirror and 'members' there cannot post to the real<BR>> sustran-discuss (even if the yahoogroups site makes it seem like you can).<BR>> Apologies for the confusing arrangement.<BR>> <BR>> ================================================================<BR>> SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable<BR>> and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global<BR>> South'). <BR><BR><BR>-------------------------------------------------------- <BR>IMPORTANT NOTE to everyone who gets sustran-discuss messages via YAHOOGROUPS. <BR><BR>Please go to <A href="http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss">http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss</A> to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. The yahoogroups version is only a mirror and 'members' there cannot post to the real sustran-discuss (even if the yahoogroups site makes it seem like you can). Apologies for the confusing arrangement.<BR><BR>================================================================<BR>SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South').</BODY></HTML>