<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2963" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE>@font-face { font-family: Verdana; } @page Section1 {size: 21.0cm 842.0pt; margin: 2.0cm 76.55pt 2.0cm 3.0cm; } P.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman" } LI.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman" } DIV.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman" } H2 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 18pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0cm; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0cm; FONT-FAMILY: Arial } H4 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0cm; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0cm; FONT-FAMILY: Arial } H5 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0cm; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0cm; FONT-FAMILY: Arial } H6 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 7.5pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0cm; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0cm; FONT-FAMILY: Arial } A:link { COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } SPAN.MsoHyperlink { COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } A:visited { COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } SPAN.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } P { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0cm; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0cm; FONT-FAMILY: Arial } SPAN.EmailStyle17 { FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: black; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none } DIV.Section1 { page: Section1 } </STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY vlink=purple link=blue> <DIV align=left>Eric says Erp, I say Aaagh! Shivery indeed.</DIV> <DIV align=left> </DIV> <DIV align=left>I was just thinking on the plane back from Mumbai, the basic trouble with India wrt transport planning (and plenty other developing countries) is that it's done by engineers (and I speak as one of those) whose first reaction to a problem is "what can we build?" (which is where I part company!).</DIV> <DIV align=left> </DIV> <DIV align=left>And this "infrastructure modelling" project seems to be exactly that. Instead of "how do we manage our way out of this problem?".  Which might include building something - but not necessarily.</DIV> <DIV align=left> </DIV> <DIV align=left>And what is "traffic dispersal"?  Equals Urban Sprawl?  Does not sound like a TDM strategy.</DIV> <DIV align=left> </DIV> <DIV align=left>Though I can't see 1.32 crore getting them far spread over 30 cities.</DIV> <DIV align=left> </DIV> <DIV align=left>I hope WB is not paying for this.  Though of course, it could be an excellent study, badly reported ...</DIV> <DIV align=left> </DIV> <DIV align=left>Alan</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV align=left>-- Alan Howes Associate Transport Planner Colin Buchanan 4 St Colme Street Edinburgh      EH3 6AA Scotland email:  <A title=mailto:alan.howes@cbuchanan.co.uk href="mailto:alan.howes@cbuchanan.co.uk">alan.howes@cbuchanan.co.uk</A> tel:      (0)131 226 4693 (switchboard)            (0)7952 464335  (mobile) fax:     (0)131 220 0232 www: <A>http:/www.cbuchanan.co.uk/</A> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader align=left> <HR> From: sustran-discuss-bounces+alan.howes=cbuchanan.co.uk@list.jca.apc.org [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+alan.howes=cbuchanan.co.uk@list.jca.apc.org] On Behalf Of Eric Britton Sent: 12 September 2006 10:53 To: Sustran-discuss@jca.apc.org Subject: [sustran] To decongest 30 cities,Urban Development Ministry asks American firm for roadmap </DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV class=Section1> Erp! I would be most eager to have comments on this article from last week’s Indian Express. It sends shivers down by back (Wilbur Smith??), but what do I know, eh?   Eric Britton   PS. When Sigmund Freud was trying to exit Vienna for England in the late thirties, the German officials insisted that he write a letter exonerating the SS from any bad behaviour in his case. His reply was very short, reading more or less: “Letter to anyone who might happen to require the good services of the SS. They are indeed very good at what they do.”  (End rough quote)   To decongest 30 cities, Centre asks American firm for roadmap <H4>Maitreyee Handique - http://www.indianexpress.com/story/11223.html</H4>   NEW DELHI, August 22: To decongest the traffic chaos and improve mobility in India’s city roads, the Urban Development Ministry is initiating a study to develop an infrastructure model to ease traffic congestion. Wilbur Smith Associates Private Ltd (WSAPL), a subsidiary of the US-based traffic and transportation planning company, Wilbur Smith Associates, has been selected to conduct sample surveys in 30 cities, including metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata. The other cities, which were finalised yesterday, include Jaipur, Gangtok, Shimla, Ahmedabad and Surat. The report, which will be ready within a year, will cost Rs 1.32 crore. The company presented its inception report to the ministry this week. WSPL was selected among at least six bidders through a tender process four months ago, sources said. The study called Traffic Engineering & Transportation Planning will focus on creating an infrastructure model based on its research of different cities and suggest methods of traffic dispersal and creation of new corridors. The survey will become a base model for replicating in other cities in the future, sources said. The methodology will be based on traffic surveys, household interviews, as well as secondary data and sample interviews of more than 4,000 people in big cities. It will consider several parameters such as the shape of the city, population, the available public transport and per capita income. The study will also offer suggestions relating to public transportation requirement of cities. At present, dependence on public transport system in cities like Mumbai is over 70 per cent while in Delhi it’s about 30-35 per cent. In Chennai, it’s about 40 per cent whereas in towns like Kanpur it’s as low as 5 per cent. The ministry had last conducted a study of India’s traffic situation in 1998. This is the first time that the focus is being laid on infrastructure modelling to address the issue of traffic snarl-ups.  </DIV></BODY> ............................................................................................................................................................................................ DISCLAIMER   This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which they are addressed. Unless you are the named addressee, or authorised to receive it for the addressee, you may not copy or use it, or disclose it to anyone else. If you have received this email in error please contact the sender by replying to this email. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p> </o:p> Any views expressed by an individual within this email which do not constitute or record professional advice relating to the business of Colin Buchanan, do not necessarily reflect the views of the company. Any professional advice or opinion contained within this email is subject to our terms and conditions of business. <o:p> </o:p> We have taken precautions to minimise the risk of transmitting software viruses. We do not accept liability for any loss or damage caused by software viruses.  </HTML>