[sustran] Re: Sustainable transport and the media in India ... "Discriminatory Media"

[Sudhir]

Dear All,



I would also like to dig in 



Few days back I wrote an article for publication in Times of India - Bangalore edition where a section "A Big Idea" carried solutions for solving Bangalore Traffic Problems.

I suggested immediate improvement of Footpaths and provision of cycle tracks. 

It never got published.

But few days later an article came which suggested banning NMT.

Week after week, I waited for my article but I saw the same stuff asking for improving parking supply, extending metro, banning NMT, signal coordination, elevated corridors.

 

There is a nexus between media-politicians-public which each influencing other. Printed Media such as Newspaper has a tendency of a discrimination kind of attitude towards NMT promoters.

To prove my point, I along with my colleague have carried out analysis of media-public perception while researching upon pedestrian issues, the extract of which I am attaching below

 

 

Public and Media Perception

 

It was decided to understand the public-media perception by making use of public forums available in the newspapers. 

 

Times of India is one of the most widely read newspapers in Bangalore. The newspaper carries a forum "My Times, My Voice" where the readers can suggest, complain about civic problems. The December month details for the year 2007 was collected to explore the public perception on pedestrian issues

 

  a.. Transportation infrastructure was the prime concern for the public with nearly 57.4% share. Of the transportation infrastructure share, pedestrians concerns were expressed by only 9.68%. The majority public was more concerned with issues concerned to roads (59.68%).
 

The public perception and media perception follows the logic of egg and hen with each interlinked to other. The media perception was assessed by accumulating and classifying the articles on various infrastructure issues published in Times of India (pages 1-5) for the December month.

 

  a.. The analysis throws the result along expected lines with issues related to roads and motorists ruling with 47.76%. Media by and large has neglected the pedestrian issues with only 1.5% coverage.  Media has raised public transportation and road safety issues with 37.3%.

All this is happening in a city where one pedestrian is getting killed daily on Roads


Regards 
Sudhir
Project Engineer,
Highways Div. 
SECON Pvt Ltd. 
147, 7B Road, EPIP, 
Whitefield, Bangalore 560066 
Ph: 080-41197778 (413)