[sustran] Re: Tata Nano: Criminalizing Mobility or Mobilizing Crime

[bruun at seas.upenn.edu]

Hassaan

The reason people are alarmed is because they can see where this is  
going -- in the wrong direction against sustainable development and  
livable cities. But mostly the discussion in the press has been about  
fuel consumption, greenhouse gasses, and air pollution.

One thing that has been under-reported is the consequences to  
pedestrians and biyclists. Far more are killed than motorists  
themselves in India. An increase in cars will increase the death and  
maiming to them far more than to motorists. But being piles of junk  
built to a very lax safety standard, these TATAs will no doubt be  
killing a lot of their users as well, and bring the ratio up.

This negative impact will only be temporary. One of the things people  
haven't talked about in the press at all, as this is not as well  
known, is the sheer physical impossibility of accommodating so many  
cars. Within a short period of time, all the parking and road space  
within many cities will be used up and traffic will move to slowly to  
cause many serious accidents. Look at Chinese cities already, with  
only 2.5 percent auto ownership.

On the other hand, how can this be stopped? You are certainly right  
that the regulatory oversight is not yet in place. But if India's  
government works even remotely like the US government, the auto  
interests will be working behind the scenes to slow this oversight  
down as much as possible. If the rich are allowed to drive around, why  
can't other people? Until some restraints are put on cars in general,  
it would be class warfare to only ban these small cheap cars.

Eric Bruun




Quoting Hassaan Ghazali <hghazali at gmail.com>:

> Friends,
>
> There was a time when a Model T rolled off the Ford assembly line every few
> seconds. I do believe that was probably the most exciting and the most
> positive time for the US economy. Now, it seems Tata's mobility breakthrough
> has everyone on the edge and I am surprised to see so many negative
> sentiments being expressed within South Asia. I don't remember so many
> issues abounding when Daimler-Chrysler's Smart car came out. Regardless of
> the fact that the Smart car was probably one major reason for the eventual
> divorce between Daimler and Chrysler, how does the economic and social
> disparity between the developed and developing world create the context to
> despise such an incredible product?
>
> Shall we all begin by shunning technology which aims to empower the masses
> or shall we encourage its uptake and ensure that the whole suite of
> technological constructs (institutions, policies, regulatory oversight,
> etc.) are also provided.
>
> Regards,
>
> Hassaan
>
>
> --
> Institutional Development Specialist
> Urban Sector Policy and Management Unit (The Urban Unit)
> Planning & Development Department,
> Government of the Punjab
>
> A: 4-B Lytton Road, Lahore, Pakistan
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> http://hghazali.googlepages.com
>
> *When conditions are right, everything will go wrong*
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