[sustran] mobility It's the right approach

Vinay Baindur yanivbin at gmail.com
Sat Aug 28 02:38:30 JST 2010


It's the right approachRudroneel Ghosh, Aug 26, 2010, 12.00am IST
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/articleshow/6433893.cms

<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/articleshow/6433893.cms>The
Mizoram transport department's move to deny
registration<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=registration>
of
any automobile that is bought without proof of parking space needs to be
replicated all over the country. In an upwardly mobile society like ours,
owning a car is not just a matter of convenience. It is representative of
our status. It supposedly defines where we are on the social pecking order.
It is this thinking that is the main driving force behind the third largest
automobile market in Asia <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Asia>.
Given the furious pace at which cars are being added to our streets
everyday, it is only natural that urban road space is at a premium. To
counter this problem, we need to increase the cost of owning and maintaining
a car.

It is all very well to say that the government should provide for better
public transport facilities and dedicated parking sites. These suggestions
have been on the cards for a long time. Yet no state government can claim to
have a plan in place to tackle the massive growth in the number of private
vehicles <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=vehicles>. On
the other hand, it is also true that people view public transport as a
bitter necessity. Unlike New York's taxis or London's double-decker buses,
we hardly take pride in our public transport infrastructure. It is this lack
of both supply and demand that needs to be addressed in order to decongest
our roads. The new Mizoram regulation seeks to do precisely that.

Making proof of garage space a precondition for buying a car will indirectly
put pressure on the authorities to sanction a greater number of parking
projects. It will also nudge people towards public transport, creating
sufficient demand for better facilities. We must create the right conditions
for people to take pride in their public transport infrastructure. The first
step would be to detox a car-crazy nation with some tough laws.



Raises cost of mobilityAug 26, 2010, 12.00am IST
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6433892.cms

<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6433892.cms>In a move to
ease vehicular congestion, Mizoram's transport authority has enacted a
mandatory provision to have a garage for all new car owners in
Aizawl<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Aizawl>.
A similar suggestion is being made for metros like
Delhi<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Delhi> and
Mumbai. It's not clear that such a "solution" can work across India's metro
cities. We must forsake the temptation to tackle serious public issues by
issuing bans and diktats, instead of coming up with pragmatic and enabling
solutions that enlarge rather than restrict the individual's freedom of
choice.

It would be difficult for authorities to implement such laws in ageing
cities like Delhi and
Mumbai<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Mumbai> for
practical reasons. Urban
planning<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Urban%20planning>
in
these cities has lacked the concept of having a garage or separate parking
space. Neither do they have state-of-the-art public transport systems. Like
telephone or internet connectivity, personal mobility is a tool of
empowerment that enables people to raise their living standards as well as
quality of life. The government should enable rather than raise the cost of
personal mobility, if it wishes to improve the living standards of people.
The stress should be on improving urban planning and building public
infrastructure like multi-level parking malls. While doing so they can
always charge a heavy premium for providing these services, which can be
used to improve public transport systems.

Let's assume, for a moment, that all car owners are forced to rent or buy
garages to park their cars. Since cars are mobile entities they will
eventually come out of the garages particularly at times when congestion is
most acute. Unless parking spaces are widely available, there will still be
a problem. The government and urban planners, therefore, must come up with a
more comprehensive solution to the congestion problem. Before wielding the
stick, they must provide some carrots too.


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