[sustran] Fwd: Flyovers couldn't resolve congestion across the world: Sujit Patwardhan - DNA

[Sujit Patwardhan]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: A.V.Shenoy <shenoyav at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Feb 16, 2012 at 9:33 AM
Subject: Flyovers couldn't resolve congestion across the world: Sujit
Patwardhan - DNA



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   Flyovers couldn’t resolve congestion across the world: Sujit Patwardhan
Published: Tuesday, Feb 14, 2012, 12:36 IST
By *Soumabha Nandi <http://www.dnaindia.com/authors/soumabha-nandi>* |
Place: Pune | Agency: DNA

Founder member and trustee of Parisar, Sujit Patwardhan, is working hard to
bring the environment issues to the forefront through citizens’ campaigns
and collaborative activism with other like-minded organisations. The aim is
to ensure that industrial and urban development does not lead to damage and
destruction of the environment. He speaks to* Soumabha Nandi* about the
traffic woes that have engulfed the city of late.

*What has made city roads a nightmare for pedestrians? Where are the
authorities failing?*
Roads become safe or dangerous depending on the way they are designed. If
the road is primarily meant for smooth and uninterrupted flow of vehicles,
then the tendency is to make it wider over the years. However, the wider
the road, it becomes more unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists. This is
because wide roads encourage speeding. If road safety is the prime concern
of the city, then authorities will ensure that the roads within the city
are not widened and speed limits are strictly enforced.
Instead of trying to accommodate more and more vehicles, the city needs to
invest in public transport system and run it efficiently. The majority of
deaths reported are of pedestrians and this number is growing each year.
According to the latest figure, around 460 fatal road accidents took place
annually.

*What are the reasons for the large number of accidents on the expressway?*
The traffic problem on the expressway is different from that of the city.
One assumes that since the expressway connects two cities, it would ensure
smooth traffic flow and reduce travel time. This means driving at a high
speed, which requires skills on the part of the drivers and also efficient
cars to ensure safe driving. But, we lack in both these inputs. I strongly
feel that strict rules should be enforced for granting driving licences and
stricter action should be taken against rash drivers.
With a large number of flyovers and overbridges being constructed in the
city, do you think that the traffic woes of the city can be resolved?
Flyovers, freeways and elevated roads have not been able to resolve road
congestion in any city across the world. The more number of roads you
construct, the more vehicles you attract. In many cities, elevated roads
and flyovers are now being dismantled as they have failed to reduce traffic
congestion. If you look at the initiatives in developed countries, you will
notice that the focus has now shifted on narrowing the roads, widening the
sidewalks, improving public transportation and giving highest priority to
walking and cycling in order to improve the quality of living in cities.

*Due to the poor state of public transport system, people are forced to use
private vehicles which cause traffic congestion. What is your opinion?*
Politicians talk about improving public transport in election manifestos
and the bureaucrats sing a similar tune but when it comes to action, they
are only interested in constructing more roads, widen the existing ones and
build half a dozen flyovers. Such projects violate the basic principles of
the National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) and Jawaharlal Nehru National
Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM)under which the central government funding is
made available primarily for the improvement of public transportation.




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*Parisar*

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Sujit Patwardhan
patwardhan.sujit at gmail.com
sujit at parisar.org <sujitjp at gmail.com>
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Yamuna, ICS Colony, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune 411 007, India
Tel: +91 20 25537955
Cell: +91 98220 26627
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Blog: http://motif.posterous.com/
Parisar: www.parisar.org
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