Volume-2
January, 2013
Walkability Asia NMT NEWSLETTER Walkability Asia is part of Clean Air Asia’s aim to raise the profile of walkability as a development agenda in Asian cities. Its mission is to create awareness about ‘pedestrian focused solutions’ through news reports, fact sheets, walkability survey tools, photos and videos of pedestrian improvement and government initiatives. With a similar approach Clean Air Asia will cover cycling, cycle rickshaws and other non-motorized modes with a focus on India in this newsletter. In this edition, you can read our interview with Prof Geetam, an article on bicycle clubs and how they help the cause of cycling, a brief article on cycle rickshaws apart from the regular news updates. Happy Reading!
Commuting Perils
Brutal transport system crucifies the soul of our country The horrible gang rape and assault on a girl medical student in New Delhi, has to be seen critically in the wider social context of the neglect of public transport and people’s basic needs of mobility. Unlike other rapes this has taken place in a public transport vehicle, though it is privately owned. The authorities are as responsible as the responsible as the culprits. Read more: http://cleanairinitiative.org/portal/node/11587
“Importantly, at the policy level, the growth and development
Pune: Daily commuting and safety rights remain a distant dream for the residents.
has to be associated with how or what you do well for the pedestrians and bicyclists. The
Year after year, citizens in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad have been hoping for
media also have a huge role to
some positive changes in the way they commute between their homes and
play here”
places of work. These hopes, however, continue to remain a distant dream as
To read the complete interview
there is little progress on any of the mass transport projects such as the bus
please click: http://
rapid transit system, metro rail, leave alone the basic services of the PMPML.
walkabilityasia.org/2013/01/14/ interview-with-prof-geetam-tiwari/
Read more: http://cleanairinitiative.org/portal/node/11589
NMT safety most important during foggy winters for Chandigarh Traffic Police Keeping in view the winter and foggy season, the Chandigarh Traffic Police on Saturday pasted reflectors on the non-motorized vehicles at Transport Light Point Chandigarh. In this drive, the reflectors were pasted on more than 170 non-motorized vehicles to prevent road accidents in the city. General public and road users are advised to fix the reflectors on their vehicles and use the fog lights during the fog to avoid road accidents. Read more: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-latest/1049105/
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Clean Air Asia’s interview with Prof Geetam Tiwari Clean Air Asia speaks to Prof Geetam Tiwari at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi where she teaches transport planning and is the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) chair. Prof Tiwari’s research interests in transportation issues are of special relevance to low income countries. These include planning and designing road based public transport systems, safe pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure and analysis of heterogeneous traffic movement. 1. Is there enough academic and institutional research, not funded/supported by the state and central governments, for solutions to the traffic woes inflicting India? If the question is whether it is enough, the answer is No. Very few academics are working in this area. There is a lot of emphasis on trying to find solutions for vehicle congestion. However, the change has started happening in a small way. 2. As someone who spearheaded a bicycle master plan for Delhi, what to do you think is the relevance of nonmotorised traffic in the area of research for design solutions in the country? The potential is huge. The more number of people who work in this area, the more solutions we will have. That will become easy for the government to implement. The potential is huge, so is the relevance. The concerns in the 21st century are different from those in the 20th century. We now know the climate change problem. Therefore, we have to look at an alternate paradigm now because our constraints are different now. 3. What long term and short term steps will India have to take to bring back the focus on non-motorised transport (walking, cycling, rickshaws, etc) and also shift the rising motorized mode share towards NMT? We already have a large share of NMT. Our challenge is to retain that share because the trend is towards people leaving this mode. In the short term, the concerns would be to address the safety requirement in NMT. In the long term, it would be from the academic level, teaching different paradigms to our students, training engineers to become sensitive to the needs of NMT and coming out with guidelines and design manuals to help practitioners. Importantly, at the policy level, the growth and development has to be associated with how or what you do well for the pedestrians and bicyclists. The media also have a huge role to play here. For the rest of the interview click: http://walkabilityasia.org/2013/01/14/interview-with-prof-geetam-tiwari/
Delhi Government wakes up to transit-oriented development program to ensure women’s safety The plan’s objective is to increase individual access to Delhi’s expanding Metro rail and public bus network. Well-designed streets and neighborhoods are vital to securing women’s safety in public places. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the Capital’s biggest landlord, displayed unusually propitious times last week when it notified a series of pilot projects and studies under a proposed new urban development program. The so-called transit-oriented development (TOD) program was notified quietly as protests raged in the city over the brutal torture and gang-rape of a 23-year-old student inside a moving private bus on 16 December. Read more: http://cleanairinitiative.org/portal/node/11590 monthly nmt newsletter from clean air asia
Cycle Rickshaws as a transport mode
‘Let us
breathe’ initiative, in recent times has been the prime motto for most countries. Growing awareness on environmental crisis has seen global progression in numerous green revolution and eco-solutions. Huge investments are being made on alternative fuel aimed at making the transport system fossil-fuel independent. With increased urbanization and expansion of cities, short distance travel has however, become a challenge especially for the urban poor. Intermediate public transport is a concern considering the virtually non-existent reserved sub-lanes, in most Indian cities. Rapid increase in the number of motorized vehicles in India, over the years, has raised serious trepidations on issues of road safety and environmental sustainability. Residential areas have often, insufficient access and inadequate options to approach the closest public transport network. As cities grow exponentially, an effective and sustainable transport system for people and goods is a prerequisite for sustainable growth. Cycle rickshaws are an excellent alternative to carbon emitting motorized vehicles for any short distance travel. They occupy less space; are not heavy on the road and are non-polluting. Cycle rickshaws are most suited transit modes for the economically lesser privileged as they are inexpensive and affordable. They also encourage building employment and are low in maintenance. They help in maintaining the road standards as most often sub-lanes are not designed for heavy traffic. Therefore, popularizing cycle rickshaws would go a long way in making transportation cheap for people. For the rest of the article click: http://walkabilityasia.org/2013/01/15/cycle-rickshaws-in-the-transport-chain/
A look at Bicycling Clubs
From the north to the south of India,
more and more women and men are slowly yet steadily joining the global biking bandwagon. We have chosen three Indian cities
- Gurgaon, Delhi and Cochin
- to understand the passion and commitment
driving their biking clubs. Five years after it became Gurgaon’s first biking club, Pedalyatri is today one of the best-known bicycle clubs in India. Founded by Times Internet Chief Editor Rajesh Kalra along with his three friends, it has grown to a present strength of 600 members. A motley group of students, doctors, journalists, lawyers and corporate executives, Pedalyatri has members who use bicycles to go to office everyday. “We have members who never drive a car,” says Kalra. Safety is a top priority for Pedalyatri, which insists on its members using helmet, reflective clothing, front and rear lights and gloves. No wonder then that the club’s motto is: ‘To cycle and cycle the right way”. Pedalyatri’s efforts to help inexperienced cyclists are laudable. “There is a lot of emphasis at the club on assisting those who do not know the technical aspects like frame length, gear ratio and optimal cycling position,” explains Jaskaran Lamba, a biotechnologist and IT services entrepreneur, who is an active member of Pedalyatri. For the rest of the article click: http://walkabilityasia.org/2013/01/14/a-peek-at-cycling-clubs-of-delhi-and-kochi
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Transport important for inclusive growth: Planners take high road to women’s upliftment For the planning commission, all roads should ideally lead to gender sensitivity. In a draft of the 12th plan (2012-17), tabled by it at a meeting of the National Development Council on December 27 last year, the commission reasons that the country’s infrastructure, particularly its roads, should be made womenfriendly.The spotlight, states the draft, should shift from major roads to the development of those offering quick inter- and intra-village connectivity. This will facilitate socially-backward women’s uplift, it adds. Read more: http://www.healthcanal.com/environmental-health/34270-Tracking-Pollution-from-OuterSpace.html
NEIGHBORHOOD Dhaka Urban public transport system and NMT gets funding from ADB The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Bangladesh government Monday signed an agreement for $160 million in loans to develop the urban public transport system in the capital.The assistance will help develop a 20km bus rapid transit (BRT) route, connecting the Dhaka North City Corporation and Gazipur City Corporation areas, Xinhua cited the Manila-based lender as saying in a statement.It will help construct sidewalks, mixed-traffic lanes, high-capacity drainage systems, a BRT depot and terminal facilities, and 155 access roads for nonmotorized transport.The project will install 1,000 energy-efficient streetlights along the corridor; improve 10 markets, 141 local roads, and two pedestrian-friendly roads. Read more: http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/12/17/300--ADB-lends-Bangladesh-160-mn-toimprove-Dhaka-transport-.html The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has recommended Clean Air Asia’s walkability Index to carry out walkability audits for the proposed project. For more click on http://www.thegef.org/gef/sites/thegef.org/files/documents/ document/08-08-2012%20Council%20document.pdf
Melbourne: World’s most livable Melbourne is the world’s best place to live, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2011 and 2012 Global Livability Surveys. With 140 cities ranked according to stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure, Melbourne scored 97.5, slightly ahead of Vienna (97.4), Vancouver (97.3) and Toronto (97.2).The highest-ranked Asian city was Osaka at 12th place (95.2). Manila ranked 105th (62.0), below Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok but above New Delhi, Jakarta and Hanoi. The lowest ranked was Dhaka. Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/336783/melbourne-worlds-most-livable-city Clean Air Asia India Office 1st Floor, Building No.4, Thyagraj Nagar Market, Lodhi Colony, New Delhi, 110003, India, Tel +91 11 601 20260, Fax +911143850032 india@cleanairasia.org
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