Cars choking Sri Lanka, #publictransit the solution

Better public transport key to reducing city traffic congestion, experts say | The Sundaytimes Sri Lanka: "Sri Lanka incurs a huge economic loss of around Rs. 40 billion annually due to road traffic congestion and air pollution with too many vehicles on a limited road network.

File pic by Hasitha Kulasekera shows city traffic on a week day

Unless the authorities take measures to modernise and improve public transport, the country cannot curb this massive, unproductive cost, noted University of Moratuwa transport and logistics management expert Amal S. Kumarage."

In India, people demand their "right to walk," as cars get unfair share of public space

At Chennai's transport hubs, a walk you’d rather forget - The Hindu: "Is achieving walkability a difficult goal? It would appear so in the context of people walking to bus termini, train stations and so on, because of the conflicts involved in apportioning public pathways for different uses. Yet, the real issue is the rising subsidy given to motorists by carving up the right of way, and depriving other classes of users of their fair share."

In Delhi, bad urban design leads to wasted energy and global warming

Centre for Science and Environment: "Badly designed cities promote wrong travel choices, leading to warming and pollution: CSE

The original design of Indian cities more compact – promoted walking and cycling. Growing sizes of cities and their bad design is leading to urban sprawl, increasing travel distances and time, leading to congestion, global warming and pollution

Detours caused by car-centric infrastructure like flyovers, signal-free corridors and foot overbridges can increase carbon emissions -- this is the result of conversion of small walkable trips to longer motorized trips

Investments in metro and buses can be wasted if access to public transport systems is not designed well  "

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400 new cars a day literally choking Delhi

Carless whisper: An idea we need to drive through - The Times of India: "400 cars are registered and enter the Delhi traffic stream every day. Mumbai and Bangalore have proportionately lesser numbers. Incidence of lung disease and asthma, linked directly to levels of air pollution, has seen a steady rise in most urban centres. Choked with cars, streets and sidewalks have rendered public facilities unusable. Vehicles parked on sidewalks, on hastily covered street drainage, on land usurped from public parks — the car brings despair to all forms of urban life, reducing possibilities of other forms of transport, affecting public health, and contributing to a new form of metallic squalor in the city. "

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Bangalore experts struggle with parking problem

The Times of India: "Bangalore is in dire need of a parking policy that will streamline traffic flow and free up roads."

The reason there is a parking problem is that the footprint of the private auto does not fit in cities. The more you "free up roads," the more that cars can come into the city, making things worse. Bottom line, cars take up too much room.

Instead of punishing car drivers and creating massive parking bureaucracy, why not make public transit buses fare-free and reduce the number of cars on the road.

Pune, choking on traffic, is adding 768 vehicles a day

Traffic trouble: Pune in top gear - Indian Express: In the period between April 1 and June 30, 2012, about 44,125 new vehicles were added to the vehicle population in Pune, of which 32,180 were two-wheelers and 10,187 were four-wheelers.

During the same period, 25,069 new vehicles were registered with the Pimpri-Chinchwad RTO office, including 18,110 two-wheelers and 4,972 four wheelers.

Massive transit-oriented-development plan for Hyderabad

The Times of India: ""Greater Hyderabad is a thickly populated city and plans should be for prepared with focus on transit-oriented development (TOD) with coordination between departments like GHMC, Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB), Hyderabad Metro Rail, irrigation department, railways and AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC)," he added.

"The plan is to integrate public transport, create employment, improve greenery, protection and conserving lakes. The integrated plan will be ready in the next three months. As many studies were conducted on TOD in the city, there is no need for new studies as of now and the existing study reports can be utilized to prepare a plan," the chief secretary said."

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Loksatta urges govt to subsidise public transport

Loksatta members protesting in Shantinagar bus stand against BMTC bus fare hike

Bangalore News: "Members belonging to Loksatta political party on Saturday, 6 July 2013, protested against the hike in BMTC and KSRTC bus fares. They gathered at Shanthinagar bus stand and distributed pamphlets to bus commuters and the public."

5 years after peak $145 oil, India pays more today!

DNA: "India is paying more for oil today than what it did when Brent crude had touched an all-time high of $145 in 2008.

Blame the 51% decline in the currency.

On July 3, 2008, Rs 39.40 got a dollar. On July 1, 2013, it took Rs 59.52.

Now here’s the calculus on how India is paying more:
A barrel of crude on July 3, 2008, cost $145.66 x Rs 39.40 = Rs 5,739.

On Monday, it cost $102.16 x Rs 59.52 = Rs 6,080."