Improvement in public transport and non motorized transport facilities needed urgently

The Times of India: "In a reaction on the draft budget of the Pune Municipal Corporation which was presented earlier this month by municipal commissioner Mahesh Pathak, Patwardhan said, solutions are clear - a massive and radical improvement and growth in public transport (PT) and non motorized transport (NMT) facilities. There should be a simultaneous and effective dis-incentivization on use of the personal automobile. This is fully in line with the National Urban Transport Policy ( NUTP), the Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Pune (CMP) and the world-wide thinking that measures sustainable transport through the yardstick of public transport and NMT modal share in a city''."

Bangalore suburbs choked with road traffic

Every weekend the bustling commercial areas in Whitefield become inaccessible due to traffic jams

Choked roads: Suburban nightmare | Deccan Chronicle: "If traffic in the heart of the city is bad, it doesn’t get any better on its outskirts. While the more distant suburbs like Whitefield and Electronic City may now have their own entertainment, malls, and shopping areas, they are still not adequately served by the BMTC, forcing people to depend on their own cars or bikes to catch a  movie or even visit a friend in the vicinity, leading to more traffic than is necessary on their roads."

Foreign automakers can't wait to flood India with their cars

The Untapped Potential of the Indian Auto Market | The Financialist: "It should come as no surprise that India is the world’s sixth-largest auto market. After all, it’s the second most populous country in the world. Indians bought some 2.7 million light vehicles in 2010, compared with only 700,000 a decade earlier. But they’re just revving up the engine: J.D. Power & Associates predicts that light vehicle sales will skyrocket to 11 million by 2020, which would make the nation the third-largest car market in the world."



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"Making public transport free on certain days of the week is also a good option."

Bicycle highways: Bangalore's envy, Germany's pride - The Times of India: "Commenting on the need to encourage people to walk, Schmidt said cities should convert their "boring footpaths" into attractive spaces. "Establishing mobility hubs where people have the option of walking spaces, public transport and car-sharing is the need of the hour. Making public transport free on certain days of the week is also a good option," he said."



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Imagine your city with no cars

The Times of India: "SURAT: Ever wondered living a day in the city without private vehicles - with ample space to walk, ride a bike and even skate! This could soon be a reality."



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India Experiments with Car Free Sunday Streets & Bus Day to reclaim streets back for people

#CommunicateKaro: "Get creative on the streets to get heard and noticed. A new wave of people-centric innovative campaigns has reignited the concept of “cities for its people” in India."

IT zone ignores public transport

People wait for bus at a stop that does not even have a shelter. 

Most of the bus-stops in Hitec City do not have any shelter. — DC

Deccan Chronicle: "Hyderabad: The IT hub in the city —  covering Madhapur, Cyberabad and Gachi-bowli all the way to the Financial District — seems to have been planned without any thought for modes of public transport.

The entire hub has no space for bus stations or bus bays. To make matters worse, no agency concerned with public transportation can look into this issue. The core IT area has less than five designated autorickshaw stands and not a single bus station. There is no parking space for taxis or cabs either."

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Oil states do not want to repeat mistake of U.S.

Times of Oman | Column :: Public transport system a priority: "One sunny day in January 2008, I was astonished to find that the lecture "Lessons not to learn from American cities", had pulled many policymakers, academics and students at the LKY School of Public Policy in Singapore.

There, Harvard's Alan Altshuler, himself a former transportation secretary, made a persuasive case for public transportation, arguing that nations should not a leaf from the US, where the state of national public transport was deplorable largely due to Detroit Three's private interests dominating the public interests. "

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Inadequacy of Public Transport Cause of Congestion in Hyderabad

The New Indian Express: "V Madhwa Raja, chief engineer, Hyderabad Metro Development Authority, opines that inaccessibility to public transportation system is one of the reasons for people to opt for personalised transportation. He pointed out that the share of public transport has been coming down gradually from the past decade with it constituting 44 per cent now."

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Cars choking Kathmandu

photo credit

MYREPUBLICA.com: "KATHMANDU, Jan 1: Public are hapless victims of ever-growing traffic congestion in the Kathmandu Valley. Half an hour ride protracts to an hour or even two if it´s a rush hour - irrespective of the mode of transportation.

With the unprecedented increase in the number of vehicles on the roads, the traffic congestion could soon become one of the most challenging problems in the capital, if not strategically dealt fast. "

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