‘Public transport system needs to be expanded in Chennai’

New Indian Express: "CHENNAI: There is an urgent need to expand the public transport system in the city, said former managing director of Metropolitan Transport Corporation and traffic consultant R Krishnamurthy."

Pune, India, 115km BRT network planned

dnaindia pune : "The 115 kms of total BRTS network of routes planned for PCMC-PMC area, when completed and jointly operational, will become Asia's biggest and one-of-its-kind BRTS interconnected system."

Parking in Delhi can kill you

Scroll.in: "Police records suggest that 15 people have died in the capital over parking-related issues in the past five years, with many more incidents of violent clashes. Other than the capital’s generally high stress levels, which have given it the reputation of being particularly prone to violence and spats, the huge number of cars being added to the roads combined with limited space is mainly what is behind this unique category of crimes. It isn’t uncommon to see car tires being slashed or a parked car being keyed by angry residents who see it as a way to complain about parking."

Delhi - Motor vehicle owners are only 1/4 of population, but take up most of the roads

Hindustan Times: "Restraining the movement of seven million private vehicles in a city requires political courage, a paradigm shift from the populist, and often lucrative, policies of building more roads and cutting car prices. But encouraging the use of private vehicles serves only a minority. Studies show that only a quarter of Delhi’s population owns cars and twowheelers and yet choke the city’s roads."

Kolkata - "Why aren't they banning cars?"

Times of India: "Arora said, "Kolkata, with its different means of public transports and NMTs, could be a model for other cities. But it is shying away from its own model and is turning into a car-centric city, imposing caps on public transport and promoting cars instead of public transport".

Transport expert and director of the Institute for Democracy and Sustainability Rajendra Ravi wondered: "Cycles, unlike cars, occupy minimum space. Why aren't they banning cars?" Ravi said, "Cycle-rickshaws became a symbol of poverty in India, but came back as a symbol of development when the West adopted it."

He expressed concerns on governments opting for costlier modes like rail-based mass transit sytem in cities like Kolkata where the commuting requirement is barely 4 to 5 km."

Message of Tallinn free public transport spreads to India

The Times of India: "As Chandigarh is a small city, having 114 sq. km area with a population of 11 lakh, a Metro would not be feasible as a considerable population of 20-40 lakhs is required for its effective operation. The only way to ease traffic congestion is a good public transport system. We should follow Singapore's example where around 65% commuters use public transportation. To check traffic congestion, we could look at Estonia. A small country has allowed free transport service to its citizens. Similarly about 70% of the Delhi has reportedly shifted to public transport. Why can't Chandigarh do that, where only 14% of the population is using the public transport?

S K Khosla, Chandigarh"