Four major benefits of #publictransit -- or IOW, negatives of cars

Hindustan Times: "

Stay Active
Public transport users get more physical activity per day than those who use private vehicles, reported a study by Moriguchi City Health Examination Center, Japan, this November. The center interviewed 6,000 adults in Osaka, Japan, comparing bus and train commuters with those who drove.
Adjusting factors like age, gender, smoking, etc, the study found that compared to those who drove to work, people who took the bus or train were 44% less likely to be overweight; 27% less likely to have high blood pressure; and 34% less likely to have diabetes.

Cut Stress
The Marchetti’s constant, developed by Italian physicist Cesare Marchetti, states that anything beyond a 60-minute commute stresses one out. Delhi drivers have long crossed that limit. The waiting time at traffic signals is becoming longer. According to IBM’s 2011 Commuter Pain Index, 70% of the respondents in Delhi said traffic increased their stress levels, upped their anger, and negatively affected their performance at work or school.
There is the added strain of finding space to park. Once parked, one worries for the safety of the vehicle. A Centre for Science and Environment report states that in some locations in Delhi, as much as 45% of the circulation area is under parking encroachment. Yet, parking is a mad scramble. This year, a vehicle was stolen every 15 minutes in Delhi. Police blame acute shortage of safe parking space as the main reason behind these crimes.

Boost Economy
In their paper, Transit Service, Physical Agglomeration and Productivity in US Metropolitan Areas, researchers Daniel Chatman and Robert Noland said that the economic value of mass transit could be worth anywhere from $1.5 million to $1.8 billion a year, depending on the size of the city. Every time a metro area added about four seats to trains and buses per 1,000 residents, the central city ended up with 320 more employees per square mile — an increase of 19%, Chatman told the CityLab of the Atlantic.

Find Time
Riding public transportation also gives people time to do things they couldn’t (legally) do while driving. Bus and Metro travellers can talk on the phone, send text messages, work, read, and listen to music while commuting. Or just take a power nap.
Ultimately, public transport is of little use if the commuters can’t time their journey. In Delhi, we not only need a reliable network but also real-time information at bus stops and Metro stations and through websites and phone apps for those on the go. There is no reason why “sarkari” can’t be smart, or why we can’t make a lifestyle choice for a greener, faster and healthier Delhi."

Third Car-Free Day Held In Delhi Today

NDTV : "The exercise aimed at encouraging people to use public transport in order to control air pollution saw participation of thousands of people, including schoolchildren and women. A cycle rally as part of the initiative was organised on the route from Laxmi Nagar Metro station to Poorva Sanskritik Kendra via Karkari Modh bridge starting at 8 am.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who attended the event, rode on a bicycle and appealed to the people to take to bicycle-riding as a way of ensuring the success of the odd-even number scheme.

"As pollution is increasing in Delhi, people should opt for public transport. I appeal to the people of Delhi to make the odd-even number scheme a success," said Mr Sisodia, who also relaunched the Poocho app ahead of the launch of the odd-even scheme on January 1.

The app will allow commuters to use their smartphones to book autos and taxis. It enables auto-rickshaws and taxis with GPS to connect to a common server. There are around 80,000 auto-rickshaws and 30,000 taxis plying in the national capital.

Mr Sisodia said that people can call the number 9311900800 for any queries related to the functioning of the app."

Free public transport the best solution to Delhi pollution and congestion

Firstpost: 

"Make public transport free during office hours

Someone is going to have to bear the cost of the inconvenience. By rights it should be the government, who should have been working to prevent the situation from getting this bad. The Delhi Government should (with central help, if need be) pay operators to offer entirely free public transport at least during office hours, one more way to encourage people to use public transport instead of private vehicles"

Need good public transport before curbing cars

Times of India: ""The Delhi pilot cannot be replicated in Mumbai unless the public transport system is strengthened. It is so tragic that we are simply ignoring the BEST, which is the lifeline of Mumbai. The state and civic authorities should support fund the bus undertaking and ensure there are 1,000 air-conditioned buses on roads, which ply on dedicated lanes across the city. This could be a game changer," said transport expert Rishi Aggarwal. "Once you give citizens the option of a strong public transport to go to work, you can then dissuade car owners to stay off roads." "

Delhi Public transport bursting at seams

The Hindu: "In spite of the survey which concluded that the Capital needed a fleet of at least 10,000 buses – a demand for the fulfilment of which no manufacturers are currently willing to step forward -- the fleet of the DTC registered a marginal increase as the number of buses went from around 3150 buses to just 4705 between October 2010 and October 2015 even as an increase in daily ridership from 22 lakh to 39 lakh during the same period."

Why do we wait until #climate disaster to make public transport fare-free? #chennaifloods

The Hindu: "Considering the number of displaced people in the city, the government has announced that passengers can travel in MTC buses free of cost for four days, beginning Saturday (December 5)."

New Delhi choking on cars, goes to odd/even plate days

The Economic Times: "NEW DELHI: The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government announced a radical move to clear the air in one of the world's most polluted cities by restricting the number of cars on roads from January 1, the first time an Indian city will attempt such a move. It will do so by allowing cars with odd and even licence plates to run on alternate days. "

Let's make all of Delhi car-free on January 22

The Times of India: "NEW DELHI: If you care for Delhi, make sure to leave your car at home on January 22.That was the message of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday, as he declared that day , a Friday, a car-free day in the entire length and breadth of the capital.

The CM stepped up the symbolic campaign to reduce air pollution while participating in the city's second carfree day, observed in Dwarka, southwest Delhi.

"I am asking everyone to take public transport to their office on January 22. I will also cycle to my office that day," said Kejriwal. "

Carfree-day idea spreads to Raipur

The Times of India: "He said his aim is to create awareness about the ill effects of pollution and motivate people not to use motorised vehicles at least once a month and use public transport. He said he and other volunteers would approach every office in the city and urge them to join the movement by refraining from using their personal vehicles on just one day of every month. "

Not too late to save India from cars

scroll.in : "Bicycles emerged as the second most popular mode of transport, with 13% people cycling to their place of work every day. "

Second Car Free Day to be Held in Dwarka in Delhi

ndtv : "NEW DELHI:  With an aim to encourage people to use public transport, the Delhi government has decided to oraganise its second Car Free Day in Dwarka on November 22 which will witness a cycle rally, human chain and participations by IAS and DANICS officers."

Asansol leads Bengal with car-free day

The Times of India: "DURGAPUR: In a first for Bengal, private vehicles in Burdwan district will go off the road on December 15 without a bandh call by any political party. The decision to observe it as car-free day was taken at an administrative meeting in Durgapur on Thursday. Only public transport such as buses and commercial vehicles like trucks will ply that day.

"Of 300,000 two and four-wheeler vehicles registered in the district, 200,000 will be off the road on December 15, a Tuesday. We will soon issue a government notification to this effect.
"

Surprise! The solution to cars is buses

The Times of India: "But when much of public transportation is not up to scratch, when there's a lack of a reliable alternative to car ownership, it's hard to see the concept catching on."



'via Blog this'

Cars move only 1% of people, take up most of road in Delhi

The Hindu: "“Now, the need of the hour is to reclaim the Capital's stretches and our priorities are clear; the roads need to belong to pedestrians, cyclists, non-motorised vehicles, public transport and then, if there is any more space left, for car users,” the Minister further said adding that the results of the pilot project would culminate in similar, engineering-based redesigning projects across the Capital."

NA begins free public transport in Kathmandu

The Himalayan Times: "KATHMANDU: The Nepal Army (NA) has begun free transport service for the commuters in Kathmandu Valley in view of the difficulty in mobility owing to the fuel shortage.

Four buses are operated daily along various eight routes in the Kathmandu Valley every day, from Friday."

Public Transport Service in Shillong in shambles?

thenortheasttoday: "What is shocking is that even the senior officers of the Urban Affairs department are trying to protect these groups for reasons best known to them.
The officers of the Urban Affairs are refusing to accept the ground reality and are trying to paint a picture that everything fine.When asked why such a large number of STPS buses and Maxi Cab are lying idle and why there is no proper maintenance of these vehicles, a senior government official replied that it is not true that a large number of buses and Maxi Cab are lying idle."

Delhi officials committed to monthly #carfree days which include some fare-free buses

Selfie on cycles vs. less footfall on public transport - The Hindu: "“Comfortable, reliable, accessible public transport system n better designed roads is the key. I'll personally work on this,” the Chief Minister tweeted. Mr. Rai told The Hindu that his Department's bid to popularise public transportation would be taken up on 'a war-footing.' Several changes, Mr. Rai, who reiterated the institutionalisation of the car-free day in the Capital by ensuring its observance on different stretches on the 22nd of every month, said several modifications would be made to the required arrangements well in time before the next car free the next instalment of which will be organised at south west Delhi's Dwarka on November 22.


“The event evidenced the government’s commitment to offering public transport as a viable alternative”"

Car-free day: Focus on public transport, need for cycle stands

The Indian Express: "The municipal corporation of Gurgaon has also been asked for parking spaces for cycles and also make provisions to ensure safety of the cycles and appropriate signages for the same should also be provided. Traffic police officers have also been asked to strictly enforce all four corridors as no-parking zones.
“Our purpose behind organising this event is to give out a strong message that people are ready to switch to public transport, provided there is adequate infrastructure available. We plan to make it a movement,” Singh said."

Gurgaon monthly #carfree day, though limited, already having a positive impact

Hindustan Times: "According to the report prepared by Embarq India, problems such as rampant unauthorised parking, congestion and soaring pollution levels led to the need for organising car-free day.
Regarding the success of the initiative, the report states that there was a 25-30% reduction in car use on the four corridors."

Hostile corporate media frames #carfree days as "hurting the people." Cars don't?

The Hindu: "Q. But a lot of car users are wary of what is in store for them on October 22 despite it being a holiday (Dussehra) and the curtailed duration of the initiative; do you think you will be able to execute it on subsequent occasions, especially on weekdays?

A. We have reiterated that the objective is not to harass commuters or force them onto buses and the metro regardless of their will. The idea is to promote public transport as a viable alternative; to illustrate that commuting in Delhi is possible without owning a personal vehicle, which has become, over the years, a status symbol. All the government wishes to showcase is that it is time to move beyond that kind of tokenism for the sake of what matters the most – the health of the individual and the environment."

#Carfree days expose the lack of dependable buses in New Delhi

The Hindu: "Welcome to the world of car-free days, a concept rooted in an European oil crisis back in early 1970s seeking to affect a behaviourial change in urban commuters in terms reducing of their dependence on personal vehicles on selected days. And now, we have a new aspirant aching to add New Delhi to this coveted list of ‘evolving world cities’ in spite of serious infrastructural flaws in the Capital's existing public transportation system."

Jung supports, car-free day back on track

The Times of India: "New Delhi: The Delhi government's Car-Free Day is back. Transport minister Gopal Rai, who met LG Najeeb Jung on Tuesday after Delhi police refused to give permission to hold the event, said Jung had assured the government of his support.
"

Choking Delhi vows pollution tax, car-free days to improve air

Reuters: ""Delhi's pollution levels are rising beyond dangerous levels," state Transport Minister Gopal Rai told Reuters in an interview. "If we don't address this, people will be forced to think about leaving the city to save their lives.""

Car-free day observance attracts crowds

Children drawing pictures on the Ramanilayam Road in Thrissur on Sundayas part of car-free day observance. —Photo: K. K. Najeeb

TheHindu : "To encourage people to take public transport

The busy Rama Nilayam Road in the city turned into venue for lots of fun and games on Sunday afternoon.

...It was observation of International Car-free Day. The ESAF in association with the Kerala State Pollution Control Board, Thrissur Livable Cities Network, Health Bridge Foundation and the NATPAC (National Transportation Planning and Research Centre) organised the observation of the day."

Clean water, air & efficient public transport should be main priorities for smart city: Katarina Luhr

Daily News & Analysis: "Katarina: Adequate supply of clean water, air and efficient public transport should be the main priorities for any city and its leaders."

City pulls out all stops for second Car-Free Day

Times of India: "Due to a lack of lanes (and safety), many might still be reluctant to cycle to work, but Virk urged Gurgaonites to use public transport or car-pools. "Gurgaon Police has organised additional public transport, parking places and cycle lanes in the four selected corridors." He said that 600 cops will be manning the city roads for an orderly Car-Free Day. "

#Carfree days show that buses are lacking

gurgaon Hindustan Times: "“The public transport spectrum in Gurgaon ranges from world-class metro to shared diesel-run autorickshaws that pollute the environment. The missing piece is the availability of a high quality city bus system that will form the backbone of public transportation. It is essential for a city like Gurgaon to have good intra-city bus service,” said Amit Bhatt, strategy head, integrated urban transport at EMBARQ India."

Bus, autos, Metro roped in to make next Car-Free Tuesday a success

The Times of India: ""We intend to reach out to maximum people this time and involve more residents. We need to provide them more alternatives. Therefore, this time we want to ensure everybody is able to conveniently avail public transport. All arrangements are being done based on people's feedback," said Bharti Arora, joint commissioner of police."

Hyderabad: 10,000 fewer vehicles on #carfree Thursdays.

'Car-Free Day' Initiative Finds Many Takers in IT City: ""Since the launch of the campaign, most companies in the IT corridor reported reduction of up to 10-20 per cent of cars on Thursdays. An average of 10,000 motor vehicles is reduced each Thursday," Hyderabad Software Exports Association (HYSEA) President Ramesh Loganathan said."

#carfree days catching on in India as traffic chokes economy

Indian Express: "Following in Gurgaon’s footsteps, the Delhi government has declared the stretch between Red Fort and India Gate ‘car-free’ on October 22. The Gurgaon administration declared every Tuesday a car-free day, the first of which was observed today."

Public transport drive planned to make air clean

Times of India: "Rai said the government campaign will not only focus on getting citizens involved but will also discuss initiatives being taken by the state to improve the public transport situation in the capital. The minister cited the new scheme, the City Taxi Scheme, which is aimed at reducing the number of private vehicles on the capital's streets by providing more intermediate public transport at "reasonable" rates.
"

Car-free roads, beyond tokenism

deccanherald: "Open Streets: Two buzzwords to rid roads of motorised private vehicles for a day, boosting public transport and freeing up space for walkers and cyclists. For motorists trapped hopelessly in chaotic traffic gridlocks, the concept might sound Utopian; yet, worth a try."

Going car-free is the new karma in Gurgaon

Times of India: "But this crazy idea managed to do the impossible. It drilled into people's consciousness the need to care for the environment, the need to ditch cars and embrace sustainable transport. On Friday, joint commissioner of police (Traffic) Bharti Arora cycled to work. Meanwhile, Gurgaon DC, T L Satyaprakash, is a frequent — and eager — user of the bike. A fair number of CEOs of Gurgaon-based companies ride their bikes to work — Nagarro, in fact, has gone completely car free."

Bring large buses for public transportation

Kathmandu Post: "Sep 16, 2015- Travelling on public transportation is a tremendous challenge in Kathmandu as it is always crowded. It is estimated that there are around 4 million people crammed in the valley. According to National Population and Housing Nepal 2011, Kathmandu district has the highest population density in the country of 4,416 people per square kilometre."

Poor public transportation drives two-wheeler sales

Kathmandu Post: "Sep 16, 2015- Sales of two-wheelers have seen a continuous growth in countries with poor public transportation as convenience and mobility are basic needs of the people. Although motorcycle sales dropped in 2013-14 due to a disruption in the issuance of driving licences from various parts of the country, the registration of two-wheelers jumped 34.88 percent in the last fiscal year."

Gurgaon to introduce ‘car-free’ Tuesdays

The Indian Express: "Taking inspiration from Hyderabad — which has successfully kept its roads car-free every Thursday — the administration will promote use of Metro, Rapid Metro, cycle-rickshaws, auto-rickshaws, shared cabs and pooled cars every Tuesday. No parking on roads will be allowed and no pick and drop facilities will be allowed in the five locations."

Harsh #degrowth in India, while resources wasted on car culture

Jakarta Post: "The scale of the problem was thrown into relief recently when 75,000 people, including qualified engineers, applied for 30 jobs with the Chhattisgarh state government as "peons", whose duties traditionally include fetching tea and other menial tasks.

The department head called the numbers "surreal" and said he had expected between 2,000 and 3,000 applicants.

Millions of workers in the private sector plan to strike on Wednesday to protest against low pay and a lack of job security.

Among them are thousands of hawkers or self-employed street sellers who say they are not seeing the fruits of India's growth.

"The youth of this country are aspirational, they want jobs," said Dharmendra Kumar, president of the Hawkers' Federation.

"We are seeing a phenomenon of de-growth in the formal sector... the only option for people is to move to the unorganised, informal sector through self-employment.""

Gurgaon to mark September 22 as 'car-free day'

The Times of India: "According to Arora, the aim is to encourage office-goers to switch to public transport. The locations chosen in the city for the drive will include Cyber City and Cyber Park. If the drive turns out to be successful, car-free day will be observed every Thursday as in Hyderabad, Arora said.
"

Lack of public transport in Karachi anguishes people

Dunya News: "KARACHI (Dunya News) – The continuous lack of public transportation in Karachi has badly affected the lives of residents, Dunya News reported on Tuesday.

About 42 percent population, comprising of 84 lac people, depends on public transport but the total number of buses running in the metropolis is 6000 giving space to only 5 lac people while the rest of 79 lac people face difficulties while travelling."

With no public transport, over 10 lakh pvt vehicles on Jalandhar roads

tribuneindia : "With no public transport available in the city, the traffic infrastructure has taken a toll by around 10 lakh private vehicles on the city roads every day.
Though with Jalandhar getting the cleanest city tag in the state, city residents too have raised their aspirations from the district administration and have now demanded a public friendly transportation system in the city."

Congestion, pollution twin demons in south Delhi colonies

hindustantimes : "Roads in south Delhi’s prominent Alaknanda locality carry three times more traffic than its original capacity while on-street parking in Chittaranjan Park is 3.15 times more than the designated space.
....the government should work towards strengthening the public transport system in the city. In Singapore, for example, people pay twice the cost of a new vehicle as taxes to the government. This becomes a deterrent for people to travel by personal vehicles."

Citizens yearn for more efficient public transport

The Times of India: ""As far as Aurangabad is concerned, public transport is nobody's child. Bestowing the city with an efficient public transport does not figure on the agenda of the politicians concerned. The civic administration too is least bothered about the issue," she said.

Bharati said on behalf of her advocacy group Jagruti Mahil Mach, she had submitted several memorandums to the AMC and MSRTC seeking revival of public transport in the city. "The civic body does not realise the importance of offering public transport. The MSRTC too has been running it half-heartedly. Our pleas for revival of public transport have been falling on deaf ear," she added. "

Pune citizens have "Pedestrians First" to support #publictransport

Times of India: "Incidentally, among the list of problems faced by the city, traffic and road safety problem was top on the list as per suggestions received from citizens. Pedestrians First said focus should be on public transport.

"For maximum cost effective use of available scant resources (money and road space), there should be a 'policy for topmost priority to public transport' aimed at reducing use of private motorized vehicles which is the root cause of traffic problem. All possible steps should be taken by PMC to support and strengthen city public transport. A senior officer should be nominated to coordinate with PMPML and traffic police, Pedestrians First said.
"

Odisha govt mulls introducing 500 buses

OdishaSunTimes.com: "As an alternative, the state government is now considering deploying 500 more city buses in Bhubaneswar to address the public transport challenge."

Congress Wants AAP Government to Declare Public Transport Day

The New Indian Express: "NEW DELHI: Congress today suggested that Aam Aadmi Party government promote 'World Environment Day' as 'Public Transport Day' and appealed to Delhi ministers and officials to avail facilities such as Metro and DTC buses to encourage use of mass transit."

Pakistani capital to have modern metro-bus public transport

Shanghai Daily: "Chief Minister of the country's eastern province of Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif, said that the landmark project is ready to provide service to public and it will be inaugurated later this week.

"The projects will offer honorable, punctual and reliable transport service to common man with cheap ticket costing 20 rupees (0.20 U.S. dollar) and will save commuters' time," said the chief minister, whose province equally shared the project with Islamabad's Capital Development Authority.

A total of 68 red color central air-conditioned buses, manufactured in China, will provide service to passengers on a route of 23 kilometers between Islamabad and its sister city of Rawalpinidi, one of the major cities of eastern Punjab province."

India's heatwave is now so hot it causes the roads to MELT

Daily Mail Online: "India's killer heatwave is now so hot it causes the roads to MELT: Death toll soars above 1,100 and people are told to stay indoors as crisis continues"

Despite metro, Noida reels under poor public transportation system

hindustantimes : "When Noida got the Metro rail service nearly a decade after neighbouring Delhi got one, the locals thought it would end their travel miseries. It has certainly provided a comfortable connectivity between Noida and Delhi. But it has failed to address the issue of last mile connectivity as the commuters have to still rely on unsafe auto-rickshaws for reaching the Metro station or way back home.

In the absence of a reliable public transport, commuters board private buses at their own risk. “They wait for long for passengers to board them until they are filled up completely. Then to make for lost time, they drive rash,” said Het Ram, a resident of Barola."

‘Strengthen public transport to reduce congestion’

The Hindu: "There is a growing body of opinion that road-widening was a short-term solution for traffic congestion as the gains would be neutralised in a matter of months in the wake of increasing vehicle population in the city, argued Mr. Vombatkere calling for a wider and comprehensive discussion on the subject."

Money for clean air, but not being used

The Times of India: "If the money had been put into public transport, at least a few hundred much-needed buses would have been plying in the city by now. Alternatively, about 20 km of integrated road with pedestrian walkway and cycle tracks could have been built, considering that each km of integrated road costs about Rs 10 to 12 crore, according to experts. "

Breathing poison in the world's most polluted city, Delhi

BBC News: "Our reading for these minute, carcinogenic particles, which penetrate the lungs, entering straight into the blood stream - is a staggering 215 - 21 times recommended limits. And that's better than it's been all winter.
Until a few weeks ago, PM 2.5 levels rarely dipped below 300, which some here have described as an "air-pocalypse".
Like the rest of the world, those of us in Delhi believed for years that Beijing was the world's most polluted city.
But last May, the World Health Organization announced that our own air is nearly twice as toxic."

Kashmir road accidents -- deadly as "terrorism"

GreaterKashmir.com: "Jammu, Apr 12: Around 19,845 road accidents in last three years have claimed 3267 lives in Jammu and Kashmir in the last three years, 120 of them in the first two months of this year.
Around 27,544 people have been injured. "

Impact of public transport on Delhi

The Hindu: "One of the major reasons for the fall in road accidents in the last decade coincides with the metro gradually becoming the principal artery of public transport"

Delhi air unbreathable

hindustantimes : "The eight million vehicles on Delhi’s roads are not just clogging up the city. They are taking a deathly toll. But the government’s clean-up strategy has so far remained on paper, mainly because it focuses too much on long-term, capital-intensive solutions."

Metro Bus to facilitate over 200,000 commuters daily, says Abbasi

thenews.com.pk: "The Metro Bus Service (MBS) will bring a revolution in the public transport sector of twin cities and facilitate over 200,000 commuters travelling by public transport daily, said Chairman Metro Bus Project Monitoring and Implementation Committee Hanif Abbasi on Sunday."

Smart cities must promote public transport, walking

The Times of India: "The Union urban development (UD) minister Venkaiah Naidu has asked civic bodies willing to participate in the central government's ambitious plan to do away with strategies that encourage usage of private vehicles. In a communique to the state governments, the UD minister has stated that the public transport and non-motorised transport should be on top of the agenda and local governing bodies must start working towards making cities congestion-free using sustainable solutions. "

Cars don't fit in Pune

PMC stuck in parking dilemma - The Times of India: "However, the elected representatives pitching for more parking lots have not made any effort to improve the quality and frequency of public transport. "All these years, PMPML has been in a pathetic condition. The bus fleet is insufficient and people are forced to use private vehicles. The PMC and elected representatives should improve the public transport, which will have a direct impact on city's parking chaos," said activist Jugal Rathi. "