Urban Planning & Issues

[Krishnamoorthy K]

TNN Jul 12, 2012, 03.42AM IST

NEW DELHI: To keep track of the development being carried out in NCR, the government has commissioned a study based on inputs from satellite imageries. The data, that will show the change in land use between 1999 and 2012, will be used for realistic planning in the region. It will also reveal which cities have grossly violated comprehensive urban development norms.

A senior official of NCR Planning Board said that they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) to carry the study and report whether the development in all zones is being carried out in sync with Regional Plan-2021. The satellite mapping would cover 33,578 sq km in 16 districts and four sub-regions.

As per the MoU, the satellite imagery will capture the built-up area, the land use pattern, transport facilities and green cover. Though all these years there have been reports of state governments not following the regional plan, but NCRPB does not have any data to prove this. "When you don't have data, how can you pull up any state? We will have consultations with state governments while reviewing Regional Plan-2021," said an official. The NRSC data will be crucial for the planning board while finalizing the land use plan and incorporating new changes in the sub-regional plan.

TOI

Dilli: IIT to help prepare drainage master plan
Gurgaon: Bahadurgarh Metro on fast track: Hooda
Bengaluru: Commuter rail services essential for city, say citizen groups
Nashik: Forensic engineering vital to study building collapse
Nashik Municipal Corporation clears 300 building proposals

[Krishnamoorthy K]

TNN Jul 12, 2012, 12.30AM IST

BANGALORE: If one out of every 100 persons who commute by public and private transport shift to bicycles or walk, Bangalore will save Rs 2.5 lakh every day.

A recent study arrived at this figure by monetizing gains of non-motorized transport like reduction in congestion, air pollution, vehicle cost and accidents. Vehicle costs include expenditure incurred for fuel, maintenance and insurance, etc. Non-motorized transport currently contributes to 10.55% of total passenger trips.

The study, 'Impact of non-motorised transportation in Indian cities', was conducted by TM Rahul and Ashish Verma of the Centre for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning (CiSTUP), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Vehicles contribute a major chunk of the total pollution in urban areas and pose a major health hazard to residents. There's also congestion cost like incremental travel time, vehicle operating costs and stress and pollution emissions that each vehicle imposes on other road users.

The daily congestion cost in Bangalore has been estimated at Rs 208 million which was computed by considering the approximate cost incurred by a traveller for a one-hour journey which amounts to Rs 91.35 per hour, and the total number of hours lost due to congestion.

Other benefits like infrastructure and health costs were not included while computing the savings, else it would have been higher.

Walkers, cyclers neglected

Narrow footpaths, their poor surface and absence of bicycle tracks make Bangalore hostile to walkers and cyclists, the IISc study said, pointing out that a 2008 report by the ministry of urban development had put Bangalore's walkability index at a dismal 0.63.

Footpaths in several commercial areas are occupied or encroached by hawkers and vendors, forcing pedestrians onto the road. There's no pedestrian crossing facilities on most roads. Given these conditions, non-motorized transport users are at the receiving end and are involved in 49% of accidents.

Quoting a 2004 research, the study said new cycle and walking tracks would lure 15% of the below- 5km journeys by car or public transit.

The study said that potential non-motorized commuters were forced to use other modes generally perceived safe largely due to poor infrastructure. "There is a huge socio-cultural stigma that bicycling and walking are for poor people," it noted.

"Non-motorized modes are neglected in planning. One of the primary reasons is the lack of acceptance of non-motorized mode among policy-makers as the main mode. In policy-makers' opinion, motorized mode provides revenue to the government by way of taxes but non-motorized modes do not," the study explained.

Expertspeak

Our study aimed at giving policy-makers quantifiable data and thereby empowering them to improve infrastructure for non-motorized modes of transport.

Ashish Verma | associate faculty, centre for infrastructure, sustainable transportation and urban planning, IISc

What vehicles cost

* 14,832,426 km -- distance travelled by motorized modes like cars, two and three-wheelers

* Rs 91.35 -- congestion costs commuter for every hour of travel by way of incremental travel time, vehicle operation cost, stress and pollution emissions

* Rs 208 million -- congestion costs Bangalore every day

* Rs 1.8 million -- annual cost of accidents in Bangalore

* 550 pedestrians die, 10,000 suffer major injuries and 50,000 sustain minor injuries every year due to excessive use of motorized vehicles

TOI

Traffic jams also cost too much!

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Radheshyam Jadhav, TNN Jul 12, 2012, 03.33AM IST

PUNE: A few years hence, the city's water supply network and sewage treatment plants will be revamped with help from private players.

The central government will launch the $40 billion second phase of its urban renewal mission in about four months to cover infrastructure deficit throughout the country and manage huge urbanisation programmes.

Phase II of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), which will be carried out over the next five years, envisages a larger, more proactive role for the private sector in providing basic services to citizens.

These intentions were made clear at the national workshop on "Improving Services in Urban Water Supply and Sanitation" in New Delhi on Monday attended by state representatives and members of urban local governing bodies. With the central government officially endorsing private participation in basic services, the civic administration in Pune Municipal Corporation is confident that political opposition to privatization will eventually wither away.

"Water and sanitation will be a significant element of the next phase of JNNURM. Private sector will play an important role in providing services to the consumers. Steps are also planned for accessing capital markets (through municipal bonds, commercial debt) for investment in urban infrastructure. Innovative financing, including leveraging of idle assets will be emphasized," a state government official said.

The central government released a comprehensive advisory note for urban water and sanitation sector that identifies five key areas for improvement. Its objective is to help states and cities develop their programmes for improving urban water and sanitation service delivery and accountability.

"The state government and urban local bodies have to tap the possibilities of seeking help from private players in streamlining water and sanitation programmes," the official added.

Union minister for urban development Kamal Nath, who addressed the workshop, said that investments in urban infrastructure need to be supported by governance reforms in order to transform the urban sector and improve delivery of services. He added that even where investments have been made, adequate provisions are not there for maintenance of these assets and the quality of services needs substantial improvement.

Capacity building, creation of municipal cadres in states and active involvement of citizens in the entire process will be essential. Citizens' involvement in all stages will improve accountability of service provision and municipal corporations have been asked to draft a comprehensive plan on public participation.

"The PMC will benefit from the second phase of JNNURM. With the central governments endorsement to private participation in shaping civic water supply and sanitation, the PMC will be able to speed up pending projects like installing water meters, leak detection and setting of new STPs," a civic official said, adding that political opposition to privatization of civic services had halted several projects.

Why the city needs some help

Public indignation over drinking water scarcity is already running high, but civic administration and politicians continue to blame old, unrepaired and rusted water supply lines and the PMC is pointing fingers at the lack of a system to control water supply and wastage.

The municipal corporation, with an annual budget of over Rs 3,000 crore, has not been able to streamline the water distribution system for decades. The civic body's water supply calculations are based on the assumption that Pune's population is around 35 lakh (it is actually 32 lakh as per the provisional 2011 census figures). About 135 litres to 150 litres of water per head per day puts the total water consumption at about 7.8 TMC. Leakages and water theft are shrinking the quantum of water the city gets. Leakages are responsible for 30% to 40% of losses along with transportation and distribution losses, as per the civic body's estimates, but no effort was made to curb this wastage.

"The civic body must address these issues as the water wastage is unaffordable. While towns like Daund are now alternate day water supply, Puneites should give water wastage a serious thought," said deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar at a recent meeting. He added that the civic body has not fulfilled its promise to treat sewage water and release it into canals for agriculture. "We will ask for the central government's help to complete STP projects," Pawar had said.

"The PMC cannot handle these projects on its own and private players' help is must. The ruling party and opposition are aware of this. But every time the public-private partnership issue is raised in the PMC, parties lock horns accusing each other of indulging in corrupt practices. Hence, many projects were not started," a civic official said.

TOI

Thiruvananthapuram: 4 more low-floor AC buses launched
Pune: PCMC plans to sort trash at source in four wards
Kochin: New Maradu water project route gets govt approval

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Vibhor Mohan, TNN Jul 12, 2012, 06.31PM IST

CHANDIGARH: As part of the plan to make Chandigarh a Solar City, installations will also be made at tourist places, including Sukhna Lake so that decorative lights could be run with renewable energy. A detailed project report (DPR) for transferring a sizable power load of Chandigarh on green energy has already been prepared by The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI).

As per the plan, a 25 Mega Watts solar photo voltaic (PV) plant would also be set up. As of now, UT has no electricity generation of its own.In its pre-feasibility report, TERI has identified 24 of the total 900 small and big parks being maintained by Municipal Corporation, which could be looked as potential location for tapping solar power.

TERI has recommended that rooftop areas of car parking lots in the central markets of all sectors could also be effectively used for this application. The parking lots of Sukhna Lake, Rock Garden, and Railway Station can be productive areas for setting up a solar PV based power plant.

A study of the climate, including the amount of sunlight, was conducted. TERI has recommended that rooftop areas of car parking lots in the central markets of all sectors could also be effectively used for this application. The parking lots of Sukhna Lake, Rock Garden, and Railway Station can be productive areas for setting up a solar PV based power plant.

The estimation of area and annual cost has been done by using the efficient variants of solar cell having efficiency of 14.3 per cent. The power plants of the capacity of 1 MW can be segmented in small plants of minimum 250 kW capacity but they should at one location. Hence, small gardens and parks are not considered in the action plan.

TOI

[Krishnamoorthy K]

x-posts.

Originally Posted by gandhi.rushabh1992

Smooth cruise under a green cover

AMC has planned a Rs 3-crore canopy tree cover over eight model roads; plantation to begin in the next few days and end in November

LINK


Eight model roads in the city will have canopy trees in the near future, if Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s ambitious multi-crore project to set up green corridors is taken up in right earnest.

A sum of Rs 3 crore has been earmarked for creating these canopy trees on the eight decided stretches of roads. Every new junction on these roads will have a series of special species of trees. Besides, the central verge of the roads will also be converted into a green belt.

By November end, around 1.80 lakh trees such as neem, rain tree, tebudia rozia, spethodia, chini badam, kadam, bakam limdi and gulmohar will be planted on these model roads. The central verge will have plants of bogal vel and karan. So far around Rs 60 crore has been spent on creating the model roads. The total cost of the project is Rs 100 crore.

“The aim of planting canopy trees on the model roads is to create green cover over these roads. Not only will the roads be of better quality, it will have proper signages and cat’s eye on the roads. Even the thermoplastic material being used for these roads are very thick so that it would clearly get the drivers’ attention,” said Municipal Commissioner Guruprasad Mohapatra.

“The trees chosen for these roads are such that once they become big they will be dense on road and will work as green cover in city. At present eight stretches have been chosen in phase I. In phase II we will include more more roads,” said Mohapatra.

S K Langa, deputy municipal commissioner, parks and garden, who will be responsible for plantation on these model roads, said, “We had invited tenders for the plantation of these trees and have got a good response. Trees on these roads will be planted at a distance of 5 metre each. Between each big tree would be few bogan vels and karan plants. The plantation will cost us Rs 55 lakh. But if we include the tree guards, it would cost us around Rs 3 crore.”

Plantation will begin soon and is likely to end by November. “Once trees grow up, they would change the face of the city,” Langa said.

The AMC has already decided to plant around 2.81 lakh saplings in the city at a cost of Rs 1.22 crore. The plantation on the model roads will add to the AMC exchequer.




EIGHT CHOSEN ROADS

» Usmanpura crossroads to Vijay Crossroads to Gujarat University and Jahnavi restaurant.

» BRTS Pallav crossroads to Prabhat Chowk-Ghatlodia sub-zonal office-Sarthak crossroads-SAL Hospital-Judges Bungalow crossroads up to Karnavati Motors.

» Road connecting Indira Bridge circle to airport. » Road from airport circle to Duffnala-Shahibaug underpass-Commissioner of Police’s Office-Delhi Darwaza and Gandhi Bridge.

» From S G Highway to Judges Bungalow crossroads to Mansi circle crossroad, Keshav Baug party plot BRTS lane.

» Road from the last bus stand of Meghaninagar-Omkar bridge-Memko crossroads-Bapunagar crossroads-Swastik crossroads-Hatkeshwar circle-Guruji Bridge-Avkar Hall-Jaymala crossroads-Govind Wadi-Isanpur Bridge BRTS lane.

» From CTM crossroads to Hatkeshwar circle, Anupam Bridge, New Cloth Market, Raipur and Kagdapith police station.

» From Shahibaug underbridge to Girdharnagar Bridge to Idgah circle, Prem Darwaja to Kalupur railway station and New Cloth Market.

Originally Posted by viedumonde

In the name of Model Roads, this peabrain Municipal Commissioner is destroying whatever footpaths left in the city.

This is a sad situation.... This means the government only thinks of the people owning vehicles.... and those who travel on foot are neither considered, nor encouraged. The dividers on these 'model' roads are also extremely ugly... and shabbily done, and dont fulfil the function of not letting people cross the street.

Their arguement is that, if they provide footpaths, people encroach them and start living / doing small business on the street... which DESTROYS the BEAUTY of the street.

Why are they so short sighted ? They should discourage use of private vehicles... and make footpaths braod enough so that people can walk on them. Not a single road in teh city has a decent walkable disabled-friendly footpath system.
MOREOVER, the footpath near Andhjan Mandal.... where a lot of blind people walk, has been destroyed to make the road wider..... which is really not required.

This municipal commissione does not have the capacity of thinking beyond safai... does not seem to understand the way the city works.

What can we do in such case? How do we let him know whatever he is doing is wrong ?

Originally Posted by C-DAC

Totally agree with you. Looking at the designs of the model roads, pedestrian are nothing but backward class for AMC. And I still can't understand what is the need of putting fences over dividers?

Originally Posted by gandhi.rushabh1992

Ahmedabad has comparatively wider roads and lesser traffic than other Indian cities, so we can afford to have some wider pavements...

I too did'nt like the design of the model roads except the green canopy part.

It is a remarkable coincidence that today I attended an expert lecture on "Street Design". The lecturer gave the example of China, where there are such wide pavements that people are tempted to walk to nearby places. They have also given so much emphasis on public spaces (to the extent that on an average, around 35% of the total city area is public spaces), which leads to better social infrastructure and has led to decrease in crime and violence. She said that unless we create more places for relaxation of public, the stress levels of the citizens, esp metro cities, will increase leading to violence and crimes...

[Krishnamoorthy K]

NASHIK: Noting that the impact of climate change was visible in the scarcity of water, reduced forest biomass and increasing risk to human health, former commissioner (planning) of Delhi Development Authority and member of the government's committee on New Delhi Municipal Corporation Act A K Jain said there was a need to promote use of public transport. Jain was in the city for a conference on urban development.

Observing that the impact of climate change was visible with the increasing scarcity of water, reduction in yield of forest biomass and increased risks to human health and malnutrition, former commissioner (planning) of Delhi Development Authority and a member of the government's Committee on New Delhi Municipal Corporation Act A K Jain gave a clarion call to curtail the need to travel and promote the use of public transport.

Jain who worked as Commissioner (Planning), Delhi Development Authority upto August 2008 and worked on the master plan for Delhi-2021, National Urban Housing and Habitat Policy and National Urban Transport Policy, was in Nashik for a conference on urban development. He has worked on world habitant reports as a member of the advisory board of the UN-Habitat and is a member of the panel on the new DMC Act.

Speaking on 'The role of urban infrastructure in India' during a two-day national-level conference, organized by Nashik centre of Association of Consulting Civil Engineers (India) on 'Urban infra: 2012', Jain said, "The urban expansion, industrialization, lack of services, energy and transport demands are leading to a vicious cycle of pollution. According to the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the main sources of emission are energy (26%), transport (18%), industry (19%) and buildings (10%). are the main sources of emissions.

Jain highlighted that cities have to reduce their ecological footprint caused by transport, which run on fossil fuels. This can be done by implementing policies which aim to shift private vehicle users to public transport. The spatial model should be based upon the principle of 'less travel, more energy savings'. Efforts should be made to curb the need to travel. As such, a compact development can significantly help in saving fossil fuel consumption, climate change and environment.

A mix of pedestrians, bicycles, people movers, hyper-trams, hyper-buses and ferries provides a safer, faster and cheaper mobility than the personal car. This calls for replanning of urban form which promotes walk ability and curtail the need to travel. Transport policy and plans linked to pollution control, including noise, should be part of a City Plan. Providing a barrier free environment is a mandatory requirement for outdoor and indoor environment, he said.

He added water needs to be recycled for use and local treatment is needed. is emerging as the most critical sustainability constraints in the Indian cities and rationalization of land and water use, recycling, reuse and local treatment of urban water are need to overcome the problem. A vision plan for water supply focusing upon local opportunities is a major stepping stone in dealing with urban water supply in an effective manner.

In order to safeguard public health, the urban society has to adopt re-cycling (e.g. water, solid waste, land), regeneration (dilapidated, old areas), recovery (wastelands, encroached areas), restructuring ( networks, land use, transport), rehabilitation/replanning (traditional areas, slums, unplanned areas) and rejuvenation (river, water bodies, parks etc). Instead of conventional drainage, the concepts of micro-runoff, swales, and bio-drainage need to be adopted.

TOI

'Pink City' Jaipur to have Metro Train soon: Gehlot
IT Firm pays staff for cycling to work

[bharatiya]

http://urbanindia.nic.in/programme/u...fullreport.pdf

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Aparajita Ray, TNN Jul 19, 2012, 02.49AM IST

BANGALORE: Those huge transformers sitting squat on pavements, that force pedestrians on to roads, are on their way out. The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has, in partnership with the Bangalore Electric Supply Company (Bescom), taken up a project to replace them with smaller transformers, reclaiming pedestrian space.

Bescom has identified 372 two-pole transformers on footpaths for replacement. These transformers come with supporting structures and each rises up to 11 metres in height and is 3 metres wide. The width of pavements, if they indeed exist in the city, varies between 1 metre and 5 metres. Thus, pedestrians are forced to step off pavements and on to roads, and risk speeding vehicles.

The plan is to replace two-pole transformers with single-pole transformers. "Single-pole transformers occupy less space," said a senior Bescom official. A single-pole transformer also rises up 11 metres in height but is 1.5 metres wide.

Implementation of the project has already begun in Jayanagar assembly constituency. "We've spent nearly Rs1 crore on this work in Jayanagar. The project has been approved for implementation in the current BBMP budget," said BT Ramesh, engineer-in-chief, BBMP.

"Our footpaths are narrow. Pavements here are taken over by electricity poles, hawkers, beggars and transformers. There is very little space for pedestrians. Replacing transformers with smaller ones will ensure pedestrian safety," said Abhinav Kshetri, student.

The huge transformers are also life-threatening as dangling wires pose a huge risk to passersby. "We have always opposed setting up transformers and poles on footpaths. There is a departmental store near my house, next to which is an electricity pole from which a box juts out. Tall people bang their heads against the box," complained V Rao, an ex-serviceman and resident of Raj Mahal Vilas 2nd Stage. However, he welcomed the new transformers.

BBMP and Bescom have entered into an MoU to implement the project and will share the cost equally. They will spend Rs 4 crore each.

Bescom officials told TOI the support structure for a two-pole transformer costs Rs 88,000, while a single-pole transformer costs Rs 1 lakh.

TOI

Bengaluru: Citizens to bring the change they want
Bengaluru: Commuter rail may chug in two years
Mangaluru: Smile while throwing garbage, for you are on camera
40 pc of converted land in Udupi uninhabited till date

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Shantanu Nandan Sharma, ET Bureau Jul 14, 2012, 08.41PM IST

NEW DELHI: THE urban local bodies may witness a massive recruitment of skilled people once the second phase of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) pegged at $38 billion is rolled out in a couple of months.

The proposed cadre restructuring in over 4,000 urban local bodies across India means recruitment of thousands of experts in the field of IT, public private partnership (PPP), urban planning, poverty alleviation, housing, community affairs etc. The exact number of skilled people who are likely to recruited is not available.

Over Rs 1,600 crore was spent on capacity building during the first phase of the JNNURM. This could be enhanced manifold in the next phase, according to an official saying in the condition of anonymity.

Urban development minister Kamal Nath has recently said in a public function that the total allocation in phase-II of the flagship urban programme JNNURM could be enhanced to 0.25% of GDP amounting to $38 billion which is over Rs 200,000 crore. The urban development ministry has already prepared the cabinet note, and the government may take the final call on JNNURM-2 once the 12 thfive year plan is finalized. According to the urban development ministry note, the use of PPP, land monetization and some specific reform measures would find prominence in the next phase.

Former urban development secretary M Ramachandran said lack of capacity of urban local bodies was the main constraint during the phase-I of the JNNURM executed between 2005 and 2012. "The restructuring of cadres in urban local bodies is a must. The state governments should ensure that skilled people join those bodies. Currently, some local bodies are manned by just five to six people" he said.

The phase-I of JNNURM witnessed Central government's approval of 559 projects worth Rs 67,000 crore in 65 mission cities, out of which 127 projects were completed, according to the data available till March 31, 2012 when the seven-year-long urban flagship programme officially ended. For smaller towns, a total of 808 projects were approved out of which 142 projects were completed till March 31, 2012.

TOI

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Chitra Unnithan, TNN | Jul 19, 2012, 06.30AM IST

AHMEDABAD: Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), Center for Environmental Planning and Technology (Cept) University and Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D) are going to make Udaipur, Rajkot and Visakhapatnam low carbon cities.

The institutes will work together on improving the mobility in these cities while lowering carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. As lead agencies of this project, the institutes will help civic authorities set up greener transport system infrastructure, which will help bring down carbon emissions in the cities.

While Cept will focus on inclusiveness and mobility and IIT-D will handle the technological aspects, IIM-A will make an integrated plan for low-carbon, pollution-free urban transportation for the country.

"IIM-A will work closely with these cities to develop a broad framework for climate change. The aim is to create sustainable urban transport," P R Shukla, a faculty member at IIMA said.

The initiative is under a project called 'Promoting Low Carbon Transport in India,' endorsed by the environment and urban development ministries, which envisions carbon-free transportation in the year 2050.

Talat Munshi, assistant professor at Cept University, will act as consultant for this project. "Cept will be looking at inclusive aspects of urban mobility using a low carbon model. The move is to promote public transport and reduce use of motor vehicles," said Munshi.

The project is the first one in the field of transportation that is financed by United Nations Environment Project (UNEP).

"The focus is on tier II cities, envisioning a metro rail in cities like Rajkot in a few years. The climate in Udaipur is different as compared to Visakhapatnam, where it rains a lot. So the methods adopted will be different in each city," Shukla said.

"It is important to have a vision for every city. If leaders do not have a vision, it will be very costly to reconstruct them to meet the emission norms under international conventions," Shukla said.

The project will also study and include freight movement in the country and suggest environment-friendly options to current modes of transportation and practices.

TOI

Ahmedabad: Cept caused Rs 60 crore loss: Opposition in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Published: Thursday, Jul 19, 2012, 18:24 IST
By Chaitra Devarhubli | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA

Here’s your chance to be part of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s efforts to clean the city. The civic body has uploaded the draft of its City Sanitation Plan (CSP) on its website www.egovamc.com. Residents can access the document and even send in their suggestions, which will be incorporated by the civic body in its CSP.

Aimed at developing and maintaining clean, green and pleasant environment in the city, AMC, as per instructions from Government of India, has prepared a CSP in which it will include proposals to fill the gap in sanitation services.

With this, the city has become the first municipal corporation in the state to prepare such a report. Elaborating on the same, a senior official of AMC stated, “We intend to achieve the target of having total sanitation by the year 2036. Proper planning is required to achieve such a target. People can send in their suggestions which we will consider in the next stakeholder meeting.” The feasible suggestions will then be incorporated in the report, which will be sent to Government of India.

As per the guidelines of the government, it is mandatory for every city to have a CSP. Municipal corporations are even working aggressively on the task.

The report has been prepared for AMC by Urban Management Centre (UMC) - a non-profitable organization. UMC Director Manvita Baradia stated that the organisation has guided AMC in toilet sanitation, drainage lines and storm water lines. “Till now, AMC was into planning for new roads and water supply, but not sanitation. With the expansion of the city, there is need to have a proper plan for city’s sanitation and how to achieve the target of total sanitation,” she said.

Talking about the present condition of the city, a senior AMC official stated that the city ranked 17th in the country as per the sanitation check conducted by government of India in 2006-07. “With effective implementation of the plan, open defecation will drastically reduce and sanitation in the city will increase,” the official added.

The draft report prepared has rated AMC on different scales of sanitation in the city. AMC scores low in terms of access and use of public toilets by urban poor. The draft report of city sanitation plan has highlighted the onsite observation and survey of six large slums according to which 27% of the slum population practise open defecation. The report gave a zero out of 4 to AMC for lack of public toilets and practice of open defecation.

In terms of open defecation, the draft rated AMC at 0.67 out of 4, as open defecation was observed at eight out of 12 sites visited. However, AMC got 5 out of 6 for safe collection of total human excreta for its 96% collection.

In the category of the proportion of treated waste-water that is recycled and reused, AMC was rated zero out of 3, as no recycling of water was found.

For the proportion of total solid waste that is regularly collected, AMC scores just 1out of 4. The report stated that 2,683 tonnes of waste was collected against generation of 3,252 tonnes, which is just 83%. Also, cases of littering observed at 14 places out of 18 places visited.

TOI

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Shobha John, TNN Jul 18, 2012, 04.04PM IST

Taj Mahal, that astonishing monument of love, with its shining white dome, majestic minarets and rectangular gardens, can hold you in thrall. But once out of the complex, filth, chaotic traffic and black pollutants clog one's senses, making one forget the beauty of the monument. Taj Mahal doesn't deserve the city of Agra. But then, this is the sorry state of affairs of most cities and towns in India which are haphazardly and mindlessly built. So when Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar recently asked the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) University in Ahmedabad to prepare a master plan for Patna, it was like a breath of fresh air, a concerted effort to tackle messy town planning. But what about other cities and towns? In fact, by 2050, half of India's population is likely to be living in urban areas, leading to a crushing burden on civic amenities. Already, many are marked by old, decrepit buildings, potholed roads, slums and maddening traffic. It wasn't always like this. Town planning in India is as old as Indian civilization itself.

Mohenjodaro and Harappa with their remarkable s ew a g e s y s t e m a n d Jaipur with its geometric planning and fortification walls are examples to emulate. Utpal Sharma, dean, faculty of Planning and Public Policy at CEPT University which is helping Patna, says the first things to look at when planning a city are its social (migration patterns, income levels), economic (poor/industrial/rich city) and environmental (topography, irrigated, barren or forested land) issues and what needs to be done for the next two decades. "Town planners often don't take all these issues into consideration," he says. "CEPT is now advising Hyderabad, Jamnagar, Mumbai, Gandhinagar and Guwahati in this regard." But what use are master plans when they haven't kept pace with rapid urbanization? Architect Pradeep Sachdeva says bureaucratic and political obfuscation, lack of progressive implementation systems and sheer apathy have proved the death knell for our cities. "Bigger cities are coping with day-to-day problems in a knee-jerk mode. Cities will start collapsing if a new order for planning is not urgently put in place," he says. It's a complex problem, all right. Municipalities can't clean up towns due to dearth of money and money isn't there as taxes aren't enough, says Kavas Kapadia, professor, Department of Urban Planning, School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi. "The important question is: Does my city provide basic satisfaction - 140 litres of water daily (which is the norm), good transport and electricity? Even the Metro in Delhi, just five years old, has reached its capacity and needs to increase its frequency, bogies, etc. Ideally, a Metro should be there within half to three-fourths of a kilometer from one's home."

Even a city's road grid system should be far larger than itself, like New York. "In Germany," says Sharma, "roads come up first and then the city. In India, it's the other way around. In Shanghai, there is good public transport and high density housing — both carrying forward its vision of a future economic power." In India, if cities are shabby, their peripheries are worse. Unplanned growth here, says Pradeep Kapoor, secretary general of the Institute of Town Planners, India, is because land values are low as compared to the city, there's a poor system of enforcement and building regulations are violated. Sachdeva says, "Politicians have not realized the benefits of urban development nor the dangers of neglecting it," he says. Another serious drawback is the lack of adequate town planners.

Kapoor says that some 500 town planners graduate every year and their present strength is not more than 4,000. "This is not even sufficient to provide one planner for one municipal town. Large states such as UP, Bihar, Orissa and Haryana don't even have planning schools, whereas Karnataka, Maharashtra, TN and Kerala which have a high rate of urbanization are hardly producing 50 planners annually," he says. Plus, there's no monitoring of town plans and no authority to oversee land development authorities, says Kapadia. It shows. Even Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province in China, has an airport which seems bigger than Delhi's T3, laments Nidhi Kumar, a student who recently returned from there. We have a long road ahead but some cities such as Chandigarh, Gandhinagar and Bhubaneswar are aiming for the tag of a planned city. "Old Jaipur," says Sharma, "is a classical Indian city built some 300 years back. Its uniform pink colour, shaded streets, wide roads and orientation towards the sun show great visual planning."

TOI

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Finally,

TNN Jul 16, 2012, 02.18AM IST

GURGAON: With the groundwater table receding drastically in Gurgaon, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) has decided on an ambitious plan to develop new water bodies in the Aravali range.

The spadework for locating the coordinates of the new water bodies has been done with the help of hi-tech Global Position System (GPS) mapping. "The GPS mapping was especially done to study the places near the Aravali range, where during the monsoon, water gets collected naturally in and around Gurgaon," said HUDA administrator Praveen Kumar.

He also disclosed that through GPS mapping, 17 locations have been identified near Gurgaon, which have the potential to be developed into water bodies. "Most of these locations are on the southern fringe of the Aravali range, where rainwater is collected and stays for a long time. This makes it suitable for developing water bodies," said Kumar.

Before finalizing the locations, the archives of images of water bodies in the Aravalis were studied. "This helped in selecting the best location, where the size of the water bodies is bigger and would help in replenishing the water table of the city," Kumar said.

HUDA officials started working on identifying the places since last year. "The main idea is to bolster the water table through developing water bodies in the region. HUDA is also planning to develop rainwater harvesting structure in colonies," he said. HUDA has sent a proposal to the state government to develop water bodies, and is waiting for its final clearance.

Kumar said that the work on building embankments will begin as soon as the clearance is obtained from the government. In a recent meeting of the district administration, the HUDA administrator presented the proposal.

Meanwhile, the district administration is working out a strategy to improve the condition of water bodies in the region.

As per the data collected from different departments, it was found that the district has over 90 traditional water bodies. Many of them, according to the district administration officials, need to be attended to urgently, to avoid their becoming relics.

TOI

New construction in Gurgaon put on hold to tackle water problem
Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon goes the whole hog on demolishing encroachments
New norms on anvil to make groundwater public property

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Jenny Marusiak

City populations in developing countries are swiftly outgrowing their urban infrastructure, and creating a threat to their future competitiveness, said senior officials and executives on Monday in Singapore.

Many cities are struggling to keep up with the current demand for services and infrastructure such as transport, housing, water provision, sewage and electricity supply, said speakers at the opening plenary of Singapore’s World Cities Summit.

Indian Minister of Urban Development Kamal Nath said that the rapid rate of urbanisation in India, which already has the world’s second largest urban population, has created an infrastructure deficit.

“Our biggest challenge is catching up with the past while also building for the future,” he said of India’s urban infrastructure.

India, which is projected to have 65 to 70 cities with populations of over 1 mill within 10 years, is preparing a US$14 billion federal funding initiative to help states improve their urban services in areas such as public transport.

Strategic urban planning and improved governance would considerably speed progress in India, which is currently hindered by bureaucracy and election cycles, said the minister, who was joined on the panel by officials from Tokyo, China, Nigeria, Indonesia and Singapore – as well as speakers from the World Bank and envir/nmental technology companies Siemens and Electricite de France.

The four-day World City Summit is held every other year to promote discussions and share technologies that help cities cope with urban challenges. Begun in 2008, the event is organised by Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Centre for Liveable Cities.

Held at the Marina Bay Sands convention centre, the plenary was part of a joint programme of three co-located global events related to sustainable development – the World Cities Summit, Singapore International Water Week and CleanEnviro Summit. Combined, the three conferences attracted about 15,000 participants.

Over half of the global population currently lives in cities and the World Bank expects that number to increase to about 70 per cent by 2050.

Panellist Roland Busch, who is chief executive of Infrastructure and Cities for German firm Siemens, said that cities needed to find new ways of managing cities.

“Incremental development`of the current infrastructure is not doing the trick,” he said, referring to preparations for the increased traffic and energy and water demands expected from growing urban populations.

He added that sustainable cities needed innovation not just in technologies, such as energy efficient water desalination or hybrid delivery trucks powered by overhead electric lines, but also in new business models that can encourage investment and promote energy efficiency.

Cities are really competing against each other, and sustainable city development creates jobs and increases competitiveness at same time, said Dr Busch.

Nigerian Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Ama Pepple said that the problems caused by rapid urbanisation undermined economic efficiency and compromised competiveness in the global environment.

If the growth rate is too high, it puts too much pressure on existing systems and causes decay of infrastructure such as roads, drains, water and electricity.

Nigeria’s population of 467 million is growing at an annual rate of 2.27 per cent. Currently, 48 per cent of its people live in cities.

The government has prioritised the management of rural-urban migration and is focusing on job creation, upgrading slums and creating low-income housing through public-private partnerships.

Singapore Minister for Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan noted that subsidised housing had helped Singapore avoid the problem of slums, but he warned against other kinds of subsidies.

“We don’t subsidise energy and water, or any consumption. We ensure we give cold, hard cash to members that need help,” he said.

In this way, the government ensures equity and opportunity for its residents, but lets the market send a price signal that promotes conservation of resources and also attracts private sector investment, added Dr Balakrishnan.

Several of the ministers on the panel noted that urbanisation was inevitable as people seek out better opportunities and as younger, more mobile populations mature.

Dr Balakrishnan added to this that well planned cities provide the greenest and most sustainable way of life for the future.

Siemens’ Dr Busch said, “Don’t think about stopping or slowing down urbanisation: Embrace it; drive it.”

eco-business

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Ashish Roy, TNN Jul 13, 2012, 12.59AM IST

NAGPUR: Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) are exploring the option of starting bus rapid transport system (BRTS) in the city. Union urban development minister Kamal Nath had recently asked NIT to explore the BRTS option for Nagpur.

Urban Mass Transit Company (UMTC), the consultant appointed by central government, gave a presentation to the NMC and NIT officials and office-bearers on Thursday. It is the consultant for BRTS for 40 cities in India. ILFS, which has funded the Starbus project, has appointed UMTC as the consultant for improving services. Another meeting will be convened between NMC and NIT soon to discuss various project related issues. Only if the authorities find it feasible then further steps would be initiated.

Commenting on failure of BRTS in Pune, standing committee chairman Dayashankar Tiwari told TOI that it was implemented without the support infrastructure. "This sent across a wrong message. In Delhi too there was a seven hour long traffic jam on the very first day. However, in Ahmedabad the system has been a huge success because the required facilities were provided."

Ajay Mathur, CMD of UMTC, told the civic officials that after his company suggested remedial measures to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the system had improved to a great extent.

"BRTS need not be started on every road. It should be done on roads that are wide. For narrow roads elevated option should be explored or city buses should ply. UMTC stressed that for BRTS to be successful there should not be autorickshaw stands, hawkers, etc along the road. Secondly the roads running parallel to BRTS road must be widened for normal traffic," Tiwari explained.

Mayor Anil Sole, Tiwari, NIT chief Darade, NIT superintending engineer Sunil Gujjelwar, NMC executive engineer Prakash Urade and other officials raised several queries regarding feasibility of the project in Nagpur.

Mathur told them that BRTS was far cheaper than metro rail. The cost of metro rail per km was around Rs 175 crore per km while elevated BRTS cost Rs 50 crore per km. The cost of ground level BRTS was far lower.

"UMTC stressed that metro rail, BRTS and city bus service must be synchronized. The BRTS stations should be close to metro rail stations. A passenger should not be required to buy a ticket after entering a BRTS bus. The station gate should be designed to ensure that only a person having a ticket can enter it," Tiwari further said.

NMC had earlier explored BRTS option for Central Avenue but several glitches surfaced. One of them was the covered footpaths in front of shops, Tiwari revealed.

TOI

Kolkata: Rapid transit system sees slow progress
Jaipur: Dhariwal miffed with tardy pace of work at BRTS project
Nagpur: Kamal Nath seeks BRTS proposal for Nagpur
Bhopal: Mayor inspects BRTS corridor, overbridge at Railway station
Indore: BRTS trial run in October: Tripathi
Traffic bottleneck along BRTS corridor U/C
Four of family injured as car rams into BRTS railing
BRTS contractor booked for negligence‎

[Krishnamoorthy K]

TNN Jul 15, 2012, 10.59AM IST

BHOPAL: Head of the centre for transportation system in IIT, Roorkee has opined that the metro rail can wait for next 20 years, Bhopal requires streamlining of its traffic bottlenecks.

The population density in Bhopal is rather low comparing to other developing cities in the country. Thinking about metro rail in the state capital is good, but the need of the hour is to overcome the bottlenecks in the traffic system. Bhopal can wait for metro rail for another 20 years," Prof Manoranjan Parida said.

Parida was in Bhopal to address a national seminar on 'housing and transportation scenario: vision 2031' organised by IES College on Saturday.

Talking to TOI, the professor said, "I went round the BRTS corridor of Bhopal that is under construction and found out that there were still some bottlenecks." "BRTS is a good project, but its execution is important."

Referring to Ahmadabad project, he said, "One portion of the corridor had to be closed down because of faulty implementation." "Otherwise it is a successful project."

Head of the centre for transportation system-- one of its kind course anywhere in India-Parida, said Bhopal also needs to have a separate agency to conduct smooth development of roads and traffic system.

He suggested that there should traffic management centre in Bhopal which should be responsible for keeping a tab on Bhopal's traffic system round the year.

Citing the example of Bihar, Prof Parida said the state would complete 1,700 km state highway roads within the set deadline by next year by adopting a systematic planning and strategy.

"They adopted the idea of handing over the responsibility of constructing roads and traffic system to a separate agency."

Expressing his concern over rapid urbanization on the cost of environment, former executive director of housing and urban development corporation (HUDCO) RK Safaya said, "The environment and heritage should not be hampered. Bhopal has huge gift of the nature and greenery. It is disappointing to witness that several roads in the city have been completely turned treeless," Safaya said. He added that urbanisation at the cost of environment can have serious impact in the future.

TOI

Would Bhopal city benefit from the BRTS?
Bhopal: BRTS: Bus trials likely from September

[Krishnamoorthy K]

TNN Jul 14, 2012, 01.43AM IST

RAJKOT: The state government has approved the proposal of Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RKC) to increase the floor space index limit along the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) corridor on the 150-feet Ring Road in the city.

Urban development minister Nitin Patel said here on Friday that the state government has approved RMC's proposal of 0.75 FSI increase along the 10.7 km long BRTS corridor. The 10.70-km pilot BRTS project is underway from Gondal Chowkdi to Madhapar Chowkdi.

"At present 1.50 FSI is permitted along the BRTS corridor. Increase of 0.75 FSI would take the total FSI to 2.25 and it will cover 250 metre area on both sides of the BRTS corridor. Existing residential buildings and new real estate project would get more space for construction. Allowing extra FSI along the BRTS corridor would fetch RMC an income of Rs 120 crore," chairman, standing committee, RMC, Jayman Upadhyay said.

The BRTS pilot project is being carried out under central government-sponsored Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM). The entire project will be implemented in three corridors - blue, green and red - in a phased manner and will cover 104.86 sq km area of the city. The total length of BRTS project is 63.50 km.

TOI

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Bagish K Jha, TNN Jul 15, 2012, 11.13AM IST

INDORE: One of the major bottlenecks along the BRTS corridor is about illegal parking load that has spilled on to the roads narrowing down motor able space. Majority of the footpaths and service roads have also turned into parking zones. At many places, these parking zones are obstructing traffic movement and are the root cause of jams and accidents.

Unless the issue of parking is resolved, chaos will reign along the BRTS corridor. Parking facilities for the commuters' vehicles at the bus stops is feared to worsen the problems further. Presently, Indore BRTS, which is nearing completion, has not made any arrangements for parking the vehicles of commuters at the bus stops.

A survey conducted by RITES, said that around 80% of the traffic gets delayed due to erratic parking on the roads. Traffic experts suggest that the problem can be solved only by making dedicated parking arrangements.

Shivanand Swami, who conceptualised the BRTS, said that well-developed feeder transport connecting BRTS corridor and proper parking arrangements for the commuters is the key to its success.

In Ahmedabad, BRTS became a hit mainly because parking facilities were put in place for commuter's vehicles at every bus stop along with the project. People found it very convenient and started using public transport in a big way. In other cities including Indore, BRTS has generated negative sentiments mainly because of the delay and inconvenience caused due to the ongoing construction activities.

Rajendra Ravi of Institute of Democracy and Sustainability, who has been working on BRTS in different cities of the country, said that people would use public transport only when they have proper means to travel down to BRTS bus stops. In Delhi, there has a well-developed feeder transport systems connecting the residential colonies with the corridor, while in Ahmedbad, people have the option to park their vehicles at any bus stop, where parking facilities have been made. These commuter-friendly aspects encourage people to use BRTS.

Besides this, Delhi has also constructed two parking facilities on the BRTS corridor for the parking of vehicles of the residents who live in the nearby areas through which the corridor passes through.

Praful Joshi of save life cycles said that the delay in completion of the project has created negative sentiments, but stressed that accidents were not caused due to road conditions.

"Accidents are caused mainly due to ignorance of the safety norms. As per the ruling of Supreme Court, all the safety norms should be followed at the construction site," said Joshi adding that construction site should be barricaded, traffic should be diverted and people should be informed in advance about the construction work and their duration. At the same time, all the labourers working at site should have all safety gadgets.

Tender of project has elaborate safety norms, but most of the time contractors do not follow the norms in order to cut on cost. Unfortunately agencies concerned also do not enforce these norms strictly.

TOI

Indore: Work on 'unsafe' BRTS bus stops suspended
Indore: 'Killer' BRTS dividers claim one more life‎

Pune: Users just don’t want to ride on BRTS wagon

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Shopkeepers in Nehrunagar, Shivranjani and Gol Limda say due to BRTS railings and lack of parking space, they have been steadily losing out on customers

Kuldeep Tiwari

Posted On Friday, July 13, 2012 at 02:26:38 AM

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) that has won many awards and is hugely popular among commuters poses a serious threat to businesses operating along BRTS corridors in the city.

Shopowners in Nehrunagar, Shivranjani and Gol Limda areas of the city say they have registered nearly 40-50 per cent drop in their businesses due to decline in the number of customers approaching them. This, because of BRTS railings that force motorists and two-wheeler riders to take long U-turns to approach shops. Lack of parking spaces on the route have further added to their woes.

Rakesh Modi, a dairy owner near Shivranjani crossroads, said, “I have been running the shop here for the past 40 years. Our earnings are down by 40 per cent after the BRTS corridor came up here. It is mostly the women and the elderly who visit our shop. But now that there are railings alongside the BRTS corridor, it is inconvenient for them to cross the road. They now buy dairy products from other shops.”

Similar is the case with Bikanerwala, a sweet-shop-cum-restaurant near Nehrunagar crossroads which claims 50 per cent loss in business ever since BRTS was implemented. The shop’s assistant manager Balram Singh said,

“Due to the BRTS project, the motorable portion of the road is narrow. Hence people avoid parking their vehicles outside the shops since it may cause traffic jams. Two-wheeler riders and motorists no longer visit our shops. We are losing out on customers. Sales are down by 50 per cent.”

Aziz Sheth, a 67-year-old chemist in Gol Limda area said, “Earlier, we owned a medical store on the other side of the road. We had to give it away to the AMC for the BRTS project. Even that deal was not profitable because the AMC gave us only the land price. Now, due to the railings put up on either sides of the BRTS corridor our business is down by nearly 50 per cent.”

Not only businessmen, even schools have been facing problems because of the project. K M Qureshi, principal of Anjuman Islam High School, told Mirror, “After school hours, nearly 2,000 students are out on the road, causing traffic chaos. Many of them jump the railings to cross over to the other side. This could be dangerous for them,” he added.

Qureshi also told Mirror that school authorities had approached AMC officials, urging them to find a solution. He said, “We asked them to construct bollards in a way that students could walk to the other side of the road without having to jump the railings. But they refused to pay heed.”

Manish Shah, 28, owner of a provision store near Nehrunagar crossroad said, “There has been a sharp decrease in the number of walk-in customers, particularly in the evening due to heavy traffic and lack of parking space.”

Ayub Diwanchand, a retired school principal, said, “The project has won AMC many laurels. So they don’t really care about the inconvenience it causes to residents, businessmen and schoolchildren.”

U C Padia, executive director of Ahmedabad Janmarg Limited that governs BRTS operations in the city, said, “We are not aware of any losses businessmen have suffered. Also, it is the duty of the shopowners to provide parking space to their customers. If there is no parking space outside their shops, their construction may be illegal.”

Ahmedabad Mirror

BJP is supposed to be pro-baniya party. Whether NaMo is against businessmen or JNNURM is against businessmen?

Answer may be none. The businessmen themselves are the problem. They construct buildings without parking place. (builder is also a businessman)

It is ridiculous to say that U-turns are decreasing business. If U-turn does not allow customers to go to a shop on the other side then they are forced to shop on the side in which they are moving itself and the shopper on this side is benefitted. Businessmen, please learn how to do business along BRTS route. Please have shops on both sides of the road.

Of course, it is right that pedestrians and school children find problem to cross the road unless pedestrian infrastructure is improved. This is the case with non-BRTS roads also wherever such railings are there to facilitate faster movement of vehicles. (Check a few wide roads of Chennai where medians of more than one meter height are erected.)(Actually BRTS goal is to reduce number of vehicles on road and consequently decreased traffic density of road should make pedestrian life much easier at zebra crossings.) Sadly, JNNURM so far has neglected building of pedestrian infrastructure.

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Rumu Banerjee, TNN Jul 17, 2012, 02.22AM IST

NEW DELHI: After examining various scenarios on the Ambedkar Nagar-Moolchand bus rapid transit corridor, the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) has pronounced that "the no BRT option yields better benefits for this corridor". It submitted its final report on Monday to Delhi high court and the transport department of Delhi government. Over a month ago, the high court had asked the state government to get a fresh, "scientific" study conducted on the stretch by an independent agency.

The CRRI has visualized three scenarios for the corridor in 2015, based on existing traffic volume and projections for the future. "The trial run scenario in 2015 will reduce the total travel time and stopped delays (time spent at an intersection waiting for the signal) by 39 per cent and 48 per cent, respectively," says the report. The trial run here refers to CRRI's experimental run with mixed traffic in all the lanes.

The report, which is based on various traffic studies conducted by CRRI besides the trial run that took place from May 12-19, makes a strong case for mixed traffic on the corridor by doing away with the bus lane.

"The results of the trial run conducted on the corridor reiterated the fact that allowing other vehicles to ply on the earmarked lane for buses yielded better benefits for road users compared to the BRT situation," says the report.

The scenario envisaged by CRRI is based on existing traffic volume and factors in a likely increase in traffic by 2015 at 5-7 per annum.

TOI

We should also take into account which are the scenario CRRI has studied to arrive at this conclusion. Whether they assumed that the subsidy on petrol and diesel will be a permanent phenomenon? Whether free or subsidized car parking rates are forever? Whether they have taken into consideration amount of pollution generated by personal vehicles? (We all know that pollution level on busdays will reduce drastically on Namma Bengaluru Bus days.) Whether they think petrol prices will be cheap in future and in case of increase the government is kind to increase the subsidy further? Should we widen roads in every nook and corner of a city to accommodate more & more personal vehicles or should we encourage usage of mas transportation, NMT and walking so that we need not waste our land for widening roads for personal vehicles?