Saturday, September 16, 2006
MUMBAI'S TRAFFIC BLUES
4 March, 1997
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Sir,
The BEST takeover of Limozine bus service should be welcomed as the introduction of a First Class for the bus traveling public. As it is, Railways did have First Class service for over a hundred years. So just because earlier politicians and administrators had no imagination or courage, the present breakthrough in providing should be judged on its merit and not condemned for reasons of party politics. The one- time private car luxury had become sheer necessity due to inadequacy of alternate transport facilities. Now the inadequacy of roads and parking places and the limitless proliferation of fume-spewing cars on choked roads, make private cars a menace. Any meaningful effort to introduce structural innovations that may catch on and voluntarily convince car-owners to leave their homes without their cars will be of vital concern to the public, though not to some politicians whose interests might have been compromised.
Another voluntary effort that could utilize all the seating capacity of private cars, is promotion of a Car / Commuter Club, where voluntary agencies like Rotary could enroll both commuters and car owners who can be matched to see that cars on their daily commuting run may offer lifts to, say -‘Rotary sponsored’ - commuters, at appointed points on arterial roads. Traffic Department with WIAA and other social groups could join together to work out such a scheme, if a major grid-jam on Mumbai road is to be avoided.
#241
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Sir,
The BEST takeover of Limozine bus service should be welcomed as the introduction of a First Class for the bus traveling public. As it is, Railways did have First Class service for over a hundred years. So just because earlier politicians and administrators had no imagination or courage, the present breakthrough in providing should be judged on its merit and not condemned for reasons of party politics. The one- time private car luxury had become sheer necessity due to inadequacy of alternate transport facilities. Now the inadequacy of roads and parking places and the limitless proliferation of fume-spewing cars on choked roads, make private cars a menace. Any meaningful effort to introduce structural innovations that may catch on and voluntarily convince car-owners to leave their homes without their cars will be of vital concern to the public, though not to some politicians whose interests might have been compromised.
Another voluntary effort that could utilize all the seating capacity of private cars, is promotion of a Car / Commuter Club, where voluntary agencies like Rotary could enroll both commuters and car owners who can be matched to see that cars on their daily commuting run may offer lifts to, say -‘Rotary sponsored’ - commuters, at appointed points on arterial roads. Traffic Department with WIAA and other social groups could join together to work out such a scheme, if a major grid-jam on Mumbai road is to be avoided.
#241
