Connect With Us on Twitter
Follow@nytimesworldfor international breaking news and headlines.
UTTIPEC News Info Data Guidance
Showing posts with label Public Transport. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Public Transport. Show all posts
April 18, 2013
February 15, 2013
December 28, 2012
New York Times - Untamed Motorization’ Wraps an Indian City in Smog
 |
Altaf Qadri/Associated Press
The presidential palace was enveloped in smog on Nov. 3. New Delhi’s antipollution efforts have failed to keep up with growth. By NIHARIKA MANDHANA Published: December 26, 2012 |
NEW DELHI — When an acrid blanket of gray smog settled over India’s capital last month, environmentalists warned of health hazards, India’s Supreme Court promised action and state officials struggled to understand why the air had suddenly gone so bad.
Related
The heavy smog has dissipated for the moment, but it has left behind a troubling reality for one of India’s most important cities: Despite measures to improve air quality, pollution is steadily worsening here, without any simple solutions in sight.
“This is like a ding-dong battle,” said Sheila Dikshit, the chief minister of the State of Delhi, moving her fingers like the flippers of a pinball machine. “We catch up with something; the pressures catch up more than that.”
Delhi, a growing metropolis of nearly 20 million people, has struggled to reconcile its rapid economic growth with environmental safeguards. Over a decade ago, the city introduced a host of policies that raised emission standards, closed polluting industries and expanded green spaces. It made a costly investment to convert the city’s buses and auto rickshaws to compressed natural gas. For a time, air quality visibly improved.
But those gains have been overwhelmed in recent years. “We have already plucked the low-hanging fruits, so to speak,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, the executive director of the Center for Science and Environment here. “Now it’s time for aggressive, second-generation reforms.”
Ms. Roychowdhury and other environmentalists say the government must now concentrate on slowing the rising number of vehicles on New Delhi’s roads. Each day, about 1,400 new vehicles hit the roads of the city, already home to over seven million registered vehicles, a 65 percent jump from 2003. As a result, fine-particle pollution has risen by 47 percent in the last decade. Nitrogen dioxide levels have increased by 57 percent.
Environmentalists recommend a hefty tax on diesel vehicles, a steep increase in parking charges and a rapid upgrade of the public transportation system to ensure more timely bus service and a better integration of buses and the metro rail system.
“These strategies can be implemented immediately and will have an immediate impact on the numbers of vehicles,” Ms. Roychowdhury said. “We have to stop this untamed motorization now.”
But government officials say that a mere crackdown on vehicles ignores other aspects of the problem. They note that New Delhi is landlocked and lacks the coastal breezes that flush polluted air out of other major Indian cities like Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Ms. Dikshit said New Delhi’s rapidly growing population and prosperity add to the pollution.
“It’s an epicenter of trade, of commerce, of governance for this entire northern area,” she said. As a consequence, Delhi “bears a much bigger burden.”
Officials say much of the pollution comes from neighboring areas, where emissions standards are lower and environmental policies virtually nonexistent. For days after November’s smog spell, many Delhi officials responded by blaming a coincidence of factors, including agricultural burnings in the neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana and the impact of a cyclone off the southern coast.
Weather conditions played a role, environmentalists agree, but that is no excuse for ignoring the underlying problems.
“The government cannot say that the smog was solely because of bad weather,” saidMukesh Khare, a professor of environmental engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi. “They are making excuses to avoid facing the fact that Delhi has a pollution problem once again.”
Until two years ago, environmentalists and city officials in New Delhi lacked monitoring equipment to determine air pollution levels, and scientists and policy makers were dependent on ad hoc surveys conducted manually or on data from the national pollution body that often were incomplete or arrived too late.
In 2010, the Delhi government posted six state-of-the-art monitoring machines around the capital that now constantly measure a host of pollutants, sending real-time data to a publicly accessible Web site.
“We didn’t really understand the situation before,” said Mohan George, a scientist at theDelhi Pollution Control Committee. “Now we have authentic, continuous and reliable data.”
In November, the machines recorded pollution levels at least six or seven times greater than the national standard for safe air. On Nov. 9, for instance, the levels of particulate matter called PM10 near the University of Delhi measured 908 micrograms per cubic meter, against the standard limit of 100, falling into the “very unhealthy” category.
The city’s doctors are worried. Dr. Randeep Guleria, who runs the pulmonary medicine department at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, said the number of emergency visits relating to respiratory and heart problems had risen sharply this winter.
What is going on in New Delhi reflects a larger trend. A recent study published in the medical journal Lancet shows air pollution has become a major health risk in developing countries, contributing to about 3.2 million premature deaths worldwide. South Asian countries are particularly vulnerable, the study found.
The local government has commissioned a study to understand what exactly caused the smog, and is working on an “air action plan” that would expand the subway system, introduce a network of bike lanes and make the city’s roadways more friendly to pedestrians.
The Supreme Court, which has played the role of environmental watchdog in Delhi for more than a decade, has recommended a more politically delicate measure: imposing an “environment compensation charge” of 25 percent on new diesel vehicles and requiring a much smaller fee for existing gasoline- and diesel-powered cars.
Ms. Dikshit, Delhi’s chief minister, has agreed to consider such a “green tax” and welcomed other solutions, even as she denied that the city’s pollution was reaching alarming levels.
“What is alarming is the impact that Delhi’s prosperity and its comfortable living is having on attracting more and more people to come here,” Ms. Dikshit said. “How much we will be able to sustain that impact of people coming and never going out is a big question.”
A version of this article appeared in print on December 27, 2012, on page A10 of the New York edition with the headline: ‘Untamed Motorization’ Wraps an Indian City in Smog.
December 27, 2012
More night buses with guards for Capital
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: More night buses with Home Guards on board in Delhi, rightsizing of VIP security in Maharashtra and a probe by a panel if lapses on part of the Delhi Police led to the gangrape of a 23-year-old woman — authorities Wednesday sought to address the issue of security of women, which has pitted them against the public.
The Delhi government will double the number of buses plying in the night to 85 with Home Guards on board — a move aimed at securing women who are at their most vulnerable while moving around in the Capital.
“The routes will touch all important junctions in the city. We may also consider deployment of Home Guards during evening hours at a later stage,” chief minister Sheila Dikshit said. The physiotherapist was raped on board a chartered bus that was plying illegally.
The CM has asked Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), which operates a fleet of around 6,000 buses, to improve services with focus on security and safety. Though a time-frame has not been given, the transport department has been asked to ready a plan as soon as possible.
The government will wrote to the Delhi Police to intensify action against buses with tinted glasses. Auto-rickshaw drivers refusing passengers could lose permit, the CM said.
During the day, the union cabinet approved the setting up of a commission of inquiry, led by former Delhi high court judge Usha Mehra, to probe whether lapses on the part of the Delhi Police led to the gangrape, and fix responsibility.
"The commission will also suggest measures to enhance safety and security of women in Delhi/ National Capital Region," finance minister P Chidambaram said. The report, expected in three months, will be tabled in Parliament along with the one on action taken by the government.
The announcement of the commission -- reported first by HT on Tuesday -- came on a day when a separate jurists' committee, headed by former chief justice of India JS Verma, held its first meeting.
The Verma panel has received 6,100 emails within three days, suggesting changes in the criminal law for faster trials and enchanced punishment for sexual assault against women.
To get more boots on the ground to ensure safety of women, Maharashtra has decided to trim the security cover of VIPs, which include industrialists and Bollywood actors. It will free up around 487 personnel.
The state plans to recruit more women constables and have special cells in each police station to help women in distress.
Source: Hindustan Time, Delhi Edition, 27.12.2012
December 25, 2012
Chartered buses thrive as DTC disappears at night
Rumu Banerjee TNNNew Delhi: Flagging a chartered bus in the evening is a necessity in many parts of Delhi due to inadequate DTC and cluster bus services, transport officials say.
In fact, Munirka, Dwarka, Nehru Place, Vasant Kunj, Dhaula Kuan, Badarpur and Malviya Nagar are lucrative areas for unauthorized chartered buses that make school runs during the day and ferry passengers at night. As the bus frequency dips late in the evening, chartered buses are the only ride home for many commuters.
A senior government official said, “There are 6,455 DTC buses on 517 routes, working in shifts. During the evenings, though, especially late nights, bus schedules are not maintained and the waiting period gets longer.” Lack of information on schedules adds to the problem.
Complaints of DTC and cluster buses not plying on routes late at night, especially where chartered buses are to be found in large numbers, have been filed time and again but the authorities are yet to take action.
“The lack of any information on the bus schedule, so that the commuter can make an informed decision, is a major problem for those travelling by DTC or cluster buses,” said Radha Krishnan, a daily commuter.
The Delhi government had last year promised to install passenger information systems (PIS) in all its bus
shelters. The project is still pending. In the first phase, 500 bus shelters in the NDMC area were to get the PIS. So far, only around 100 shelters have got the system. Sources in the transport department said work on the project had almost come to a standstill.
The project, taken up by DIMTS (Delhi integrated multi-modal transit system), was implemented in September last year. The idea was to use GPS information from DTC and cluster buses, and make it available to commuters.
Electronic boards are meant to provide information on the arrival time of buses. Coordinating arrival and departure times with bus routes from the numerous depots in the city and passing on correct information to passengers is imperative for the proper functioning of this system.
So far, PIS display boards have been installed at the Ambedkar Nagar-Moolchand BRT between Delhi Gate and Ambedkar Nagar Terminal, along the route taken by buses 419, 423, 521 and 522. But even these few boards are not fully functional.
DIMTS claims DTC hasn’t provided them with the information, so only cluster bus data is flashed in the PIS, but DTC claims that it will give the required information soon. “While boards have been installed, the information from all bus depots is not available all the time,” said the official.
(Source: Times of India, 20 Dec 2012; pg 4)
Unsafe at any hour in big, bad city
Women Tell TOI Their Moments Of Horror When Predators Almost Got Them
SCARY REALITY: Women say they are regular victims of gender bias and sexual harassment
New Delhi: Two years ago, a 25-year-old got off the Metro at Central Secretariat to hire an auto to Netaji Nagar. What happened after she left the Metro station made her decide she will never step out of her home alone again after 9pm.
“It was 8.30pm. I got off the train at Central Secretariat by mistake. I wanted to catch an auto to Netaji Nagar. While I was waiting for the auto, five men started harassing me. I tried walking away quickly but they ripped my sleeve. I boarded the nearest auto and paid him extra to drive me home,” said the woman who works for an online portal. What saved her from worse was an oncoming ambulance which the harassers mistook for a police van and left hurriedly.
Her predicament is not unique. TOI spoke to a few women in the capital who said they felt unsafe whenever they stepped out and whatever mode of transport they took.
Most faced gender and sexual harassment on a regular basis, be it in the form of stalking, eve-teasing or even chasing by a group of predatory men on wheels. Many of these instances took place in broad daylight and being in a crowded place never ensured security. For example, a 24-year-old freelance writer recalled an attempt to pick her up about 1.30pm on a busy road. “I was crossing the road at Moolchand flyover. A car braked in front of me. It had two men in it. Instead of walking ahead of the vehicle, I passed by its side and crossed the road from behind it. A few car drivers stopped. They were curious to find out what the hold-up was about. But no one protested,” she said.
Her observation of silence in the face of atrocity is corroborated by a 23-year-old management student.
“No one wants to help or get involved. When we tried asking staff at a toll booth, we got complacent responses. Ya h a n c h ale ja o , w a h a n c h ale ja o (Check out this place, try this other place). Instead of looking for help I’d rather use my own wits. Help does not arrive on time and the people around end up as onlookers,” she said.
She recounted how she and her three friends were chased by a Scorpio full of men on Delhi-Gurgaon road on their way to a wedding. When no one helped them, they “decided to take a u-turn and go home”.
A study conducted by Jagori and United Nations Women in the year 2010 reveals 54% women and 69% men who witness an incident of women’s harassment prefer to stay uninvolved. It also states that 70% of women are harassed by the roadside, 50% inside public transport and 42% while waiting for transport.
Another management professional, a 27-year-old, said she uses office transport in the evening in a bid to “avoid autos”. “Although I have never faced misbehaviour aboard public transport, I’ve heard of my friends falling victims to untoward happenings,” she said.
For a 21-year-old fashion student, it is not once that her bus-stop wait turned ugly. “What is frustrating is that verbal protests are often interpreted as more encouragement,” she said.
(Names have been withheld on request)
December 13, 2012
Poor cousins run on the slow track
SAME FATE If the New Delhi junction is struggling with several problems, the situation at four other stations in the Capital is no different
NEW DELHI: Apart from New Delhi, the national Capital has four other stations are not comparable to the showpiece one in terms of size. But together they cater to a staggering 10 lakh passengers daily. Yet, they are also grappling with several problems because they are low on the railways' priority list.
Their tale of woes include issues such as congested entries, poor security and sanitation, and even monkeys.
Inaugurated in 2009, to cater to eastbound trains from Delhi, Anand Vihar is still in relatively good shape. But the railways needs to immediately improve the condition of the other three — Old Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin and Sarai Rohilla.
At the Old Delhi station — which preceded the New Delhi railway station by 60 years — the lounge and some platforms have been improved but only to an extent. The entry is a nightmare. Worse is in store once you are on the premises. Open urinals and stray dogs are a big put off. The tracks are extremely dirty. "The railways must build a facility to wash the tracks. You cannot stand here because of the stench," said Sumit Kumar Singh, a passenger.
The real danger lurks at the platforms. Groups of monkeys harass passengers all the time.
At the Hazrat Nizamuddin station, congestion has been eased after a prepaid taxi service was started, waiting rooms opened and a second foot-over bridge put in place but poor security is what strikes you first. A walk up to the overbridge towards the platforms reveals a non-functional baggage scanner with a signboard saying "Machine Kharab Hai" (The machine is out of order). There are no security personnel anywhere in sight at the door frame metal detectors. "So many bomb blasts have happened in Delhi yet these people are not alert," said Rajesh Tyagi, a passenger. Many of the drinking water taps on the platform lie defunct amid filth.
The approach to the Sarai Rohilla station is a real nightmare for passengers. They have to manoeuvre through narrow lanes in gated colonies off the New Rohtak Road. "Officials have been promising for years that they would ensure a wide entry to the station, but nothing has happened," said a passenger.
"The old and dilapidated station building has been renovated. But there's shortage of drinking water," admitted a railway employee at the station. There is hardly any security and garbage can be seen strewn all over the premises. Waiting rooms are dirty and passengers prefer to sit and wait at the platforms.
At Anand Vihar station, passengers don't seem to have many complaints. "But a new, well-maintained station should not make officials complacent,” cautioned Rita Sulekha, a passenger.
Source: Hindustan Times, Delhi Edition, 13.12.2012
December 11, 2012
Soon, e-rickshaws to go off roads
Delhi traffic police to come down heavily on all e-rickshaws plying on roads without valid documents
NEW DELHI: It seems that Delhi Metro’s plan to bridge the gap between your home and the nearest Metro station with the help of the city's newest mode of public transport— e-rickshaws — will not see the light of the day.
Less than a week after the government stopped the sale of battery-operated rickshaws or e-rickshaws in the Capital, they are now all set to go off roads. The transport department has decided to initiate an intensive drive against them.
The Delhi traffic police decided to come down heavily on all e-rickshaws plying on city roads on Monday. “We are starting a drive to prosecute e-rickshaws that violate the motor vehicle act. Any such rickshaws found without valid documents will be impounded and sent to court,” said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic). The police will start the drive from central Delhi, Garg added.
The transport department had recently defined e-rickshaws as motorised vehicles as their motor has more than 250 watt of power and its maximum speed is higher than 25kmph.
As per the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, any vehicle is deemed to be a motor vehicle if its maximum speed is more than 25kmph and the power of the motor exceeds 250 watt.
Based on these norms, the operation of battery-operated rickshaws has been made illegal as these violate the motor vehicles act, 1988, transport department sources said.
“Most of these rickshaws are plying without valid registrations, type approvals from a specified testing agency, permits and fitness certificates,” said a transport department official.
Looking at the rising popularity of e-rickshaws among Metro commuters, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had recently decided to introduce e-rickshaws as its feeder service as part of its plan to boost lastmile connectivity, said DMRC officials.
The agency had also invited Expression of Interest (EOI) for starting eco-friendly e-rickshaws from its Chattarpur Metro station as a pilot project and was working out a feasibility study to finalise the stations where the feeder e-rickshaw service would be started.
Source: Hindustan Times (11 Dec 2012)
November 26, 2012
Why flag down Taxis when you live in the CAR- Capital
In Kolkata last month, I was surprised that the taxi drivers didn’t even round off the fare to the next multiple of 10 and returned the exact change. I even got a printed receipt. True, some cabbies do act greedy outside the airport or train stations. But elsewhere, they are not known to fleece passengers.
Much is said about Delhi’s love for automobiles. The statistics released last week showed how we further clogged our roads with another 5,00,000 vehicles in just one year. It could well be indulgence for many, adding a car or more to their personal fleet when they should have switched over to public transport.
But I know many who tried taking the Metro but had to pay more for the last mile connectivity than what they would spend for taking their cars. On Delhi roads, the only para-transit available is auto-rickshaws where every ride is a potential nightmare. The guy in front of you cares a hoot for road safety. If he is not drunk, he is surely in a tearing hurry. And if you somehow reach safely, you are almost always overcharged.
Yes, Delhi now boasts of 5,000-odd no-nonsense radio taxis but their minimum response time is half an hour. The 500 authorised cab stands that have metered black and green CNG taxis are hard to locate on the go. In both cases, one anyway ends up paying the return fare, which is factored in the meter rate because the cabbie won’t have a passenger on the way back.Our cabs run on CNG and can reduce the load on environment — and the city’s crammed parking lots — by dissuading a good number of car-owners. A lot is at stake as more than 700 new cars hit Delhi’s roads every day. No wonder the overhead smog just refuses to budge.
Environment apart, why Delhiites can’t have the privilege of just flagging down a cab like people do in most parts of the rational world? The only excuse of a logic is that autos are allowed everywhere in Delhi — unlike Kolkata and Mumbai — and so taxis are not allowed to be hired on roads. What about those who consider those reckless three-wheelers unsafe? Or those who find open autos inconvenient in Delhi’s scorching summer, freezing winter or when it pours?
Recently, there has been renewed focus on taming the autowallahs in Delhi, breaking the financial cartels by granting 45,000 new permits, and insisting that all vehicles have GPS so there are no complaints of overcharging. But the government refuses to frame a policy for the unregulated street taxi sector.
Taxi stands are one of the biggest encroachers of public land as the civic agencies just let them be. Diesel and petrol run private hire cars running as taxis cause pollution. A proposal to introduce smaller economy taxis that could be flagged down as autos was hurriedly put away. We need to accept that the majority of those used to cars do not feel comfortable in autos. Most auto users, on the other hand, also use taxis when they need and can find.
There is no reason why Delhi cannot offer both choices. Unless we believe that every Delhiite who deserves to travel safely and comfortably in a car already owns and always drives one and the rest are fine risking the reckless, open autos in a city of extreme weathers. Maybe that is why Delhi is the car capital of India.
Source: Hindustan Times (Delhi), Shivani Singh, Metro Editor shivani.singh@hindustantimes.com
November 11, 2012
August 4, 2012
New rating system for Bus Rapid Transit System
AHMEDABAD: For the first time a new standard for operations for BRTS has been introduced by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP). From the next year onwards, the city's BRTS will be rated against 70 other similar mass transit networks across the globe, said ITDP officials.
The ITDP has released the BRT Standard, Version 1.0 - a new scoring system based on internationally recognized best practice in bus rapid transit (BRT) system design.
The BRT Standard awards points for characteristics such as off-board fare collection, frequency of service, level boarding, safe and comfortable station design, passenger comfort and access and good integration with cycling and walking. It deducts points for low speeds, overcrowding, poor maintenance of buses or stations, lack of right-of-way enforcement and too long or too short distances between stations.
Similar to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building ratings, the BRT Standard designates gold, silver, and bronze rankings. "While over 70 cities have created some form of BRT, many people are simply not aware of their true potential, since there is a tremendous variation in the quality of those systems," says Walter Hook, Chief Executive Officer of ITDP.
"It became clear to us that a standard was needed to recognize the leaders in BRT, and to help those planning new systems," he added.
Ahmedabad's Janmarg BRT system is one among the global BRT systems that soon will be evaluated by the BRT Standard Committee. "Enacting a universal standard for BRT systems will make a huge difference to world-class systems such as Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd (AJL) by giving an official recognition celebrating AJL's achievements. If AJL earns a gold, silver, or bronze ranking, it will identify Ahmedabad as a world leader in BRT," says Hook.
Orginal Article: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-07/ahmedabad/31610198_1_ajl-brts-ahmedabad-janmarg
August 1, 2012
June 22, 2012
UTTIPEC at WALKABILITY FORUM: Better Air Quality and Livable Cities
 |
| Mr.Ashok Bhattacharjee, Director, UTTIPEC delivers the key note address |
Mr Ashok Bhattacharjee, Director
Planning, Member Secretary, UTTIPEC, who gave a keynote on UTTIPEC’s activities
and successes in Delhi and set the tone for the ‘cities speak’ session said
that the biggest deterrent in promoting walkability
is the land use planning which tends to adopt the western model of sprawl
development. Providing more road space will only induce vehicular growth and movement.
According to their study, solutions lie by addressing:
1) Last mile connectivity with public transport
2) Multi-modal integration
3) Transit oriented development
4) Efficient Street Design for comprehensive street design guidelines
5) Public outreach programs to garner public opinion.
6) Clear policy, guidelines and projects for Integrating Urban land Use and Transport should be established
7) Sorting conflicts between parking space and pedestrian space.
8) Providing Pedestrian facilities like crossings – e.g. IRC guidelines recommend crossover every 200m; however, cities usually provides >500m
10) Lack of benchmarking for pedestrian facilities is the problem that needs to be addressed.
Full Report: http://cleanairinitiative.org/portal/sites/default/files/agenda/CAI_Asia_walkability_forum_report_.pdf
5) Public outreach programs to garner public opinion.
6) Clear policy, guidelines and projects for Integrating Urban land Use and Transport should be established
7) Sorting conflicts between parking space and pedestrian space.
8) Providing Pedestrian facilities like crossings – e.g. IRC guidelines recommend crossover every 200m; however, cities usually provides >500m
10) Lack of benchmarking for pedestrian facilities is the problem that needs to be addressed.
Full Report: http://cleanairinitiative.org/portal/sites/default/files/agenda/CAI_Asia_walkability_forum_report_.pdf
August 15, 2011
Better Refreshed BRT in version three
Lessons learnt : Delhi Govt says proposed corridor will be the best so far.The three letters BRT signify a nightmare for most commuters, don't they? But Phase III of the controversial so far Bus Rapid Transit Corridor promising to be its most user freindly version, chances are the association take a more rapid turn.
Source: Hindustan Times, Delhi Edition
November 15, 2010
March 19, 2010
November 25, 2009
A Card for Everything
Initally a Smart Card will be used only for few buses however it will soon be converted into multi purpose card. Not just Bus Fare, you may also have the option to pay the Toll charges on DND Flyover & Delhi Gurgoan Express Way, pay your Taxi fare, parking charges & even make purchases at the local shopping mart.
Source: Hindustan Times, Delhi Edition
November 18, 2009
Stations to be covered in integrated security plan
Big Budget security revamp for Railway stations in Delhi & NCR
Within an year important Railway stations in and around Capital will boast of security systems similar to the snazzy airports.
Within an year important Railway stations in and around Capital will boast of security systems similar to the snazzy airports.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)