Click on the link below to watch a TED presentation by Ms Janette Sadik-Khan, Transportation commissioner, New York City, on how the city is being transformed taking pedestrianisation and cycling to a new high:
http://www.ted.com/talks/janette_sadik_khan_new_york_s_streets_not_so_mean_any_more.html
I forwarded the link on the "savekoramangala" Yahoogroup, with the comment "Just brilliant - see where New York is headed. Can someone get the likes of Sri Ramalinga Reddy to view this?"
The following were the responses from a number pf prominent citizens:
RK: I agree. Am dead serious. What a great concept. Instead of our councillors going on foreign jaunts, we must get people like this lady to come down to us.
VM: Lets think of a space in koramangala where something like this can be done? Bda complex area?
HA: I feel the 80 feet main road before and after the 5th cross where there are a few parks, which could be integrated into the plan, might be better suited.
SP: I lived within walking distance of Times Square on 42nd & Fifth a decade ago. Let me tell you that even at that time, I used to wonder why cars were given priority when there was no place for people to even stand. To me, the solutions don't sound like rocket science and it is further validated by the speaker's philosophy that she was looking for quick-fix solutions that would have the maximum impact. In Koramangala, I dream of the day when people of all ages, young or aged, can walk on the footpath without falling into a hole (like I did) or being forced to walk on the road. Owing to selfish house owners, commercial endeavors encroaching on space and cars & bikes parked on the footpath, pedestrians in Koramangala can no longer walk to their destination hoping to return back in one piece (I definitely didn't return in one piece). Could we work on a uniform code so that pedestrians in Koramangala are not subject to the whims and fancies of the house they encounter?
Very clearly, the citizens are all in on the same page. Now, how do we get the neta's in too?
Muralidhar Rao
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Would like to believe it's happening in Bengaluru too
The seven Central Business District (CBD) roads of Bangalore that have been identified for upgradation under Tender SURE project will not only feature cycle lanes, but also accord “very high priority for pedestrians”.
“The pedestrian is at the heart of the plan under Tender SURE,” said urbanist V. Ravichandar, who is an executive committee member of Bangalore City Connect Foundation (BCCF), which prepared the detailed project report (DPR) for upgrading the roads.
In the hierarchy of road users conceived under the project, pedestrians are followed by cyclists and public transport, which is acknowledged as the necessary mode of sustainable mobility, and lastly private vehicles. “Traditionally, pedestrian lane (footpath) width allotment is based on what’s possible after the motor vehicle needs are taken care of.
For the full report in The Hindu, click here.
Once the experiment succeeds (which it should given the planning that has supposedly gone into it), one hopes it provides the model for the rest of the city roads to follow too, and eventually emancipates the city from the clutches of the neta-babu-contractor mafia raaj that it has so far been in the grip of.
The crucial diffeernce
The crucial diffeernce between tendersure and the new york model , was that the new york model looked at public spaces in general , while tender sure is very much restricted to movement/traffic therefore roads.
So therefore you will see cycle lanes and better pedestrain pavements in tendersure, but oyu wont see boulevards , spaces to "hang out" in the centre of the city.
and the big pay off in new york ( beyond the pedestrain/NMT centric benefits was supposedly the huge upsurge in retail business.
vmneon
Try it out on weekend atleast!
Murali, Vijayan,
Ms Janette's mantra was experiment with cheap alternatives. Going by that philosophy, we can give a try at different places in the city without having to spend anything on resurfacing, at least once ina week, probably on Sundays. It need not be whole day affair, rather it can be late afternoon affair.
For example, Commercial Street, Brigade Rd and many other places, say on Sundays, ban all vehicular traffic and make it a pedestrian day. See the response, impact on retailers, people's behavior etc.
Than as the experiment gets patronage, should be bale to convert into a permanent affair.
It is definitely not at all that difficult to do these experiments. New York has Ms Janette, but who does Bangalore has?
Pitch this as a part of CycleDay campagin?
Make a couple of streets open only for Pedestrians & Cyclists. Why not? Let us pitch it in the CycleDay IdeaBox.
@Ravi - Go for it!
Ravi,
Pls go ahead and submit the proposal in CycleDay Ideabox.
-Syed