URBAN MOBILITY
Shaping our streets for people

Plenty of money has been spent widening roads. It is clear that doesn't work. Instead, designing our cities for walking and cycling is a much better option, and is also imperative to fight climate change.

#Cities #Climate #Government #MAHARASHTRA
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Delhi Metro hit hard by limited operations

With ridership down, DMRC's annual losses, which had already been growing each year, have ballooned. Non-fare revenues are low, and the company's obligations to repay loans are looming.

#Cities #Economy
WOMEN ON BOARD
More than a mode of transport

The Metro network has quietly revolutionized women's travel in public transport, and given them a perceived notion of autonomy, along with scope for upward socio-economic mobility.

#Livelihoods #Women #DELHI
ROAD SAFETY
How the poor cope with accidents

Social hierarchies and realities largely determine road crash outcomes. The severity of their impact  is disproportionately borne by the poor, and it puts them at a further disadvantage. 

#Poverty #Women
URBAN PLANNING
The way forward for Mumbai Metro's new lines

Thirty five kilometers of mass transit are about to be added to Mumbai Metro. Applying an economic development lens would help in the planning of areas around these upcoming lines.

#Cities #Economy #MAHARASHTRA
NON-MOTORISED TRANSPORT
A new law needed for active mobility
NON-MOTORISED TRANSPORT : A new law needed for active mobility

We cannot build a city for athletic young people and motor vehicles alone. Affirmative action for non-motoridsed transport is needed to set a clear course for an inclusive and practical imagination of our cities.

#Cities #Economy
RAILWAY FARES
IR faces more than money troubles

In a squeeze between dwindling freight revenues and large subsidies to its passengers, Indian Railways has very little room for wriggle. But the fare hike on 1 January 2020 is only a small step, and will not by itself set things right.

#Public Funds #Economy
INDIAN RAILWAYS
Rail link to coal is becoming unsustainable

In a changing landscape for power production and transmission, Indian Railways and the Government will need to make new choices, says a new report from Brookings India.

#Energy #Public Funds #Economy
HIGH SPEED TRAIN
Will biting the Bullet Train leave us with no teeth?

Darryl D'Monte analyses why the proposed Bullet Train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad is not the need of the hour, nor worth the cost.

#Environment #OP-ED
ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE
A misplaced emphasis on highways?
ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE : A misplaced emphasis on highways?

The government continues with its blind focus on highways and expressways when infrastructure for water supply, waste management and mass transit system is in desperate need of attention. Kannan Kasturi says there is more to public infrastructure than just highways and expressways.

#Government
ODD-EVEN FORMULA
With road rationing, Delhi fights air pollution

Delhi has been experimenting with its odd-even formula to curb the movement of private vehicles. With no visible change in the pollution levels, much more action may be needed.

#Cities #Environmental Hazards #Public Health #Environment
TRANSPORT POLLUTION
Old or new, cars must make way for buses

The ban on old diesel vehicles in Delhi and the NCR is a first step towards addressing the grave air toxicity in the region, but a well-designed BRTS could go a long way in achieving the real end. Darryl D’Monte compiles notes from a recent conference.

#Environment Opinions #Urban Environment #Environment
HIGHWAY TOLLS
Why Fadnavis mustn't be soft on motorists

Sachin Tendulkar’s letter to the Maharashtra CM Fadnavis, urging him to reduce toll posts in the state, may just encourage the state further to execute its plan of exempting private cars and SUVs from such charges. Darryl D’Monte argues why that is entirely unjustifiable.

#Cities #Urban Environment #OP-ED #MAHARASHTRA
MUMBAI DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Who will benefit from the ‘Manhattanisation’ of Mumbai?

The Mumbai municipal authorities have delivered a draft 20-year development plan for the city, but implementation of many of the proposals therein could well deliver the final blow to a city already gasping for breath, says Darryl D’Monte.

#Cities #Urban Environment #Government #MAHARASHTRA
VEHICULAR AIR POLLUTION
Will banning older vehicles clean the air in Delhi?

Is modernisation of transport the sole answer to air pollution problems in Delhi? In view of the NGT's proposed ban on older vehicles in Delhi, Sarath Guttikunda draws attention to several problems that need to be addressed for cleaner air in the NCR.

#Environment Opinions #Environmental Hazards #Urban Environment #Environment