It is so ironic that the most logical and common sense suggestions for Mumbai’s future came from a developer in a panel discussion on Mumbai’s proposed development plan, during a recently held workshop by the UDRI. The remaining panelists- Municipal commissioner, former chief planner, prominent city architect and urban activist could only come up with obfuscation of needs and apologies for why it’s not possible to have them fulfilled.
Mr. Hiranandani, the developer, in a clear and lucid speech stated the priorities:
1. A Metro system that criss-crosses the entire city.
2. More and better roads for busses and taxis.
3. Good footpaths and better walking conditions with better pedestrian environments.
4. Discourage privately owned vehicles.
He said that Bombay can sustain its growth and increasing densities if the above is done on a priority basis. In fact, Higher and concentrated densities justify the above infrastructure and make it cost effective. He gave example of Manhattan where the costliest of the apartments come with ZERO parking facility.
I whole heartedly agree with him. Two years back, I spent five days walking up and down almost half of Manhattan. It has similar population density and commuter load as that of Bombay. The Metro, with several lines criss-crosses and disperses and distributes this load effectively. No matter where you are, you are within 7-8 minutes walking distance to a nearby metro station. Every street junction has traffic and pedestrian signals and of course zebra crossings. So many people just walk. Some ride their bicycles and many hail a passing cab which is always available. What they call traffic jams is nothing but slow (but steady) moving traffic due to signals. This slow moving traffic actually enables riding a bicycle. In addition to the metro is a bus system which is equally prolific.
If you are the car-owning type, you need to rent a garage as there is no privilege parking. If you need to park your car, there is limited street side public parking (which is about $2-3 for half an hour). This is so limited in quantity that you will have no hope of getting one free lot. You can avail the services of private car parks that charge appx. $25- 50 per hour.
In short, you are discouraged from owning or bringing your car to the city and if you must, you are asked to pay for it.
This is what makes for a true city life. That the city centre is dense and compact and full of attractions and actions. That it allows negotiations within it on foot and by using public transport. That a cab can be easily hailed and a bus stop or a train stop is not very far away. That you don’t need to own a fucking car.
If one needs to own a car, then might as well live in a village. In a great city, you shouldn’t even need to have a driving license.
Mr. Hiranandani, the developer, in a clear and lucid speech stated the priorities:
1. A Metro system that criss-crosses the entire city.
2. More and better roads for busses and taxis.
3. Good footpaths and better walking conditions with better pedestrian environments.
4. Discourage privately owned vehicles.
He said that Bombay can sustain its growth and increasing densities if the above is done on a priority basis. In fact, Higher and concentrated densities justify the above infrastructure and make it cost effective. He gave example of Manhattan where the costliest of the apartments come with ZERO parking facility.
I whole heartedly agree with him. Two years back, I spent five days walking up and down almost half of Manhattan. It has similar population density and commuter load as that of Bombay. The Metro, with several lines criss-crosses and disperses and distributes this load effectively. No matter where you are, you are within 7-8 minutes walking distance to a nearby metro station. Every street junction has traffic and pedestrian signals and of course zebra crossings. So many people just walk. Some ride their bicycles and many hail a passing cab which is always available. What they call traffic jams is nothing but slow (but steady) moving traffic due to signals. This slow moving traffic actually enables riding a bicycle. In addition to the metro is a bus system which is equally prolific.
If you are the car-owning type, you need to rent a garage as there is no privilege parking. If you need to park your car, there is limited street side public parking (which is about $2-3 for half an hour). This is so limited in quantity that you will have no hope of getting one free lot. You can avail the services of private car parks that charge appx. $25- 50 per hour.
In short, you are discouraged from owning or bringing your car to the city and if you must, you are asked to pay for it.
This is what makes for a true city life. That the city centre is dense and compact and full of attractions and actions. That it allows negotiations within it on foot and by using public transport. That a cab can be easily hailed and a bus stop or a train stop is not very far away. That you don’t need to own a fucking car.
If one needs to own a car, then might as well live in a village. In a great city, you shouldn’t even need to have a driving license.
Are you back? I finally posted the Vada Pav experience.
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