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Showing posts with label pollution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pollution. Show all posts

Monday, 2 January 2017

07:05

Caterpillar trains and pod taxis to fight congestion

Caterpillar trains and pod taxis to fight congestion

Government to develop alternate modes of public transport for tier II cities.

The Centre has formed an integrated traffic and transportation plan for tier II cities to get rid of increasing air pollution and traffic congestion. As per the plan, the government will develop alternate modes of public transport like pod taxi, caterpillar trains and other non-motorised vehicles in cities with population between 10 to 20 lakh. As per the government norms, metro rail can be developed only in cities with population over 20 lakh and hence, the government has planned alternate modes of transport. Well-placed sources said the urban development ministry has prepared the plan that will be executed in partnership with the respective state governments. A proposal has been sent to the Finance Ministry for creating special fund for the project.
The Finance Ministry is in the process of finalising the budget for the year 2017-18 and sources said a separate fund of `85,000 crore could be announced in the budget speech. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present the General Budget on February 1.
The move comes in wake of rising air pollution and traffic mess on roads for which the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal have pulled up the government on several occasions. Recently, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre to come up with an action plan on checking air pollution. The court also asked the Center to introduce pollution coding mechanism in Delhi. However, in tier-II cities, the government wants to promote the use of public transport and electronic vehicles, so as to check the menace.

Officials said the Urban Development ministry wants pod taxis in tier-II cities, most of which have been included in the list of smart cities. Apart from this, use of battery-operated vehicles, electric cars and small buses would also be encouraged so that the situation can be eased out in crowded areas. As buses cannot operate in congested markets, battery-operated vehicles would not only cater to the transportation needs but also reduce air pollution. Union minister for road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari has already announced India's first pod taxi in Gurugram while the Haryana government is also exploring the feasibility of caterpillar train in the city.

Experts said these modes of transport are cheaper than construction of metro rail network. While metro construction involves a cost of `100-150 crore per km, pod taxi and caterpillar trains can be constructed at 1/10th the cost of metro.
A senior official said the project will be implemented in partnership with the state government. The project cost will also have to be shared by the two governments. For this purpose, the states will have to give a presentation on ways to control traffic congestion and pollution in the cities. The government is also eyeing grants from the World Bank to execute the project.
Ensuring pedestrian safety and construction of cycle tracks will be another focus of the project. Nonmotorised vehicle zones will be demarcated in these cities and an effective traffic regulation plan will be put in place.
Strengthening of footpath and constructing cycle tracks will be ensured, keeping in view their safety as the two categories are the most vulnerable to road accidents. Intelligent traffic system will be introduced surrounding major markets and congested areas in order to get rid of vehicular pile-up on intersections.

Source:India Today

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/caterpillar-trains-pod-taxis-congestion-pollution-tier-ii-cities/1/847440.html
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Saturday, 19 September 2015

08:19

Metro Fares and Auto fares for single person are comparable ?

Metro Fares and Auto fares  for single person are comparable ?

Nagpur: While the fare of metro railway will be decided by a high level committee, officials of Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation Limited (NMRCL) have indicated they would be comparable to autorickshaw fare per person.

Addressing a public interaction programme at Dhantoli, Shirish Apte, public relations officer (PRO), gave an example, "If a three-seater autorickshaw takes Rs 90 for going to railway station then per person the fare comes to Rs 30. The metro railway fare will be comparable to this over the same stretch. The exact fare will be decided by a committee headed by a retired high court judge as per the Metro Railway Act."

The official further said that monthly, three-monthly passes would be issued as the agency wanted long term business from commuters. The commuters will be able to pay the fare of feeder service and bicycles (wherever available) through the metro rail smart card. "Only 30% of our reveneue will come from tickets. The rest will be from other sources and hence the fare will be affordable," he added.

NMRCL has been organizing such programmes at localities situated near metro rail stations. This was the ninth in the series and was organized with the cooperation of corporators Sandip Joshi and Safalta Ambatkar. NMRCL, which was represented by Apte and Kapil Chandrayan, faced a barrage of questions from Dhantoli residents on a host of issues. Many were irrelevant as some pertained to agencies that have no relation with NMRCL.

Residents of one of the buildings of Congress Nagar Square complained that their building was being demolished to save the New English High School and demanded that the Congress Nagar station should be opposite Ajni railway station. NMRCL asked them to give a submission in writing.

Corporator Joshi wondered why the distance between Congress Nagar and Rahate Colony stations was hardly 1.5 km. Apte said that going by the experience of metro railways elsewhere the distance should be between 950 to 1200 metres to reduce the use of two-wheelers. On a doctor's query about noise pollution, the NMRCL officials said the metro rail engine's noise would be far lower than that of a normal railway engine because it would be far less powerful. "As for vibrations, it will be less where the track is straight. The at grade stretch also it will have low vibrations," Apte said.

Some citizens wondered why Civil Lines, which had so many government offices, did not have metro rail connectivity. The officials said that the locality would be covered by feeder service.


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Thursday, 17 September 2015

15:29

Chennai Metro Rail joins UITP Mobility Week campaign

Chennai Metro Rail joins UITP Mobility Week campaign

Chennai: Chennai Metro Rail has joined the UITP Mobility Week campaign to create awareness on public transport. The campaign, organised by International Association of Public Transport (UITP), kicked off in 92 countries on Wednesday. It will be on till September 22.

Participants are expected to display messages including the one “celebrating mobility week” about use of public transport on their websites and social media pages.

“Being a member of UITP, CMRL is participating in this campaign to create awareness among public in Chennai by conveying a common message Celebrating Mobility Week”, Metro Rail said in a statement posted on its website.

“In the fight against climate change, electro-mobility is becoming increasingly popular. However, whether electric or not, cars add to the congestion on a same corridor, suburban rail by comparison can carry 50 times more passengers than cars. But e-mobility is not limited to cars. More and more bus systems are becoming electric while energy regeneration from metro braking allows for charging of electric vehicles,” the statement said.

UITP is supporting the 2015 Mobility Week (16-22 September) with a campaign aiming to highlight the vital role that public transport plays across the globe, transporting millions of people on a daily basis.

UITP encouraged its members – and all others supporting the development of public transport – around the world to join together in celebrating Mobility Week (16-22 September) to raise awareness of the importance of public transport in keeping cities moving.

In 2009, 47% of the daily trips worldwide were still made in private motorised vehicles, creating both pollution and congestion, degrading air quality and holding back economic growth.

Encouraging a significant modal shift to public transport, as per UITP’s strategy of doubling the modal share of public transport by 2025, would play a major role in climate mitigation, making cities better places to live and work.

Activities taking place during Mobility Week

16 September – UITP will be present at the European Mobility Week Launch Event in Brussels

16 –22 September – UITP members and other sustainable transport stakeholders will join forces to promote Mobility Week. More information here:www.uitp.org/mobilityweek 

16 – 22 September – The NODES and ZeEUS projects will share an exhibition cube on the European Parliament Esplanade in Brussels showcasing their activities

22 September – World Car Free Day: cities around the world will be celebrating World Car Free Day (22 September) on or around this event, closing urban centres to cars and promoting public transport, walking and cycling as well as other activities.
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