Roads

In most places, hawkers and shops have taken over the footpaths; besides, different departments dig them up for installing electric poles, transmission lines and transformers.

Maintenance of its British-era tunnels and creation of new ones could be effective solutions to mobility challenges in the hill town. But clearly, government priorities lie elsewhere.

With staying fit being touted as an effective way to ward off the coronavirus, Ahmedabadis are discovering that cycling offers an enjoyable option. And the municipal corporation is eager to promote this trend.

Citizen groups have strongly opposed the proposed 2.1 km Bal Bharati-Paud Phata link road through Vetal Tekadi and the slopes of Law College Tekadi, home to rare flora and fauna species.

An RTI filed by a social activist shows that the civic body spent over Rs 15 crore to fill 8,879 potholes on Mumbai roads in the last two years; yet, accidents due to bad roads are on the rise, with three fatalities in October alone. Is citizen action the only solution?

Heavy rains have affected nearly 300 km of roads in the city. Innumerable potholes dot most roads which have become death traps for commuters, especially two-wheeler users. However, it is anybody’s guess when restoration work will begin in most of these areas.

The campaign was launched ahead of the recently conducted local body elections in the hope that citizens would remember the state of road infrastructure when they cast their votes; it is now to be seen whether elected council members will take note and act on it.

Lessons learnt globally point to the many benefits of cycling — whether in terms of health, reduced congestion or even greater equality. Yet, whether in Kolkata, Bangalore or Pune, a sustained thrust to promote cycling in our cities is clearly missing.

On one hand, there is a thirst for bigger and more expensive cars. On the other, there is the state’s inability to provide strong enough disincentives and efficient alternatives. Together these are destroying our cities and our communities slowly but steadily. What is the way out?

In 2018, pedestrians comprised more than 50% fatalities on Mumbai streets; the numbers for Delhi and Bangalore stood at 44% and 40%. Our streets have turned into a battlefield between cars and citizens, and citizens almost always lose.

Thanks to lack of political will and unfortunate US-style aspiration, we have arrived at a sad state of affairs as far as urban mobility is concerned. In this first of a four-part series, the author explains the latent inequality and hierarchy in our city streets.

The old British built Jagraon bridge, that shared the traffic, has been closed since 2016, so that the new bridge sees pile up lasting for hours at peak times. Work on a new bridge, however, remains in limbo, as do many other infrastructure projects in the city.