Commute

India does a poor job of providing signage, and nowhere is it more evident than at the Chennai Airport. So here are some pointers to finding the Chennai Metro station and Tirusulam suburban train station from the arrivals area. There are no MTC airport buses in operation. When you are leaving the International Arrivals area, you pass through a small canopy from which you can see the car parking area ahead, and the Chennai Metro station on your left. The difficulty is in locating the elevator that will take you and your baggage to the concourse level of the Metro.…

What is common among urban waterways, economics and culture? All three are intertwined, and can complement as well as transform each other. But they can also lead to weakening urban systems if they are poorly planned, as the Indian port city of Kochi has shown. However, the city has seen recent attempts at overall upgrading of systems and researchers from the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) emphasise the role that the city’s waterways can play in this makeover effort. Kochi’s crisscrossing canals and rivers linked to a backwater system can significantly impact its socio-economic and cultural…

Madivala lake to developed into biodiversity park: Madiwala lake in BTM layout is going to be transformed into a biodiversity park with ground water retention, an open butterfly park, and an ecosystem with equal importance given to both flaura and fauna. The renovation of the 272-acre lake into biodiversity park was largely due to the proposal by Karnataka Knowledge Commission. Professor CR Babu, Centre for Environment Management of Degraded Ecosystems, DU, is heading the project, which also includes a conservatory and a herbal garden. Source: The Hindu 3500 garbage transport auto-rickshaws untraceable - a Rs 252 crore scam? : It…

An auto stops on Tannery road. Five adults seat themselves in the back. One adult, with a toddler on his lap, shares the seat with the driver. The overcrowded auto carries them forward, navigating narrow roads. It swiftly drops them in a location and picks up more passengers going to a nearby destination. This is a common practice across Bengaluru today where there is insufficient last mile connectivity. The concept of shared autos prevalent in Chennai and Hyderabad has slowly entered Bengaluru over the years, but this informal system is relatively unheard of and seldom spoken about. Auto drivers who…

Chennai Metro Rail stations wear a festive look now, with citizens from all quarters and strata of society thronging the various stations of the city. Happy faces of citizens and positive feedback accompany the never-before- seen crowds at the various Metrorail stations. "It is an engineering marvel. The train entering and exiting the tunnel is really awesome at Saidapet Bridge with River Adyar in the background. The stations are compact and well made", said C R Balaji, a citizen activist. Thanks to Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL)'s decision to offer free rides, to celebrate the inauguration of the two stretches…

The ceremony to announce the selection of Bengaluru’s first ever Bicycle Mayor was held at The Park in Bengaluru, on Monday, May 21, 2018. Mr. Jaap Werner, Consul General of Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands declared Sathya Sankaran as Bengaluru’s newly chosen Bicycle Mayor. Sathya came to the stage along with his bicycle, to receive the recognition. Everyone working in the field of sustainable mobility is familiar with Sathya Sankaran. He draws inspiration from every citizen who is dedicated to the cause of cycling and pedestrianisation, and those who depend on cycling to earn their daily living. “They…

Arshel Akhter, the newly-elected Bicycle Mayor of Guwahati, discovered his love for cycling as he explored his city on two wheels. Along with a healthy lifestyle, the software developer-turned-banker-turned-stocks investor found that with cycling came a supportive and active community of enthusiasts from across all professions and ages. Now his mission is to expand this community to include not just hobbyists but people across all walks of life as he works to invigorate cycling in his city. Arshel envisages a future where the coming generation will readily take to cycling without any apprehensions that prevail currently. “We need more cycling…

A passionate environmentalist and cyclist who has earned the nickname ‘Go Green Rao’ for his years of activism, another deeply inspired by the French culture of cycling and its implications for urban health, a sustainable mobility activist working with NGOs on various public transport campaigns, a corporate executive who quit his job to embark on a solo cycling tour across India, a cyclist inspired by the tales of his grandfather, and a 15-year-old student planning to use his love for cycling to generate greater awareness for social causes -- these six people are vying for a title that is a…

Calling all avid cyclists who believe cycling makes cities safer, better, cleaner and happier. Do you have what it takes to join the league of Bicycle Mayors across the globe and transform transportation in Bengaluru? The initiative, coordinated by ESAF, an NGO, a part of the Bengaluru Coalition for Open Streets (BCOS) will nominate a Bicycle Mayor in Bengaluru to evangelise cycling and put cycling on the city’s agenda. It is a voluntary position for a period of two years. The Bicycle Mayor is the public face of cycling in the city, and brings different stakeholders - both citizens, civil…

To provide seamless movement of vehicles at toll plazas, FASTag was launched  in the year 2014. The FASTag is a passive RFID tag affixed at the centre of the windscreen of vehicles. Vehicles can drive through the FASTag lanes at toll plazas after recharging their Tag accounts and the toll amount will be automatically deducted from the account. The rules made in 2014  also contained a provision that any non-FASTag vehicle entering the dedicated FASTag lane would have to pay two times the toll amount, i.e., 100% penalty. The progress of FASTag The government has now made it mandatory  for all vehicles manufactured or sold after…