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| | The WE CARE FOR CHENNAI Network is not currently active and cannot accept new posts | | Hi every one! | Views: 729 | | May 22, 2005 1:38 pm | | Hi every one! | # |
Venkatesan Sridhar | | Let me introduce myself. This is Sridhar. I live in CIT nagar, very close to the commercial hub-T.nagar. When I look back at my school-days, when we used to play cricket across the road,it is unbelievable. The same road today takes atleast 5 mins to cross.
More than anything else, I am concerned about the growing,chaotic traffic. I hope we can get-together to do something about this major issue.
Cheers!
Sridhar Private Reply to Venkatesan Sridhar | | May 23, 2005 9:03 am | | re: Hi every one! | # | 
Cogito, ergo sum | | There is one stop solution...drum in some road and civic sense to the people...and dismiss those bribe-hungry policemen from the roads and from service....if nothing does bring in miltary rule for another 5 yeards...then maybe they'll learn... Private Reply to Cogito, ergo sum | | May 23, 2005 10:36 am | | re: re: Hi every one! | # | 
Govind Srinivasan | | Hello Venkatesan,
Vinod, in his reply, just echoed the frustration and the seething anger of millions of Indians and no doubt, that of Chennaiites too.
Nevertheless, Vinod has teamed with this group - WCFC - to do the best possible and be a Change Agent.
I wonder if we can take you as one more Change Agent. Contributing time is the greatest participation that I can think of. Hope you would be able to donate some time of yours, now and then.
We can change this otherwise gloomy sceanaio and make Chennai look better and feel better, if we close ranks and go ahead with a dogged pursuit to change the mindscape of the policy planners and the political bosses. We require a plenty of Change Agents and one brings the other. Let us hope that we meet you soon.
Stay tuned and prepare yourself for a long drive to make Chennai a better place to live in. Chennai requires you so badly. I mean it.
Cheers!
Govind Srinivasan
Moderator, WCFCPrivate Reply to Govind Srinivasan | | May 23, 2005 10:40 am | | re: re: Hi every one! | # | 
Unny (www.travelwithacouple.com) | | There is one more option.
Start car-pooling. Like in some cities enforce it.
Or like in some other cities (Amsterdam - if am right), stop cars beyond a point. Scale up public transport with good buses.
See the amazing story of Curitiba in Brazil. More cities are getting inspired by this model (including Delhi, where it is limited only to inspiration and not beyond) http://www.dismantle.org/curitiba.htm
Cheers
UnnyPrivate Reply to Unny (www.travelwithacouple.com) | | May 23, 2005 11:37 am | | re: re: re: Hi every one! | # |
Cogito, ergo sum | | I second Unny's opinion...in Chennai the roads will breathe better if we can stop the suto-rickshaws from the city centre...for that..
1.First identify and demarcate the city from the suburbs....like in Mumbai,autos are not allowed only till Bandra and Sion (correct me if i'm wrong...i have not been there for the past 2 years)
2.We can sort of subsidise the taxi rates (call taxis/hire taxis can be treated at par with autos inside the city) or have a fare system a la mumbai and for the autos and taxis as well.
3.After my stay in Mumbai, I've been harping to my friends that why can't we bring in a card system like there for the autos and taxis here...this would ensure complete trasparency and decency of operation.....
Swallow this...the minimum fare for a journey of 3 kms in Mumbai is Rs10.(2003 data)..it is Rs.7 in my home town Trivandrum(Kerala..till now)...and in Singara Chennai it is RS 25 BUCKS(and rising!!)....and what do they use in Mumbai and Trivandrum to run their autos..water? coconut oil,..or their own sweat???..they use the same petrol as Chennai uses...and the most annoying fact is that petrol is cheaper in Chennai when compared to Mumbai..
3.But to bring this into account we need the blessings of many gods...we have to wipe out the police-auto nexus...which every kid in Chennai knows...and we need a execution machinery which is squeaky clean...from corruption and nepotism...
Your comments are invited.. Private Reply to Cogito, ergo sum | | May 23, 2005 3:26 pm | | re: re: re: Hi every one! | # |
Venkatesan Sridhar | | Hai Srinivasan,
Thank you for your concerned reply!
I am sure with the support from other members we will be able to make our city a better place to live in.
Sure, count me in to be a change agent and let me know where I start from. I definitely can spare time to put in the efforts.
Regards,
Sridhar Private Reply to Venkatesan Sridhar | | May 23, 2005 3:53 pm | | re: re: re: re: Hi every one! | # |
Unny (www.travelwithacouple.com) | | Vinod,
The Mumbai approach might not work in Chennai.
Chennai is not as big as Mumbai, and obviously not as populated as Mumbai.
There is an estimated 90,000 autorikshaws in Chennai. Taking them outside city is going to affect their livelihood. And who will subsidise taxi fare?
Encouraging people to use public transport instead of private vehicles for daily commutting is the solution (In Mumbai also such campaigns happen - 'Use Public transport, Save Mumbai' kind of campaigns). For this to happen, Public transport has to improve. A Public - Private partnership is the best way to tackle this. eg. The TVS group (the transport division, based at Madurai i suppose) can be given the contract to run the city bus service, as a public - private partnership. TVS is just an example - simply because of their experience in transport industry and credibility.
The auto 'menace' has to be tackled separately. It is a bane, not just in Chennai, but any other city/town in Tamilnadu - be it Coimbatore, Ooty, Madura, Trichy, Tuticorin... I frankly cannot understand how can this be in all parts of a state. Is this a cultural problem? It is not there in Karnataka and not in Kerala.... It is another big debate. The politician-police-auto nexus need to be broken. And we don't know how to do it.
Rgds
UnnyPrivate Reply to Unny (www.travelwithacouple.com) | | May 23, 2005 3:54 pm | | re: re: re: re: Hi every one! | # | 
Don't give up at halftime. Concentrate on winning the second half | | One very good message and article my friend had sent me earlier..
Sixth Sense... of the Civic Kind
We all have learnt Civics during our school days... and forgotten. More precisely, we remember the "Rights" part of it when we want and ignore that the other side of the coin has "Responsibilities" written onto it.We all fume at the person spitting at the bus stop but do not hesitate even for a second when we throw away the ticket right on the road the moment we get down from the bus.
Will we never improve? Is it already too late for us as a nation? We don't think so and neither should you.We are not asking you to improve the entire neighbourhood but even if after reading this section you can improve the way you, your close friends and your loved ones behave in the public, we would be happy we built this site!
Please do not say what difference I alone can make because you already have started making a difference by reading this article.Don't stop at just that.Start the chain reaction.Do it for yourself, do it for your children and do it for India...
Steps:
Traffic Sense for drivers:
The fact that your car has a horn does not mean that you should keep on using it. By all means use it to warn pedestrians but blaring it is not going to get you out of a traffic jam.
If your car has seat belts, they have been provided for a reason - not as a mere accessory. Use them - even if you are travelling for a short distance - unless you are looking forward to injury or death in a car accident.
Do not go ahead on amber light.
Do not overtake - even if you are late or in a hurry.It is better to be late than never.
Always park in places provided for parking. Do not inconvenience others just because you don't want to hunt for a parking lot.
Traffic Sense for pedestrians:
Zebra crossings are not for road decoration. Make use of them.
Look on both sides before crossing. It could mean a difference between life and death.
Railway tracks are meant for trains only. Use the bridges provided for you.
Stop running in front of the cars to cross the road.
Make use of the subway whenever possible.
Public Parks:
Keep your dogs on leash and clean up their mess using old cards and newspapers.
Do not exercise with your hands while walking.
Do not exercise in the middle of the walking path.
If you are walking at a slow pace, make sure you do not come in the way of others walking briskly.
Do not stand around talking in groups in the middle of the walking path.
Urge the authorities concerned to have the walking path marked so that people can use one direction for walking.
Noise:
Acceptable Noise Levels (In Decibels):
City Zones Daytime Night Time
Industrial 75 70
Commercial 65 55
Residential 55 45
Do not use reverse horns after 10 pm or early in the morning in residential areas.
Do not honk in residential areas in order to call someone out.
Buy less noisy colourful firecrackers during festivals.
Festivals can be celebrated without playing loud records or bands. Use the money to improve your locality.
No one but you will reap the benefits.
Public Places:
If you are in a restaurant and must smoke, do not sit in smoke-free zone.
Do not smoke at the bus stops or near children or pregnant women. Passive smoking is dangerous for others.
A little ticket is not too much of a weight for your pocket. Do not throw it on roads.
Make it a point to stand in queues. Let children, pregnant women and elder people board the bus or train first. Remember, tomorrow it could be your child or parents boarding that bus.
Cover your mouth while coughing or sneezing.
How to...
If you are with us so far, you no doubt must be saying to yourself "Sounds good enough to me. But the question is who will bell the cat?".
Of course, you alongwith your family, friends and neighbours will bell the cat!!
Kids can be roped in to help out by putting up plays emphasizing importance of civic sense.
Boards and posters can be put up in the neighbourhood.
Fliers can be distributed.
All neighbourhood buildings can form a resident group to arrange door-to-door campaigns.
Similar groups can be formed in offices and in public transports where same set of people travel daily.
Please remember that we all have to work together to make this a success ... and together we can!
Private Reply to Don't give up at halftime. Concentrate on winning the second half | | May 27, 2005 4:27 am | | re: Hi every one! | # | 
Balaji Seshan | | Awwwww....Sridhar ....You are talking about CIT Nagar being crowded.....the very sad part is I live behind "chennai silks" and it is a nightmare everday for me to think of driving back home from work. I guess all you guys are aware of "Akshaya thithiya" that just went recently, T.nagar was chaotic cos there were tonnes of shoppers around and it took me 2 hrs to reach back to my home from Panagal park !
I will be thrilled even if we could do something to address this issue...
Thanx
BalajiPrivate Reply to Balaji Seshan | | May 27, 2005 5:24 am | | re: re: Hi every one! | # |
N K nayak | | I understand there is a plan to have an exclusive Zone or Market for jewellery and silks on the outskirts of the city where it should be available at much lower rates -heard this on FM radio few days back-dont know when the project will be completed.
If prices are lesser there am sure many a shopper will migrate there during the season
On a broader level there is an urgent need for ZONING regulations in the city of chennai to prevent residential areas getting into Mixed USE and then becoming almost fully commercialised--witness parts of Adyar /BesantNgr for example which are in the transitioning stage -do not know how it will be 5 yrs from now!!=-am sure it will reach the T.Nagar proportions! Private Reply to N K nayak | | |
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