Hi Lionel,
I wish to reply to your ROAR with some input of my own, OK?
----- Original Message ----
From: Lionel Messias [email protected]
*Cock and Bull stories
*‘Pay parking is the need of the hour, since parking is free everybody
brings four wheelers to the cities, mostly shopkeepers and businessmen, who
park their vehicles for the whole day,’ said Arvind Gawas, SP to Herald.
Let’s not even bother to dissect the absurdity of his argument, because a
mere Rs 5 per hour isn’t going to convince car owners to pass up Panjim nor
is the per hour rate going to deter traders who will simply pass it on to
the unwitting consumer.
Nascy:
Even with 'pay parking' the problem of parking will not be anywhere near
resolution; for the simple reason that there are no parking spaces added since
half a century ago and there are no plans either, for adding more parking
spaces. It is imperative that some older buildings in certain strategic places
be bought and brought down and multi storeyed car parks be created, along
with other traffic regulation measures. Until then parking shpuld be restricted
to just an hour or less and so on acocrding to the user requirements of the
'particular parking' places; and even then these spaces should incur a
heavy charge of at least Rs 25/- per half hour. It is not just the '4'
wheelere that are the cause of parking problems; but the' two wheeler' are
the ones that are the greater cause of parking shortages and mayhem. These are
much more in number and do haphazard parking; and I suggest that 2 wheelers pay
an equal charge. This is the only way to decongest
the roads and mke parking more manageable. 2 wheelers should be allowed free
parking near Bus and Railway statons etc. and asked to take public transport
from there to their destination.
Lionel:
But really, what Gawas needs to do expeditiously is
to ban vehicles including mobile food vendors entering 18th June Road and
instead convert it into a shoppers’ promenade (pedestrian only street) which
has successfully been done the world over. I am sure our touring *montris *and
babus have had the pleasure (courtesy your tax money of course) of seeing
them on several occasions. In March this year shoppers and non-shoppers
overwhelmingly voted in a survey to make Bangalore’s hugely popular
Commercial Street a pedestrian zone. It’s not been done yet, but Bangalore
is getting there.
Nascy:
Food Vendors and Hawkers and Ghaddas have to be completely banned without
exception, from the streets everywhere. Zero tolerance, and at once the streets
will be decongested and look good and and help orderly flow of traffic.
The Idea of Pedestrian Only Malls and Zones has to be made popular first with
discourses etc, and shopkeepers have to be coaxed and given incentive to move
to and trade from such Zones. This takes time, but a start has to be made.
Cmmercial and Residential and Industrial Zones must be formed and delineated
and strictly enforced; even with just a mere road/ lane seperation will help.
India and Goa has to learn from the developed places; as these countries and
towns have acquired a wealth of expertise by trial and error; there is no need
to re-invent the wheel; only modify it, if at all.
Lionel:
But for baloney, Gawas gets the month’s Emmy for
outstanding gibberish beating the transport and river navigation minister’s
rubbish on introducing a Ro-Ro ferry service between Agassaim and Cortalim
on a build-operate basis. The other contender is this hair-brained idea of a
link between Dona Paula and Mormugao port. This, like the Mopa airport, will
never happen, but here’s a hint to the officials who went on a junket and
returned awed by the Rs 1,600 cr Bandra-Worli sea link.
Nascy:
There is no need of a Ro-Ro service; this is nothing but a bribe/ money making
business. Why not build a second bridge, a good one like the Railway Bridge at
this point; Build it on a war footing, starting tomorrow!!!. It's been talked
about for the last 10 years or more.
Mopa was and is a 'contoversial site' and is another partisan business idea and
was never suitable for 'three fourths' of Goa. That is the reason it has not
and should never come up. But the Mormagao- Panjim area Sea Link is a good
idea, and should be taken up and will be be beneficial to all travellors,
tourists, Locals and Business alike! The Dabolim airport and the Harbour and
Railway activities will all benefit largely. This will save time and costs and
wear and tear on vehicles; Provided the same is built with flow on roads and
other facilities; and most importantly, has to be well built from an
engineering and construction point of view. Never mind the Cost! More money is
siphoned off and looted than that, these days.
Lionel:
*Saved! 20 minutes*
Autocar recently tested the Sea Link and the traditional Mahim-Prabhadevi
route in two Maruti Swifts. Their drivers took off from the domestic airport
at 9.30 am sharp, joining the rush hour traffic heading to the Trident Hotel
at Nariman Point. One Swift took the Sea Link and the other the
Mahim-Prabhadevi route. The magazine’s verdict: the Sea Link proved to be
longer and cost Rs 50 one way in toll, and it only saved 20 minutes in time.
Nascy:
The above premise is false! Here is why: with flow of most traffic via the Sea
link on this route, the old Mahim Prabhadevi route was already decongested!!!
That is why the time difference is looking small, and it is still a great
saver of time and car expense and wear and tear etc. Rs 50 is nothing ; even
beggars have more at any time.
Without the Sea Link the old route during peak hours (which is almost
throughout the Day and Evening), would take 'hours on end' to reach
destination, and entails very uncomfortable and risky driving. Come on Guys!
This traffic management and the Sea Link is and will be a good and vital link.
Way to Go! But the roads and other facilities on either side of Sea Link have
to be completed and constantly improved.
Lionel:
Not even India Inc starts board meetings on time. Mumbai, a metro bigger in
size than Goa and with several times more vehicles than Goa’s population,
might have decongested a fraction of its traffic congestion (In March 2007
it had 1,21,70,991 vehicles of which 85,73,679 were two wheelers,
7,00,356were trucks, 64,357 were buses, 1,33,309 were taxis 5,55,118 were
autorickshaws.) But, what’s in it for Goa? Also, any Mumbaite will tell you
that the Worli exit hits the sea face road at a right angle and is the only
bottleneck in an otherwise smooth drive. Shift to Dona Paula which is
already a bottleneck –that’s why I said hare-brained. Shift to
Mormugao/Vasco where the almost the entire shore line belongs to the
Mormugao Port Trust, Goa Shipyard and the Indian Navy … well, even more
hare- brained. Aah yes, but then, our politicians do tend to rush off like
the hare that nature bestowed very little brain power to.
*Don’t rock the boat*
Nascy:
Lionel and goanetters; problems are always there with any undertaking, but
solutions and good ones can always and must be found.
There is enough science and engoneering ideas and skills available to overcome
the problems. What is needed is the will and firm implimentation of good ideas.
not dithering and hankering after votes and or bribes!
I agree with most of what U say, but it is high time that all concerned do
"Walk the Talk".
Nascy Caldeira
Melbourne, Down Under.
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