Monday, February 16, 2009

Complete Streets News From India

Apparently folks in India are starting to agitate for more complete streets.
Since Ganeshkhind Road and also other roads in Pune have been widened, it has become increasingly difficult for pedestrians to cross the roads safely -Sujit Patwardhan
So they're going to march in those streets. You go, Sujit! It seems that Indians are learning from our mistakes, even before we do
Urban cities in the USA and Europe have witnessed the social menace of having encouraged private vehicles by building more roads and flyovers and yet having bumper-to-bumper traffic - which implies that no matter how many roads you widen or increase, the problem of road congestion is incessant ... The rich world has realised [sic] that space for people on public spaces has to directly do with their 'happiness' thus nullifying symptoms of suicidal tendencies and depression. -World Streets
I'm not so sure that everyone over here has figured that out, but I remain happy that our misery can serve to help others avoid the same fate. And if India can learn from us, we should be willing and able to learn from success stories in other countries
We chose not to improve the streets for the sake of cars, but instead to have wonderful spaces for pedestrians ... In my country, we are just learning that sidewalks (footpaths) are relatives of parks - not passing lanes for cars. -Enrique Penalosa, former Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia
Let's take that lesson to the streets of San Francisco.

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