The Monday newspapers were filled with photos of the crowds that had gathered at the stations of the Monorail that started operating in the city since Sunday. Some photos had managed to capture the beaming faces of the citizens as they rode the Mono. From the published reactions it was evident that the aam aadmi was super excited to have this newest weapon in his/her arsenal to aid in the never-ending, and I suspect forever-losing, battle against city's traffic snarls and congestion. Some of them had even confessed to have stayed at a friend's or relative's place overnight on Saturday to be able to travel on the Mono on Sunday morning!
I found the whole thing very amusing. But then I have a rather pessimistic view of the city's infrastructure. To be frank, I am almost sure that there will be traffic jams even if we managed to have ten such monorails operating stacked one on top of another. Just as work is said to expand to fill up the available time, I believe the crowd will increase in proportion to the efforts made to relieve the stress on the infrastructure. That's because no one is making an effort to address the root causes - the stream of people who continue to pour into the city almost daily in search of livelihood and the unchecked proliferation of two-wheelers and cars.
While you and me can do precious little about the first, it is well within our hands to do something about the second. Anyone who takes a look at the traffic during rush hours can see that this city not only needs more reliable, convenient and affordable modes of public transport but also the will on the part of its residents to use them. Bringing your car to office is considered a status symbol even if it means a daily struggle to find a parking place. Car pool is looked down upon. There is a popular theory that those who cannot afford a car go for a 2-wheeler. But I guess there are also those who consider 2-wheelers handy because they can be got out of traffic jams more easily than a car. There is an urgent need to change such mindsets. Once we do, we will have a much cleaner, efficient and less-stressed city on our hands.
As I looked at the clean interiors of the Mono I wondered how long it will take for my fellow Mumbaikars to paint it red with the paan stains and adorn with discarded biscuit/chips wrappers and plastic bottles. Any guesses?
I found the whole thing very amusing. But then I have a rather pessimistic view of the city's infrastructure. To be frank, I am almost sure that there will be traffic jams even if we managed to have ten such monorails operating stacked one on top of another. Just as work is said to expand to fill up the available time, I believe the crowd will increase in proportion to the efforts made to relieve the stress on the infrastructure. That's because no one is making an effort to address the root causes - the stream of people who continue to pour into the city almost daily in search of livelihood and the unchecked proliferation of two-wheelers and cars.
While you and me can do precious little about the first, it is well within our hands to do something about the second. Anyone who takes a look at the traffic during rush hours can see that this city not only needs more reliable, convenient and affordable modes of public transport but also the will on the part of its residents to use them. Bringing your car to office is considered a status symbol even if it means a daily struggle to find a parking place. Car pool is looked down upon. There is a popular theory that those who cannot afford a car go for a 2-wheeler. But I guess there are also those who consider 2-wheelers handy because they can be got out of traffic jams more easily than a car. There is an urgent need to change such mindsets. Once we do, we will have a much cleaner, efficient and less-stressed city on our hands.
As I looked at the clean interiors of the Mono I wondered how long it will take for my fellow Mumbaikars to paint it red with the paan stains and adorn with discarded biscuit/chips wrappers and plastic bottles. Any guesses?
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment