Cheers to Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad has done Gujarat and India and developing nations proud again. This time by winning the 2010 Sustainable Transport Award. By adopting eco-friendly transit solutions like the Bus Rapid Transit, it has helped increase mobility for residents while reducing emissions and pollution.

The five other nominees were Cali, Colombia; Curitiba, Brazil; Guadalajara, Mexico; and Johannesburg, South Africa.

City residents have embraced their new BRT system; 18,000 daily passengers use Janmarg to commute to work, to school and elsewhere. In just a few months of operation, Janmarg has transformed the delivery of transit in Ahmedabad.

Bus stations feature passive solar design, an inexpensive way to keep stations naturally cool. The city is making continued efforts to be a leader in sustainable transport, including incorporating high-quality pedestrian facilities in some corridors, as well as bicycle lanes. Ahmedabad has initiated car-free days and recently announced more. Three cheers!

While on cycling, let us hear what Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (seen in the picture above) has to say. “The perception that cycling is a slow way of commuting is bogus and the idea that increased car ownership is a sign of progress is silly.”

The Nobel laureate's only vehicle has just two wheels. "I get to exercise every day, regardless of whether I take time out to exercise or not... You get up in the morning and you go on a bicycle; [when you get] to work, you are awake and not stressed out. At the end of the day, by the time you go home, you are fully relaxed. It is a great lifestyle."

"The whole world is running out of gasoline. There is global warming and all sorts of reasons that you need to be concerned about. Apart from that, people are stressed out; you always have to be alert [when driving]... Cycling is enjoyable and it is fun. But unfortunately, it cannot co-exist with so much traffic."

Read more on the link attached on reasons why the scientist advocates cycling, and what he thinks the Indian government needs to do, but here’s a question for you: Is owning a car a status symbol for you or not?

Would you take a bus if your city had a lane dedicated for buses alone? (Imagine buses zooming along as you remain stuck in the car lane!) Any ideas on why a BRT succeeds in Ahmedabad and fails in a Delhi or Pune?