Good and luck

It took a couple of days in Delhi for me to appreciate what is liberally referred to as winters in Mumbai. The cold chilled me to the bone, and it took superhuman effort to rouse myself out of the two razais in the morning. The fog was thick and the visibility limited but none of this affected by cabbie - he kept merrily cruising at 70kmph in arterial roads. Cruel but effective way to get someone forget the weather. And to think that the city will be baking in 40+ degree temperatures in the summer.

It is unfortunate that the human mind cannot appreciate the absolute. We are forever evaluating options relative to one another. Be it job, income, living conditions or even the weather. Reminds me of this great line from the movie, Lucky Number Slevin....

The unlucky are nothing more than a frame of reference for the lucky. You are unlucky, so I may know that I am. Unfortunately the lucky never realizes they are lucky until it's too late. Take yourself for instance; yesterday you were better off than you are off today but it took today for you to realize it. But today has arrived and it's too late. You see? People are never happy with what they have. They want what they had, or what others have. The grass is always greener on the other side.

Dr. Kalam frisked. So what?

Why is frisking perceived as an insult? Isnt it a clearly stated policy of airlines and airports to check bags and passengers before boarding? And we all go through this rigmarole everytime we have to take a flight.

Of course, this frustrates us to no end, not to mention the delays involved. If you have to take an 8AM flight, you rouse yourself out of sleep at 4AM, get ready by 5, travel 30km to the airport (thankfully there's no traffic) and reach by 6, and join a line with 15 guys waiting to get into the airport. More people waiting to check in their bags, and even more at the security check. At times, a train journey feels infinitely more comfortable. We have learnt to grin and bear it. The VIPs, I assume, dont go thru any of this.

The only inconvenience they have to put up with is a security check, which hardly takes 30 seconds. And they have a problem with that! Make no mistake, they are not of a superior race. We have enough civilians that have contributed to the economy as much or more than our politicians.

We also know how fragile the security situation is. Take the delhi airport shooting, for example. If anything, they should lead by example, and willingly follow the same security process as we do. That should send a strong message to the people. Unfortunately, we are only good at sending strong messages - we are yet to learn how to follow it up with actions.

The Delhi Metro

In my last post, I alluded to Delhi Metro as a possible success story that has combined convenience and affordability. I wanted to build on this today, but the unfortunate incident of the pillar collapse will influence my objectivity. In any case, here's my take on the Metro.

I have used the metro and it is both affordable and convenient. In my limited view, Delhi is fast realigning along the metro the way Bombay has along its local lines. One must not forget, however, that Delhi had and continues to have a much better network of city roads that are broader and well-maintained. Partly, this is the function of how the city is laid out; Delhi is naturally conducive to ring roads and arterial roads where as the most one can get in Mumbai is a North-South expressway. Consequently, the approach roads to Metro stations are in much better condition. Of course, it is early days and one has to review the situation after the Metro is in operation for 5 years at least. Further, one must not ignore the weather factor. Mumbai monsoons are a key part of the equation. And unless the sewage system is first fixed, it is impossible to fix Mumbai's transport woes.

I have used the metro and it is both affordable and convenient. In my limited view, Delhi is fast realigning along the metro the way Bombay has along its local lines. One must not forget, however, that Delhi had and continues to have a much better network of city roads that are broader and well-maintained. Partly, this is the function of how the city is laid out; Delhi is naturally conducive to ring roads and arterial roads where as the most one can get in Mumbai is a North-South expressway. Consequently, the approach roads to Metro stations are in much better condition. Of course, it is early days and one has to review the situation after the Metro is in operation for 5 years at least. Further, one must not ignore the weather factor. Mumbai monsoons are a key part of the equation. And unless the sewage system is first fixed, it is impossible to fix Mumbai's transport woes.

Further, the traffic pattern in Delhi is much more distributed than in Mumbai. Therefore, the routes dont get anywhere as crowded. I think, in a way, this has created the ideal traffic level - high enough to be profitable but not too high to choke the system into stagnation. A measly 4-car metro rake in Mumbai would be a disaster. I can bet the train would never leave the station and some adventurists might actually climb atop and between the rakes. Delhi Metro-type solution might work in Mumbai, but only if its on steroids.

I would actually think the Mumbai traffic pattern is easy if you are a planner. Just build two high-capacity north-south metro links and you are done. Only if we had the political will...

Solving the Traffic Puzzle

The other day, I condemned the hyping up of the Bandra Worli sealink as if it were a national achievement. Specifically, I was outraged at the delays and cost overruns. In principle, however, I am quite agreeable to the idea of building a freeway. However, there are some so called experts that are claiming that roads are no longer a solution to traffic snarls as other metros of the world have proven. Rather, mass transit is the way to go. This is the typical hammer syndrome that haunts experts world over; for a child with a hammer in hand, everything looks like a nail.

There are two aspects of conveyance: affordability and convenience. Convenience includes things such as frequency, safety, ease of access, ease of travel, punctuality, speed etc. As commuters, we strive to strike a balance between the two. For example, a modern day knowledge worker finds public transport ridiculously affordable but extremely inconvenient. Naturally, he will go for a motorbike that improves the convenience factor yet remains affordable. Someone with a better pay will get a car so the convenience factor is improved further. Freeways and expressways will definitely improve the convenience, while the toll charges will make a slight dent on affordability. It is only right that those who seek convenience and are able to afford it make use of such amenities. And with the toll system, we have a way to directly make users pay. So there is no need to bring up issues such as taxpayers money being used for the privileged few.

For the mass transit model to work in India – and by that I mean, for all the car users to switch over – it has to be convenient and affordable to this segment of commuters. Affordability is granted; it cannot be more expensive than owning a car. But what about convenience? Can we really run air-conditioned buses and trains that cover the length and breadth of our cities? Can we have good approach roads to railway stations and parking space to leave cars there?

Such infrastructure doesn’t come cheap. Consequently, such a transport system will put it out of the common man’s reach. Are we then saying we will have two transit systems targeting different types of commuters? Will that be sustainable? It is tempting to look at the Delhi Metro for answers, but I don’t think the comparison is apt. More on this in my next post…