Wednesday 17th October will be National Ride to Work Day in Australia and I have decided to get on board for the Big breakfast at our local University!Our breakfast will be held at the Student Square BBQ area at Charles Darwin University, Casuarina NT. 7:00 to 9:00am
We will have representatives from various community groups and are expecting a good turn our of people from the local community.
Alas I still haven't found a Rickshaw. I thought I would have one by now but my plans have fallen through. It would have been great to transport people to work on the day, but I guess I'll be riding my bike.
5 comments:
hello david j
what was the response? any pictures?
Syed Saiful Alam Shovan, Volunteer, Save Environment Movement, Dhanmondi, Dhaka
Most trips in Dhaka are short in distance, usually one to five kilometres. These trips are perfect for rickshaws. Rickshaws are a cheap and popular mode of transport over short distances. Rickshaws are safe, environmentally friendly and do not rely on fossil fuels. Rickshaws support a significant portion of the population, not only the pullers, but also their families in the villages, the mechanics who fix the rickshaws, as well as street hawkers who sell foods. From the raw materials to the finished product the rickshaw employs people in some 38 different professions. Action needs to be taken to support the rickshaw instead of further banning it in Dhaka. The combined profits of all rickshaws exceed that of all other passenger transport modes.
We think a new ban on rickshaws will be put into force on some roads in Dhaka very soon. During the last Eid many roads were declared rickshaw free without public support or approval. Banning of rickshaws on major roads increases the transportation costs for commuters. Not only due to longer trips to avoid roads with bans in effect, but also due to actually having to take more expensive forms of transport such as CNG scooters or taxi. The environmental impact of banning rickshaws is obvious because it exchanges a non-motorized form of transport for a motorized form of transport, thus increasing the pollution and harming the environment. Ban on rickshaw harms the most vulnerable in society, mainly the sick, poor, women, children and the elderly; generally those who cannot afford or do not feel comfortable on other forms of public transport. Banning rickshaws also hurts small businesses that rely on them as a cheap and reliable form of transporting their goods. Rickshaws are ideal for urban settings because they can transport a relatively large number of passengers while taking up a small portion of the road. In 1998 the data showed that rickshaws took up 38% of road space while transporting 54% of passengers in Dhaka. The private cars, on the other hand, took up 34% of road space while only transporting 9% of the population (1998 DUTP). This data does not include the parking space on roads that cars take up in Dhaka. If included this would further raise the amount of space taken up by private cars. Every year the rickshaws save Tk 100 billion by not causing environmental damage.
The governments made many efforts to reduce traffic congestion in Dhaka but with no success. Blaming rickshaws for traffic congestion and subsequently banning them from major roads has not had the desired effect. Traffic is still as bad now as it was before the rickshaws were banned on major roads. Rickshaws thus cannot be seen as the major cause of traffic congestion. Instead, one should look towards private cars and private car parking on roads as the major cause of traffic congestion. The space gained by banning rickshaws is often used for private car parking. The current trend in transport planning reduces the mobility of the majority for the convenience of the minority. Please take into consideration who is being hurt and who is being helped.
For a better transport system in Dhaka we need to create a city-wide network of rickshaw lanes. If this is done Dhaka can reduce its fuel usage dramatically as well as its pollution.
Hi GS and Syed Saiful,
I'm so sorry I missed these comments.
Unfortunately I have been quite busy and neglected this blog.
The plight of the rickshaw wallah's is a good indication of how governments have totally miss judged the needs of their people! Surely it is better to be usefully employed and productive people. If we are occupied in our lives and part of a flourishing community then most of peoples needs are being met. This infatuation we seem to have with the new, modern, and costly devices of our technological world is sometimes to our own detriment.
Hi david
Please Visit this site for more information about Dhaka rickshaw.
http://dhaka-rickshaw.blogspot.com/
http://voiceofsouth.org/2008/01/03/rickshaw_bans/
Why blame rickshaws only?
Asif K Shams, Banani, Dhaka
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=56472
Being a disabled person I am seriously inconvenienced by the ban on rickshaws on important roads. I am a mid-level employee so cannot afford CNGs , even if I can find one. Taxis and private cars are unthinkable. For this reason I am very pleased to see that your fearless newspaper has highlighted the acute problems caused by traffic jams on a daily basis. However, the police authorities are relentless in blaming rickshaws for the jams and even force me to walk (I use a crutch) in the heat and in the rain.
Over the last 2/3 weeks you are printing revealing pictures of gridlock on the road, when not one rickshaw can be seen. The actual cause is apparent to all (except perhaps, the authorities). There are too many private cars on Dhaka's roads that are too narrow to accommodate them all. Most of these cars are huge requiring lots of octane, cause pollution and park anywhere they like without any difficulty to obstruct traffic in all directions. Moreover, their incessant honking on hydraulic horns is turning most of Dhaka people deaf, as the police sergeant confessed in your paper recently.
In this connection, I have been following the writings of Sikander Ahmed and others who are giving many useful suggestions. He claims that if existing traffic laws are strictly followed and implemented, both motorized and non-motorized transports can ply on the roads with ease. Why isn't someone listening, instead of constantly putting the blame on those who cannot fight back.- usually the poor rickshawallas and those who use them.
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