CONSERVATION OF SPACE

This blog is written   after witnessing INDIAN CITY  where there is heavy congestion in residential areas.

Often we see cars are parked in the space meant for pedestrians, more so, during night time. Since in a developed residential area, there is hardly any space left vacant, searching for exclusive parking space at the ground level is near impossibility. But , I feel there is solution, of course with a cost. 

The roads inside residential areas should be dug to a suitable depth so that the cavity so formed shall be used for parking car (underground parking). Since there is hardly any requirement of heavy vehicle movement in residential area, the covering the  underground with proper structure should not cost too much. 

I also wish to extend this idea a bit more. Why cann't we also have an underground road in the residential area so that road at the surface could be used for children to play.  I mean, there should be a designated stretch of surface (ground level road) beneath which the underground road should be constructed for vehicular traffic as well as pedestrian movement. 

Finally, it is high time to have network of underground multi- purpose pipeline arrangement. I imagine such a pipeline arrangement must cater to water flow, gas flow (in future, gas may be supplied to houses through pipes) optical fibre cable laying, electric cable laying. An integrated approach will be cost effective, in the sense, repeated digging of grounds destruction/reconstruction of pavements witnessed could be avoided. 

Though, the above ideas look to be cost intensive, considering long term benefits, such ideas should be explored, to begin with as a pilot project.   Hope some day .. I  wish to see my above ideas realised somewhere.

SKYWAYS.. CYCLING WAYS.. HOW ABOUT THIS IDEA !!!

CONTEXT : BIG CITIES IN INDIA

When we ride two wheelers during peak hours ( between0830 hrs -1030 hrs and 1730 hrs to 2000 hrs), the experience could be anything but pleasant. ..

Adding to the agony.. the fuel price is skyrocketing ...

Few solutions are already in place and few more are in pipeline.. such as .. metro .. flyover..underpass. These are the new jargon one uses to tell your ways in any big cities..

All the above solutions are aimed at de-congesting traffic and not as fuel savings measures..

I have few thoughts that I would like to share with readers of this blog

{MY BLISSFUL THINKING IS... One day I can feel .. oh!! my thoughts are now reality .. }

Well,

We must have infrastructure for those who use bicycles..

please note the word MUST ..

it is not time for lamenting about lack of such infra.. but it is high time to act and build skyways for cyclists .. to make a beginning .. I have few suggestions..

• A straight stretches (long roads) with dense traffic should be chosen for construction of such skyways.. ,
• There should be a lift /elevator at key points where people can take their bicycle up to the skyways..
• There must also be bicycle stands at such key points

Having shared this crude idea.. May I also add few important aspects ..

The surface of such skyways must be suitably designed to have proper traction with bicycle tyres just to ensure bicycle riding more pleasurable.

NO idea can be attractive until and unless the advantages were spellt out..

Let me try to enlist.. few advantages,,

• Cost of construction for bicycle skyways should be much less than the cost for skyways/fly over meant for heavy vehicles.
• Once built .. these skyways will become almost zero pollution zones...
• Cycling itself is fat burning exercise.. so there will be health benefits as well, particularly major cities have high percent of obese population ..(well .. economically upward people may not enjoy cycling .. but even if small percentage of them find cycling attractive .. just s a fashion/fad.. then obese population could be reduced..)
• Government can even explore giving away bicycles to public strictly for the ride on the skyways.. so that people need not carry bicycles and lift/climb upto skyways. This measure would certainly attract more and more people ..who would otherwise find it unattractive to cycle from home to skyway entry points.

I may add few more lines... and I also wish reader of this blogs may also contribute their ideas including pros and cons in bringing the idea into reality.

MOVE ON TRAIN TRACK.. NOT ON ROADS ..SAVINGS..

Hi,
this has been my one more piece of imagination..
transportation is costing huge to our exchequer.. well. particualrly, transportation by road .

my idea is not new one..cauze..i heard.. konkan railway..(runs along INDIAN westcoast) have moved trcuks with cargo on thier rail. The arrangement is such that..

1. driver brings the vehicle on the railway moving platform. and then
2. Then, the platform moves to next destination on the rail..
3. Then driver drives the vehicle out of paltform to the next destination.

The above movement not only save fuel , minimise drivers' fatigue and vehicles' wear n tear.

MY IDEA IS .
why can'nt we have such rails (not roads) whereever we get plain land to begin(though konkan railway passes mountainous region).
At least, we must make a beginning by identifying those routes where terrain is plain and traffic is huge..
well, i didn't have calculation of cost of such an arrangement vis-a-vis road transportation. My guess -intial cost of setting up of train tracks may be huge but that should wipe out once the savings in terms of savings in fuel, less wear n tear , driver's rest etc. over a long period of time.

CONSERVATION OF RESOURCES VS. HUMAN COMFORT

Hi freinds,..

This piece must be read in whole.
No piece-meal reading...PLEASE...


While we talk about conservation of energy /resources we actually expend quite a good amount of energy and resources unnecessarily.

Here is a debatable point.-HOW MUCH SPENDING IS NECESSARY???
Frankly...I have no clear answer to this question.

Take for example, for a journey of, say, 5 KM,

• one person may think, he/she should take four wheeler since it is very hot outside and there is no public transport at the moment...
• But, another person mayt think...hey..i am just only one person..I take my bike..and beat the traffic...never mind hotness...
• Yet another person may think.....just 5 KM..I have enough time ..let me plan visit just when public transport(bus) is available.

Different person think different way... then who is correct..or which is best option..???

I feel, all the three persons are correct in their own way. But, answer to next part -best option....best option for comfortable journey is travel by four wheeler..

best option which balance of time and convinience is journey by bike..

Stricktly from conservation of energy point of view the ..journey by public transport is best option.

oH!!! ALL OPTIONS LOOK THE BEST option

!!$$###$^^^ confusing...#$@#^&&&!!!!

Well, having narrated a simple daily life example... let me try to answer the puzzle...as to what one has to do -spend energy OR forego comfort..??

One can easily measure how much enrgy/resource is spent in a particular activity. But, how much comfort one gets out of the activity done in ones own way is difficult/or impossible to measure. What is the solution???

MIND CONTROL

YES, that is exactly...citizens must do... to conserve energy..

(just when comfort heavily weighs in its favour against 'saving energy')

HOw to control mind....I have few solutions.. and.....you may have many more..

TO BIGIN WITH...

• just wait few more minutes in the morning to switch on fan to beat heat.
• just avoid..switching on AC in your car for few more KMs.
• Don't drive the distance...that you can cover by bicycle..or just by walk..(forget about spending extra minutes for this ...lost minutes !!!!! can always be brought back by time mangement !!!!!)
• few lights or no lights are required to brighten corridors of so many big buildings during the day time...(Next time.. when we see glowing bulb competing with sun shine..just avaoid such unhealthy compition...SWITCH OFF...)

I look forward from readers to suggest more ways and means to save energy..

thnx for the pateint reading..

CONSERVE WATER

Hi freinds,

More often than not, we just leave tap on..and keep us engage in activities like washing with soap, brushing teeth, shaving, washing /cleaning vessels, ...and so son.
We, urban people r oblivious to the fact that-water has been pumped for us from reservoirs/water source...several tens of Kilo Metres...and we hardly think...how much enrgy(both electrical, mechanical) and manpower spent in getting water at our reach. My own conservative estimate that-every day, every family (say of 4-5 people), must have wasted about 50 litres (minimum). Think of an urban area with 1000 families...the wastage comes to 5000 litres.
Wait...!!!! .....I haven't added the wastage due to leakage in supply lines....malfunctioning of taps.( about 50% of taps have some minor to major leakage problems...)
I tend to think....even though..we have sent man to moon...we r yet to have simple, durable, cost effective water taps.

I am sure ..there may be some paper/book/document with stringent ISI standards /specifications for taps used for domestic purpose. Alas...!!..!!...but reality stares at us...with water flowing in our homes....as if we r on the shores of GANGA, YAMUNA......

my next blog ....please wait

ghcute