Non-linear ropeway prototype debuts in Kolkata

September 12, 2014

Commuters in Kolkata may soon travel on a non-linear ropeway – that has the potential to swing its way through the city’s skyline dotted with high-rises – the makers, who tout it is the world’s first of its kind, said after launching a prototype.

The private firm which has developed and patented this new pollution-free aerial transit – christened Curvo ropeway – is in talks with the West Bengal government to launch the service in two sectors as a second-tier urban transportation option.

Test-run of the prototype, with two cabins, was conducted within a stretch of 500 metres at a spot in Kolkata’s Joka area recently.

The inventors are also applying for certification to open the prototype for the public.

“It is the world’s first non-linear ropeway for alternative urban transportation. This will be a new-age transport system and add to the concept of smart cities. There are two proposals which we are discussing with the state government, regarding launching the service in Sealdah-B.B.D. Bag area and the other from Nabanna, the state secretariat,” said Rachana Mukherjee, director, Conveyor and Ropeway Services Pvt. Ltd.

“In addition, we are applying for certification to open the prototype for the public,” she said Saturday.

The ropeway service, to be run on electricity, will breeze over existing arterial and other roads on steel portal frames spaced at 90-100 metres supporting the ropes, avoiding the congestion on the streets below.

On any designated route, there will be elevated stops for deboarding and boarding of the passengers every 750 metres.

Proposed to run at 12.5 km per hour, the carrying capacity of the ropeway on a single track is pegged at 2,000 people per hour.

“On a double track, the capacity will be double. Cabins, with a capacity of eight to 10 seats, will be spaced at 22 to 25 seconds interval. The tariffs will be competitive keeping in mind the bus fares.”

“It is definitely safe and will offer greater flexibility (with regard to destinations) than the metro,” Mukherjee said, adding it is a completely indigenous technology.IANS

This will be a new-age transport system and add to the concept of smart cities

Source:The Hindu

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Tech, Transport

PWD drags feet on Ghoghripur rail overbridge

September 11, 2014

Tribune News Service

Karnal, July 26

The Gogripur rail overbridge project has become a distant dream for residents of 25 villages who cross the railway line every day. Aimed at easing traffic woes, the project to construct a railway overbridge on the Karnal-Munak road began in 2013 at a cost of Rs 26 crore. It was to be completed till 2015.

Sources associated with the project said the project was a joint venture of the Railways and the PWD. The Railways were to build their part of the bridge over the track, while the PWD had to build it on both sides of the track, as per the terms and conditions.

The Railways, it is learnt, is about to complete its part, but the PWD is yet to finalise tenders for constructing its portion of the project.

Commuters using this route are forced to travel a longer distance to reach their destination. Ramesh Pal of Staundi village who works in Karnal said he used this route every day. “I waste both time and money traversing the longer distance due to delay in the project.” Rohit Kumar, a college student, said he had to leave home early to reach in time.

“The PWD has called for the tenders and soon the construction company will be finalised. I hope the construction work of the bridge will be completed on the scheduled time,” said Virender Jakhar, Exen, PWD.

In limbo

* The project to build a rail overbridge on the Karnal-Munak road began in 2013 to ease traffic woes

* Scheduled to be completed by 2015, the project will benefit residents of 25 surrounding villages

* While the Railways is about to complete its part of the project, the PWD is yet to finalise tenders for its share of the project

Source-http://www.tribuneindia.com/

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Roads & Bridges

Smart cars will make parking a lot easier

September 11, 2014

SNTV

Paris

Why waste your time looking for a place to park when your car can do it for you? An idea that was pure science fiction only a few years ago is becoming reality thanks to automatic robot cars.A car with no one on board drives into a car park at walking pace, lets a pedestrian pass, and then backs into a narrow parking space without the merest bump or scrape.The technology that makes this possible has been developed by the Swedish car company Volvo and the French parts maker Valeo. It is still at the prototype stage but could be widely available within six years.

Some cars are already able to drive themselves in certain circumstances. The Mercedes CLS coup? brakes by itself when the driver fails to react to the risk of an accident. Some BMW models also warn drivers they are about to go over the white line and they can go onto automatic pilot in traffic jams.

“Lots of the technology is already out there,” said Guillaume Devauchelle, director of R&D at Valeo. “But now we are at a turning point.” Rapid progress in radar and detection camera technology now allows cars to “see” things going on around them. Onboard computers analyse road conditions and make the car react accordingly.

Which means that car makers believe that they will have models on the market capable of driving by themselves by 2020, and utterly autonomous robot cars by 2030.

This could radically cut mortality, said Franck Cazenave, marketing director at the parts maker Bosch, since “90 percent of accidents are caused by human error”.

Who to blame for an accident?
There are other benefits too. As soon as cars begin to talk to one another, and with the computers running the road system, traffic will run more smoothly with huge savings on fuel.

According to Sebastien Amichi, an expert at consultants Roland Berger, after 2030 there could be “fleets of vehicles available 24/7 that will come to pick you up where ever you want, and do so with amazing efficiency”.

These really smart cars will also make travel that much more comfortable, their supporters claim. “Drivers won’t have to drive so they will have that time for themselves,” says Cazenave. They will be able to read, surf the net, or even have a nap — which is why not only car markers have been attracted by the possibilities this offers.

Google has been testing fully automatic Japanese cars for the last five years and is even making its own electric driverless cars that make us of its Internet and mapping expertise.

Even so, others in the industry such as Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault and Nissan, argue that car-marking is an art not everyone could pull off.

And, of course, there is the prohibitive cost of the technology. The radar system alone on a Google car is said to cost 60,000 euros ($82,000), without counting existing auto-pilot technology that costs thousands of euros.

“What is still holding us up is the quality of the sensors and of artificial intelligence,” Ford has admitted. And though everyone thinks that the next decade will see automatic robot cars driving on their own on motorways and in car parks, having them in the middle of urban traffic with pedestrians and cyclists, is another question. The big issue is who is to blame if there is an accident.

Before tackling this thorny question, governments will have to change road safety laws which demand that every driver “must be in control of their vehicle”.

As for the drivers themselves, some will undoubtedly be happy to hand over the wheel. Others though will be reluctant to put their lives in the hands of a computer — not to mention foreswearing for ever the pleasure of putting their foot to the floor.

Source-http://www.hindustantimes.com/

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Cars/ Smart Cars, Parking

5 key elements of PM Narendra Modi’s 100 smart cities

September 11, 2014

PM Narendra ModiThe Centre has prepared a blueprint to define the key elements of the 100 smart cities it plans to establish across the nation. The cities were one of the main promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year

The government has allocated Rs.1000 crore for each city which will be selected according to its population. Eight cities with more than four million people have been identified and they will have a satellite smart city.

45 cities with one to four million people will be upgraded to a smart city. 17 capital cities also qualify, irrespective of their population. There will be at least 10 other smart cities with tourist and religious significance.

The Centre is currently working out the details of the ambitious plan by organising workshops with state secretaries. A national workshop with state CMs is planned in October followed by the approval from the Union Cabinet in November.

The programme is likely to be launched on December 25, the birthday of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Here are the five main elements of the proposed smart cities identified by the Urban Development Ministry:

1. In terms of infrastructure, the smart cities should have 24×7 availability of high quality utility services like water and power.

2. A robust transport system that emphasises on public transport is also a key element.

3. In social infrastructure, the cities should provide opportunities for jobs and livelihoods for its inhabitants.

4. The smart cities should also have proper facilities for entertainment and the safety and security of the people. State-of-the-art health and education facilities are also a must.

5. The smart cities should minimize waste by increasing energy efficiency and reducing water conservation. Proper recycling of waste materials must be done in such cities.

Source:India Today

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Government (Govt), Smart City

Road users slam collection of toll on NH 210

September 11, 2014

Some major components of the NH work are yet to be over

Pay before you use:The overbridge at Letchumanapatty near Keeranur on NH 210 is still at its nascent stage, but the NHAI has granted permission to a private company to collect toll at two places.— Photo: A.Muralitharan

Collection of toll on National Highway 210, which is yet to be fully completed, has drawn criticisms from road users.

Though the majority of works on the 81.05-km stretch between Mandaiyur near Tiruchi and Managiri in Sivaganga district have been completed, important components such as construction of overbridge at Kalamavur and bridges near Pudukottai are yet to be completed. Motorists are still using the old road at several points. In some places, the private company that undertakes the laying of extended two-lane is yet to put up signboards .

However, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has given permission to the private company to collect toll at Letchumanapatty near Keeranur and Lembakudi near Karaikudi. For a single trip from Tiruchi to Karaikudi, buses and trucks have to shell out Rs.170. The fee for a car or van is Rs.50 (Rs.25 each at Letchumanpatty and Lembakudi).

Though motorists have no hesitation to pay the toll, the permission granted for collecting toll before fully completing the works anguishes many.

“We pay hefty sums for using the toll road. But motoring at several stretches is still painful. The NHAI shouldn’t have given permission to collect the toll before the full completion of works,” says M.Murugesan, a car driver.

“We couldn’t understand the rationale behind the decision.

If the NHAI wanted to help the investors, who built the road, it should have pressurised them to complete the works within the stipulated time or it should have played the role of facilitator to convince the line departments to complete remaining works on time,” said another road user.

When contacted, personnel at the toll plazas told The Hindu that the fee was being collected only for the completed portion. As per NHAI rules, fee can be collected if 75 per cent of the road works are completed. As far as the Tiruchi-Karaikudi road is concerned, about 80 per cent of the works have been completed, they said.

Source:The Hindu

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Tolling

Traffic awareness campaign held

September 11, 2014

About 25 employees of Ford India participated in an awareness campaign on Wednesday, educating the public and students on the need to wear helmets and seat belts.

The awareness campaign, which went on for more than a couple of hours, was part of the Global Week of Caring programmes of the company.

The employees take up programmes related to health and safety, digital literacy, etc, ever year as part of the awarenss campaign.

Source:The Hindu

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Traffic Control

To unclog Delhi, hop into a streetcar named strategy

September 10, 2014

Fighting congestion by widening a road is like loosening your belt to fight obesity’ – US-based traffic engineer Walter Kulash’s observation about Orlando couldn’t have been more appropriate for Delhi.

To unclog the streets of Delhi, what we first need is an exhaustive and specific study to understand what clogs our roads. The city’s top experts believe that instead of incremental and reactive measures such as building one flyover after another, what Delhi needs is a comprehensive transport policy.

Hindustan Times has been running a month-long series ‘Unclog Delhi’ and as part of the campaign, we invited the top transport and planning experts of Delhi for a brainstorming session. One issue on which all experts agreed was the immediate need for a vision document for Delhi’s transport planning and an umbrella body that could coordinate with the multitude of authorities to come up with an integrated transport plan.

“Delhi doesn’t have a stated, comprehensive transport policy. It only has an operational plan prepared in 2003,” said Nalin Sinha, Director, Initiative for Transportation and Development Programmes. Sinha said all transport-related initiatives in the city are taken in an ad hoc manner in the absence of a stated policy.

AK Jain, former commissioner (planning), Delhi Development Authority, said that instead of a study of Delhi’s traffic demand management, short-term measures such as creating more flyovers and roundabouts are taken to deal with immediate problems.

Sinha emphasised on the need for an umbrella body for transport planning. “In most cities with successful transport and traffic scenario such as New York and London, it is the municipality’s responsibility,” he said. “In Delhi, the transport department reports to the government and is responsible for giving licenses, municipalities do not have time to handle anything beyond water and sewage, the DTC is autonomous, DDA does only land planning and PWD only builds roads and flyovers. Everyone passes the buck,” he said.

The experts also believe that instead of planning just the smooth movement of cars, transport planning should focus on the mobility of more people in a faster way. “There is no road designing in Delhi. Most roads have been designed just for motor vehicles,” said AK Bhattacharjee, former director, Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning & Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC).

He said that Delhi’s streets have been designed as highways, which lack all components to ensure equitable distribution of road space for all, including pedestrians and cyclists. “Of the Rs. 3,500 crore budget for transport in Delhi, Rs. 2000 crore goes into building flyovers. What about other transport and road infrastructure?” he said.

Strengthening Delhi’s public transport system and making it more seamless could help wean away people from private transport but what is required is proper last-mile connectivity, something the Delhi Metro sorely needs in spite of emerging as Delhi’s lifeline.

“When you have a world-class Metro in Delhi, why can’t you invest in last-mile connectivity?” said Professor PK Sarkar, head of transport planning department, School of Planning and Architecture. “Is flyover an essential requirement or do you have to see greater mobility?” he said.

Dr Sewa Ram, Associate Professor, School of Planning and Architecture, said that the issue of feeder services for Metro has been completely neglected when that and auto rickshaws should be a part of a lay-out plan. “There should be operational integration between different modes of public transport and fare integration on the principle of defined time, defined value. There is a need for a common mobility card,” he said.

“Ideally, one should spend two-third of the funds on the main route and one-third on the feeder service. What is happening is the opposite. People end up paying more on feeder services and less in Metro,” he said.

“Along Metro lines, traffic has gone up by 2-3% but away from Metro lines, traffic has seen a 9% growth rate. Mass transport has reduced traffic growth rate,” said Dr K Ravinder, senior scientist, Central Road Research Institute.

Jain said that alternative modes of transport can be used to lessen the pressure on Delhi’s roads. One such way is energising the existing Ring Railway of the city. He also said that radical innovations, such as using Delhi’s canals, which measure about 350 km, as waterways can also be looked into.

Source:Hindustan Times

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Delhi, Traffic Congestion, Traffic Control

Govt sets ball rolling for smart city project in Ujjain

September 10, 2014

The Union government will soon start the process for construction of a ‘smart city’ near Ujjain which will be developed under Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project.

The Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC) plans to invite bids for developing trunk infrastructure for the smart city at Vikram Udyogpuri near Ujjain by October, an industry department official told HT.

The DMICDC will invite international competitive bidding for developing trunk infrastructure including water supply, sewerage treatment and roadways among others. The government will provide funds for the trunk infrastructure through DMIC Trust.

The master plan for the smart city in Ujjain, which will be an integrated industrial township, has already been accepted by the state government and the land acquisition has been completed. The site for the proposed Vikram Udyogpuri is located about 8 km from the temple town of Ujjain, which is about 55 km from Indore.

The state government has proposed to develop 444 hectare land for residential, commercial, public and semi-public buildings besides educational institutes and industrial training institutes (ITIs). “The first phase project cost has been estimated at Rs. 808.60 crore and it will be completed by 2019,” the official said.

The Vikram Udyogpuri township will consist of automotive and auto components, IT and engineering services industries and educational institutions.

In January this year, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had approved the development of trunk infrastructure for Vikram Udyogpuri which falls in Pithampur-Dhar-Mhow investment region of the DMIC project. According to official estimates, the industrial township at Vikram Udyogpuri is expected to attract private sector investments of around Rs. 13,000 crore.

A special purpose vehicle has already been floated for the project, which will invite private developers to develop, operate and maintain real estate projects and commercial development on Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis and operation and maintenance of selected trunk infrastructure. The SPV comprises the subsidiaries of the Madhya Pradesh government and DMIC Trust.

A smart city must have three of the five infrastructure requirements – energy management, water management, transport and traffic, safety and security and solid waste management. At the same time, it must have three of the five application domains – healthcare, education, inclusion, participative governance and community services.

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) will lend funds for the project.

Source:Hindustan Times

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Government (Govt), Smart City

Chandigarh to be ‘rebuilt’ as smart city, minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju says

September 10, 2014

“Whole of Chandigarh will be developed as new, the MHA under which Chandigarh comes will ensure that it comes up as a smart city, “Union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju said.

CHANDIGARH: The Centre will ensure that the entire Chandigarh is “rebuilt” and it comes up as a “smart city”, Union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju said here on Friday.

On his maiden visit to the city as a minister, he said that he held meetings with the officers of the local administration and discussed the issues of development of the city.

“Whole of Chandigarh will be fresh (developed as new) … it will re-built … the MHA under which Chandigarh comes will ensure that it comes up as a smart city,” he said.

The minister, who also attended the passing out parade of ITBP near here, said the Centre is prepared for all possible help for development of Chandigarh.

Rijiju, who also inaugurated the solar power plant and newly built auditorium in the PG government college for girls at Sector 42 here, said that Chandigarh being an ideal city, it is appropriate that the college has gone in for solar energy which would be the energy of the future.

The minister said that the state of the act auditorium would help in honing and developing the skills of students in the extra-curricular activities, which are as important as studies.

He refused to comment on controversy created over recent remarks by Union minister Arun Jaitley on rape and its affect on tourism. “I won’t comment on it,” he said.

On the issue of special privileges, including passes to visit restricted areas and free air travel reportedly sought by BJP MP’s for their personal secretaries, the minister said that “we take review of excesses of ministers and officers and then decide upon it.”

“I can’t comment upon it (privileges) … I will discuss with the BJP and come back with a reply,” he added.

Meanwhile, Kirron Kher, Lok Sabha MP from Chandigarh, said that she would make all effort to make Chandigarh the first smart city in the country.

She expressed her happiness to be involved in the development of the city.

The new auditorium has a seating capacity of 600 and was built at a cost of Rs 5 crore in three years.

Source:Times of India

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Government (Govt), Smart City

Meeting of state ministers called to push smart cities vision

September 10, 2014

NEW DELHI: In its bid to finalise the roadmap for NDA’s flagship scheme “100 smart cities” the Centre has called a meeting of state urban development ministers on September 12 for consultation.

Union urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu said on Thursday that he has written to the states to participate in the meeting since state governments have to play a big role in this pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Claiming that the planning for this massive programme is in advanced stage of finalisation, Naidu said, “Foreign governments have also sent notes on this expressing interest. We are studying them and will come out with a policy soon,” he said.

On Wednesday, the secretary to the urban development ministry Shankar Aggarwal had said that the process for finalising the framework for smart cities is a huge exercise and all possible pitfalls, effects and other factors are being considered before announcement of the policy. He had also said that private sector will have huge opportunities to put these projects in place.

He had also said that builders and developers for the smart cities would be adequately incentivised. As a part of the plan, while a few new cities would be developed as “smart” ones the prime focus is on improving infrastructure and living conditions in existing cities.

Source:Times of India

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Government (Govt), Smart City

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