In Mexico, rising pollution has caused the authorities to clamp down on vehicle entry into the city, which in turn has created a demand for electric cycles and scooters. In London too, pollution numbers has seen sales of electric cars go up by 85 percent. Now in Delhi, the Supreme Court has banned petrol and diesel taxis; the court also upheld a ban on sale of diesel vehicles above 2000 cc.
Panaji and other towns in Goa are far smaller by comparison and it will take a long time for pollution levels to rise that high. But is that a reason to get complacent or could that perhaps be used as a platform to build a network of ‘green’ transport? Panaji, Mapusa, Margao, Vasco, Ponda and other areas like Sinquerim-Baga are already getting congested. Only recently, the CCP in Panaji notified many areas where parking will be charged, in a bid to decongest the city.
In Mexico now, you can pick up an electric scooter in one place, ride it to work or wherever you’re going, leave it at the nearest docking station and continue about your business. You don’t have to pay for parking; you don’t have to worry about pollution. There are electric cycles that you can hire too. Mexico and San Francisco are so far the first two cities in the world to have schemes like this, in a very serious attempt to reduce pollution and congestion, but also create self-sufficient regions within the cities. What is really interesting is that the citizens have wholeheartedly joined in to make the transition easier. In Mexico City, the number of vehicles has gone down by 20 percent over the past weeks. Birmingham in England too just launched a programme called Birmingham Connected, which is on similar lines to Mexico City and San Francisco. The aim there is to cut down dependence on motor vehicles and create more human spaces where car parks would be.
Imagine driving to Panaji from your home, parking in Patto and picking up an electric scooter from there, which you ride to your office and leave it at a docking station close by. In the evening you pick up another scooter and ride it back to Patto. There is a fee but it’s not unreasonable. Now picture this happening in every town and even in tourist areas. There are so many areas that could now become pedestrian spaces and green spaces. Imagine walking down 18 June Road without even worrying about a crazy driver speeding down the road.
This is not a pipe dream. Given Goa’s relatively small population, this is quite possible. But here, the government needs to facilitate the move. One major detail needed is a great mass transit system. If we have buses and trains connecting us to every single part of Goa, there would probably be no need to buy more than one car per family. This effort though needs a lot of planning and great co-operation, especially from the transport associations. This is also a sector that will constantly generate employment because it’s always growing. The network in Mexico City has tripled in the past year.
None of this is unrealistic. It can either happen now, or when we have no choice but to make it happen.
