Lessons from J.M. Road Pedestrianization
A home is renovated. The balcony is now a part of living area, new storage systems are installed, a fancy set of entertainment electronics replaces the old ones, a fresh coat of paint adds to the décor. The occupants are elated at their new ‘old home’ and forget the discomfort they faced in the duration of the work. Now, as they settle down and start arranging their belongings, they start missing the comfort of the old places. The small conveniences of their ‘old house’ have disappeared. But the house is visually pleasing! Never mind the hard-to-open wardrobes, the hard-to-find- three- remotes for the entertainment unit, the be-extra-careful-glass used for housing the TV. They know… eventually they will get used to it.
A city road is being remodelled. The process of construction work is long; the discomfort faced is not by one family, but by a thousand citizens. The citizens have questions, why? How? What is the plan? The questions remain unanswered. Yet after completion some newspapers print glossy pictures of the new design and compare it to designs across Europe and US or in this case Singapore. Now we are progressing! The citizens are happy; we have got a design exactly like ‘abroad’. The discomfort is forgotten though they are not sure how to arrange their activities in this new space, but they know, eventually they will get used to it.
Revamping of Jangli Maharaj Road with the addition of a Pedestrian walkway
