09 June 2012

Friendly Road For Walking

Of all the changes that happened in recent times I loved the idea of walking to office on Tuesdays. And I loved the way many people received it. We were walkers until recent times, our ancestors walked all their lives, and our living parents walked the best part of their lives. We have walking DNA in us, which should still be very much there. It's only Tuesday we are going to acknowledge our DNA, and I hope we don't cheat ourselves by taking cabs and buses. If two cars meet on the road its called accident but when two persons meet on the road the story is different. Walking together will provide long opportunity to interact and form relationships and some day we will look at Tuesdays as vacations.
Chimi R Namgyal on BO
I walked the best days of my life, and it was a day in 2009 that I finally bought a car and became lazy. Cars are like pampered kids, they suck through our pockets day in day out and we still love them. And I love my car best because I have some really bad experience with walking. I wanted my revenge on the once-upon-a-time of my life. Those first two years in Bajothang gave me a few occasions to visit Wangdue Dzong, that was when I asked if we really had 72% of forest cover because that wasn't one tree on the entire road from Bajo to Wangdue Dzong. After having baked and roasted three times on that road I put together all my guts and bought a car.
Typical Treeless road in Bhutan
We have hell lot of trees but they are all in the jungle where monkeys live, if we are to encourage walking we have to have tree by the roadside and make walking a pleasure. I love the road from Paro Town to Nemizampa, we could replicate that very easily. I prefer walking over driving if only roads are friendlier.
Mission Possible
I hope to see the Pedestrians’ Day become very popular throughout the country, and I hope to see green roads where everybody loves to walk. Because in Walking we can regain our lost tradition of social interaction and relationships. 

5 comments:

  1. more and more such things will come up...most of our towns in bhutan are not pedestrian friendly...i am telling you from what i have learnt in my college, from architectural view, in future, you can infact expect the whole thimphu core areas to be pedestrian only...they will divert the cars outside the city,,,even the taxis.....and about service vehicles, one might have to find a time in a dawn or during the night when city is silent ....Good read La.

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  2. When I was first heard the news that NO CAR Day is also going to be replicated in our area, I was consumed by mixed feelings. I have had good reception towards the initiative, but I was apprehensive about carrying school going kid/s on our back all way from old 'Ghost town' till the new in the middle of the day. Quite don't like the idea of being grilled!

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  3. Roadside plantation on my agenda, lol.
    Nice read Passu sir.

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  4. It must have been a very refreshing day on Pedestrian Tuesday. Howsoever, I have heard people complaining about the day. I believe, Pedestrian day was a disappointment for some.
    I hope this day runs successfully.

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  5. We the Bhutanese are more theoretical than practical, good at preaching. Genius!!! Practically, we need to revisit our development strategies.

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