TOXIC
FREE ASIA TOUR
The SV Rainbow Warrior Tour in Asia |
TOUR
LOGBOOK
28 January 2000 - INDIA TOUR INSTIGATES NEW GRASSROOTS ACTIVISM
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In what
is probably the first spin off from the Toxic Free Asia tour, the Bombay
chapter of 'Critical Mass' was launched on January 28, 2000. Over 20
college students from all over Mumbai gathered with their cycles opposite
the headquarters of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation to express their
right to reclaim the roads for non-polluting, health-friendly use. From
here the bicycle procession snaked its way through rush hour traffic
in the heart of Bombay's financial district. With approximately 200
new cars rolling on to Mumbai's roads every day, automobile pollution
has helped make the city one of the world's most polluted.
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| Government efforts to tackle the problem are focussed on end-of-pipe solutions such as building flyovers and additional roads, rather than improving public transport and decentralising the city's development.The Mumbai chapter of Critical Mass is the brainchild of Campus Greens, a group of Mumbai college students who aim to highlight environmental issues, especially those related to toxic pollution, within college campuses. |  |
Critical
Mass, the students stress, is not targeted against motorists, but rather is
an effort to reclaim the streets as public spaces and to celebrate eco-friendly
transportation alternatives.
From its origins in San Francisco in 1992, Critical
Mass has become a global grassroots movement to reclaim public spaces
and use them in a more sustainable and healthy way.
