[Traxter]

Originally Posted by Exhaust_Note

traxter, no offence but the reprimand mentioned had me in splits. We Indians do not really care 2 hoots about losing driving license! Because, forst we can drive without one, and second, we can very easily acquire another, then another and so on......

I know my friend...any wonder almost 2,00,000 people die or get maimed like dogs in our streets every year, one of highest in world, why it extinguishes great lives including singers, leaders, sportsmen and so on at their prime?

[musicvj]

OT: Isn't all the glaciers melting? Won't we have more water then? or we should find ways to get pure water from sea hmmm .

Chennai has had it's water problem, but past few years we haven't seen or we are able to manage with other means.

Back to topic, the fine for washing cars on road is a cheesy way to increase their revenue. Why don't they start hi tech car wash place and let people drive through them with a nominal fee before implementing such hideous rules!!

[Exhaust_Note]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

But telling everyone else how much water they should use to wash their cars or to shower and so on is what I find wrong.

If, as part of the country's population, one is not being responsible, then the govt. "should" intervene and tell the miscreants to behave responsibly, and if needed (as is the case in India most of the time) also tell them "how" to be responsible. water wastage is as real in India as is the water shortage. Availability of water is not uniform in our country and hence saying that we do not need water conservation laws would be slightly off the mark.

[Traxter]

Originally Posted by benbsb29

These are reasonable, and just. I truly stand by them, and also implement the same at home. However, saying one shouldnt wash a car on the street is unreasonable and unfair, considering not everyone has a covered parking space.

I appreciate that..thanks.

Re. washing on street IMHO one free privilege which is itself a burden on others (parking on roads) cannot lead to justifying another privilege that is even more of a burden on others (washing with hose or even bucket on street)

Actually there is already some noise about not letting people buy second cars, not letting people own cars that do not have parking etc. This is actually a fact in many other space starved countries. (Either they dont let you own cars or they dont let you park anywhere without paying hefty amounts, which has same effect)...our parking charges do not YET reflect the cost of land which is as high as it is anywhere in the world. That is changing, whether we like it or not.

The more responsible we are, the more proactive we are the less the chances of draconian measures getting passed. If 20% of us abuse the rights in a way that causes inconvenience, like the SWIFT example quoted by IronH4WK, there is going to be more and more loud calls for draconian controls. We bring it on ourselves. Remember, we are still living in cities with 60% slum population and hardly 10% owning cars. So we have little voice.

Whether parking, water use or whatever, this applies.

[iceman7]

Come on guys. I thought the basic premise of this thread was to discuss whether or not penalizing someone 1000 bucks for washing their cars on the road is right or wrong. I don't see the need to discuss wastage of water in this thread.

Wash the car on road or wash it inside your compound or even inside your house if you like - water is utilized. So lets just stick to the topic.

While we are at it - This is a preposterous move. What are they trying to achieve by doing this? If not anything else, atleast our roads get cleansed every morning because of the car washes. OK, that was a bad excuse!

[Traxter]

Originally Posted by musicvj

Chennai has had it's water problem, but past few years we haven't seen or we are able to manage with other means.

Chennai implemented compulsory RWH even with considerable protest about cost, timing etc. That improved water table a lot..among other things.

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by Traxter

I know my friend...any wonder almost 2,00,000 people die or get maimed like dogs in our streets every year, one of highest in world, why it extinguishes great lives including singers, leaders, sportsmen and so on at their prime?

OT:
cost of getting a license should be increased many folds. hopefully this will get some sense into people. for example, my sister paid almost 60k INR to get her license in Brussels. there, depending on the seriousness of the violation, the license can be cancelled. so if you need a new license, you end up shelling out another 60k. i hear they've a similar rule in UK too.

but here in India, we do have loopholes for that too. how many people actually drive around with a valid license? i see school kids driving 2-wheelers and 4-wheelers and they obviously don't have a license. to add to that, we have our friendly traffic cops who will let you go for a meager amount as low as 10/- (yep, this has happened to my friend who didn't have his bike's papers on him)!

[Exhaust_Note]

The point is not whether the imposed fine is right or wrong. I think, the main point is that the Govt. is not expected to take one-off decisions without considering the whole picture. It is like stopping eating chicken for animal rights but continuing eating all other forms of meat, and throwing hunting parties to top it off.

[Traxter]

Originally Posted by iceman7

If not anything else, atleast our roads get cleansed every morning because of the car washes. OK, that was a bad excuse!

By this strange logic, washing clothes on the street, bathing on street and at times even washing utensils on the street should end up with street getting washed...not to speak of the nice impression it creates on any visitor or resident.

[iceman7]

Originally Posted by Exhaust_Note

The point is not whether the imposed fine is right or wrong. I think, the main point is that the Govt. is not expected to take one-off decisions without considering the whole picture. It is like stopping eating chicken for animal rights but continuing eating all other forms of meat, and throwing hunting parties to top it off.

Partly Agree to what you say. But yet everyone will be entitled to having opinions on whether it is right or wrong.

Originally Posted by Traxter

By this strange logic, washing clothes on the street, bathing on street and at times even washing utensils on the street should end up with street getting washed...not to speak of the nice impression it creates on any visitor or resident.

My statement was supposed to be sarcastic. But now that you bring it up:

You don't keep your clothes on the roads, you keep them in a closet in your house
You don't keep your utensils on the road, you keep them in the kitchen inside your house

BUT

You need to realize that many people in Mumbai don't have access to parking spaces. Cars get parked on the road, and that is the only place it can be washed. You can't pack your car, carry it home, wash it and bring it back on the road again, Can you?

People DO NOT have an option.

PS - Bathing on the street is quite fun sometimes.

[Traxter]

Originally Posted by iceman7

My statement was supposed to be sarcastic. But now that you bring it up:

PS - Bathing on the street is quite fun sometimes.

I know, my comment was because this logic was raised earlier in this thread, not in sarcasm.

I have not tried bathing in street yet, unable to comment...

Originally Posted by iceman7

You need to realize that many people in Mumbai don't have access to parking spaces. Cars get parked on the road, and that is the only place it can be washed. You can't pack your car, carry it home, wash it and bring it back on the road again, Can you?

The proper, but unfortunately harsh and I know impractical in Indian context, answer to that question is that you should not own a car without paid or own parking. If no choice but to use the street, try to be considerate, low profile and try to accomodate others' interest as much as possible. Enjoy the free privilege while it lasts, without using that as a foundation to demand other privileges. Washing car on roads like Bangalore with steep slopes and narrow streets is a nuisance.

Talking of slippery slopes, and the story of arab nomad and the camel, free parking first, free washing second, free what else next? Bit like folks occupying road side, build huts and then demand housing rights and compensation for eviction etc...

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by iceman7

You need to realize that many people in Mumbai don't have access to parking spaces. Cars get parked on the road, and that is the only place it can be washed. You can't pack your car, carry it home, wash it and bring it back on the road again, Can you?

People DO NOT have an option.

who says people don't have an option? they do have, but they don't want to exercise it. for example, if you've a small wardrobe and too many clothes, would you put them on the street or limit the amount of clothes you buy? similarly, if your cannot afford an apartment with parking space, don't own a car. there is no law which says that everyone needs to have a car!

[iceman7]

Originally Posted by Traxter

The proper, but unfortunately harsh and I know impractical in Indian context, answer to that question is that you should not own a car without paid or own parking. If no choice but to use the street, try to be considerate, low profile and try to accomodate others' interest as much as possible. Enjoy the free privilege while it lasts, without using that as a foundation to demand other privileges.

Owning a car now a days is not a Luxury. It has become a necessity for many.

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

who says people don't have an option? they do have, but they don't want to exercise it. for example, if you've a small wardrobe and too many clothes, would you put them on the street or limit the amount of clothes you buy? similarly, if your cannot afford an apartment with parking space, don't own a car. there is no law which says that everyone needs to have a car!

Are you serious? Try buying a parking space in Mumbai and you'll know what I am speaking about. AND, it's not about if people can afford parking spaces or not. Sometimes the cost benefit analysis just doesn't fit.

Why is this thread moving from justifying washing cars on the roads to justifying the ownership of one?

[sbraj]

Wondering where all those Tata Nanos will be washed. Washing and parking them is going to be a problem I suppose, given that lots of them are going to be on the roads.

So, one solution is to increase the price of cars? So that very few can own them? And wash them?

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by iceman7

Why is this thread moving from justifying washing cars on the roads to justifying the ownership of one?

actually i think both are connected. people cannot afford a house/apartment with parking space and hence park their cars outside. since the car needs to be cleaned, it happens on the road. this is where our govt. officials capitalize on the people and fine them for washing the car on the roadside (although its a lame rule). so you see, one leads to the other.

to keep people from buying cars and congesting the roads, in Singapore (and i guess other places where they're are short on real estate) the price of owning a car is very steep. only the rich can afford it. the rest stick to public transport.

i don't think in India the car dealers sell you a car only if you can afford a parking space. if that were the case, they'd out of business and we'd have less congested cities.

maybe, one solution to the "washing the car on the roadside" could be (as someone has mentioned before) affordable drive-through car wash.